abnkkbsnplako

Hmmm. I am an addict. Sabi na nga ba, you need a vice to stay sane. And since I don't smoke anymore, and I rarely drink these days, here I am, staying up waaaayyy past my bedtime again. Arrrgg. I don't know what I'm doing. (Suddenly the music of Roxette is blasting through my inner radio: "I don't know where I'm going, and I don't know why, listen to your heart...before it tells you goooooddbyyyyyeeeeiiii!) (Of course I am also badly mangling the lyrics.)

So anyway, here is why I'm posting...just wanted to share some interesting sites I read today. And here they are, in no particular order:

1. Jessica Zafra and a summary of her day during "coup" day.
   
   What can I say? It's Jessica Zafra. Interesting excerpt:
   

   1130. I hop a cab and the driver says, "Martial law na!" Why is he smiling?!
   
   1140. The supermarket.... Everyone is brisk but quiet, except for the middle-aged white European in line at the checkout counter. He seems frazzled. That's what happens when you're accustomed to living in an orderly society: a little rebellion throws you into a tizzy.
   
   1200. The restaurants are full of diners. No one looks worried. I have a nice lunch and read The People's Act of Love, James Meek's magnificent novel set in Siberia, 1919. 1919 makes more sense to me than 2006.



2. Down with IE! Long Live Firefox! Kill Bill's Browser!
   
   
   Yes I am writing this in IE. Hahaha. But I support the cause anyway. And besides...I want equality for all men...and world peace!
   
   Interesting Excerpt: Some of the reasons why you should switch:
   

   #1: You'll only see porn when you want to.
   #2: Your kids will only see porn when they want to.
   #5: If we knew web designers would hurl themselves off it, we wouldn't have put the Golden Gate bridge so close to San Francisco.
   #8: Mozilla has never made a talking paperclip.

   
   



3. And from The Man Blog
   
   
   A Man's Guide To Surviving Brokeback Mountain
   
   A funny review of Brokeback Mountain and men, done in the form of a Q and A while they're watching the flick. Interesting excerpts:
   

   Anyway, to get to the point of this article, let us recognize the fact that there is no way a straight man will watch this movie willingly. The only conceivable reasons for any man to do so would be : A) his girlfriend wants to see it B) his wife wants to see it C) he thought it was a wrestling movie.
   
   Q: What’s this movie about?
   A: It’s about love, and how such a love can survive in a society that condemns it.
   Q: Ah, just like Romeo & Juliet?
   A: Yes, it’s very similar Romeo & Juliet.
   Q: Hey Olivia Hussy showed her titties in that movie. This is going to rock!
   ......
   Q: Uh, dude? I have another question.
   A: Ask away my good man.
   Q: Well it’s already 20 minutes into the movie and I still don’t see any chicks.
   A: Yes?
   Q: Well, how can it be a love story without chicks?
   ......
   Q: God I wish I knew how to quit you!
   A: Best. Movie. Ever.

   
   Read it all. It's funny, especially if you've watched the movie and/or know someone who did/doesn't want to.

Truth, Dignity and Rocking The Boat

Never, "for the sake of peace and quiet," deny your own experience or convictions.

The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others. Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for. Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.

~Dag Hammarskjöld, from Markings (1964)

Read more quotes from Dag Hammarskjold.

Sh*t

Sh*t. I am an addict.

In times of deep contemplation, you need a vice. Otherwise, you're gonna go crazy. Hmm.

There were times the addiction was cigarettes. Johnny Walker. Mindlessly watching mindless TV. Playing cellphone games. Playing Minesweeper. Reading books and magazines. Reading yesterday's paper.

Tonight, my addiction is not sleeping.

Sh*t.

Here We Go Again

Today she cried

For the tragedy
of a lesson never learned
For the unity
that cannot seem to be attained
For the wildly different directions that our individual interests force us to go

A dream has died.


And still we are not sure which side we should be on.

It is entertainment
A traffic nuisance
A source of income
An economic inconvenience
A forum for grandstanding

But it is never a passion
Never a fight to the finish
Never worth dying for

Maybe because dying is for fools
And we'd rather watch TV than make things right

Para Sa Iyo

heto na naman ako.

nag aantay sa wala.

"hindi ka ba nagtataka minsan?
sino ako? bakit ako nandito?"
parati mong tanong na pabiro

pero ako, seryoso ako.
sino ako?
bakit ikaw wala dito?

bakit tila hindi dapat ganito ang ikot ng mundo ko?

o baka wala silang pakialam
ano ngayon kung mali ang ikot ng mundo ko.

"nakakainis
ang ganitong buhay,"
kanta ng yano

parang hindi na ata magbabago ang mundo ko

at ako.

kahit ilang ikot ng mundo
kahit mahilo man ako sa pagtitig sa pag-angat at pagbagsak ng buhay
kahit akalain ko na meron nagbago

sa totoo lang, wala.

ako pa rin ito
weirdo
nag-iisa.

at nag-aantay pa rin sa wala

A Saturday Date

EDSA 20

Just the other day I read in the papers that former president Fidel V. Ramos, one of the prime movers of Edsa 1986, was complaining that the government was not doing anything big to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Edsa People Power uprising. "Lack of Edsa preparations by gov't 'deplorable'," screamed the news article. With just two weeks to go, the government still had no set plans on how to celebrate Edsa I.

From the inquirer article published Feb 13 2006:

"I'm saying that it is deplorable that now with just 10 days to go, there are no announced official government plans for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of EDSA I," Ramos said.

"I am not seeing any advanced plans for this very important event unlike in previous years which were not that significant. Of course, they were not special anniversaries but this is the 20th anniversary," he stressed.

He also said it was the government's responsibility to "maintain, enlarge, expand and brighten the spirit of EDSA."

Ah yes. Our very efficient government**.

So imagine my surprise yesterday when I heard the national anthem being sung emotionally by some male singer in Glorietta. What could that possibly be? It was afternoon, so definitely hindi sya last full show or first showing sa sinehan. Walking over to where the sound was coming from, there it was, a display of photos about EDSA I. The EDSA I commemoration.


Hidden in one of the alleys of Glorietta (somewhere near G4), but not in the central activity center even, was a photo exhibit about EDSA I. Is this the big celebration Ramos was looking for? Hopefully not.

After the national anthem, the singer sang a medley of nationalistic songs, from Bayan Ko, Ako Ay Pilipino, etc. As he sang "Ang Bayan Kong Pilipinas, lupain ng ginto't bulaklak...", there was so much heart and emotion in his song. People passing by actually stopped and listened. I had visions of being in another country and longing for home. "Kinilabutan ako," the waiter at Figaro said, rubbing his arms to soothe the goosebumps.

Passersby stopping to look and listen
More heart. We need that. What is happening to us?

Of course, after the songs, politicians (including Makati mayor Jejomar Binay) started their speeches and the people drifted away. But before I myself left, I did hear one of those who gave their testimony about EDSA I say in a quivering voice, "we fought not for politicians, but for an ideal, for a way of life", or something like that.

The spirit of Edsa. Wonder where it went. Probably migrated long ago.

---

From the Feb 13 Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Virtual insult

IS PRESIDENT MACAPAGAL-ARROYO AFRAID OF Edsa I? Going by her official schedule, it seems she is intent on avoiding the 20th anniversary of the first, glorious flourish of People Power. To be sure, she will attend an early morning rite on Feb. 25, where she will meet former president and current gadfly Fidel Ramos, but after that she is scheduled to travel to other parts of the country.

The rationale, as the Palace explains it, sounds solid enough; Edsa I was a nationwide phenomenon, and the President's schedule merely reflects that under-recognized fact. But on second hearing, the President's excuse actually sounds hollow. Surely she can spend even a few minutes on Edsa itself, on the day we celebrate the miracle of People Power.

But that would mean sharing the stage with ex-President Corazon Aquino, who has repeatedly called on her to resign. It would also mean facing a crowd she cannot control. At best, it will be an impassive mass; at worst, she will face a hooting crowd, who will accuse her of betraying the deepest ideals of the Edsa Revolution.

---

**(By the way, ang aga aga wala na naman kaming tubig sa bahay. Hmph! Hindi rin ba responsibilidad ng gobyerno ito?)

Another Minute Please

Well, I actually lost/misplaced the actual newspaper clipping before I had a chance to have it scanned (signs of being forgetful...hmmm)...buti na lang someone emailed me a scanned copy :)

They're launching the 2006 search, thus the newspaper PR blitz. Is this what they call below-the-line advertising? Or maybe not. In any case, I'm really quite lucky to be the only girl in that group...ayun, may picture tuloy ako! Hehe. Here's another reliving of the 15 minutes of MAT fame.

The Tagaytay Adventure
The Moab Adventure

Dreams for the Future

There are crazy moments when you feel the world is yours, when the surge of potential is just dying to burst through you and drown you in its idealism. And there are moments when you just lie there, not really thinking, not really doing anything. Just being.

Anyway, I think I'm getting a little bit crazy.

There are still a million things that I want to do. I could enumerate them, but it would just look like some to-do list. And they don't really concern married life, so there. Anyway, I don't have some witty post today. I just have ... mixed emotions. 27 days more to go till the biggest party I'll ever throw. Hmm, maybe it's weird to describe it as a party. I could of course describe it as the start of the end of my life, but to do that would make me a very likely candidate for runaway bridehood. And it's not really accurate either. My personal philosophy in life is, when in doubt, don't. Well, maybe that's not a really accurate description of my philosophy, but suffice it to say that I have forced myself to look at my true feelings, and I have discovered that at this time, no I am not really in doubt, but just more sad for all the things that will change and that won't ever be the same. But I'm much better today than I was last week, thank you very much.

It's gonna be the start of a lot of personal changes. To change is to let go...of a lot of things and situations that have more or less defined who I am. I am not afraid of change, but this has the sense of permanency that both scares (did I make the right decision? walang divorce sa pilipinas!) and secures (aha, di ka na makakatakas! wala ka nang choice kung hindi ipagluto ako!). In any case, I think that those who have made the decision to share their lives with someone else forever are truly brave and courageous souls. A toast then, to all the courageous people who have taken the plunge.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Amen.

the life

biking with buddy jao in the crazy streets of hanoi.
extreme adventure! haha. yep, am still alive. :))

And This Is Us

A prenup shot from JB's blog.

We were, I think, the worst prenup subjects that ever walked the earth. Haha. Well for those unfamiliar with the term, "prenup" here refers to prenuptial pictures. Couples usually have their prenup photos taken before the wedding, maybe to immortalize how happy they looked like before they start killing each other. I'm kidding of course.

Well anyway, it's one of those standard things that couples who marry do, and it's kinda cute actually. It was our first prenup, my first trial makeup. My TODA-mates, JB and Manny, took our pictures. "Just do what you two normally do," they told us. Ahh...we didn't know how to act! Haha. That's why I say that we were probably the worst prenup subjects ever. And now, they're slaving away editing the photos in Photoshop. All of that, and we paid them only by way of a Shakey's dinner and two pitchers of draft beer.

But you know what, that pic sure does looks good. Thanks JB and Manny!

The photographers in action. Notice the shocking pink frisbee.

From Beijing to Europe, in style

The Trans-Siberian Route Map, from www.seat61.com

I first read about this in one of the spam mails I received. Travel by train from China to Europe! The ultimate backpacker lifestyle, who could resist this?

The Trans-Siberian Railway travels from Beijing to Moscow. There are actually three main lines:

• Moscow to Vladivostok (near Korea, North Korea that is, and just a ship ride away from Japan)
• Moscow to Beijing
• Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia

Travel from Beijing to Moscow can take 7 days (if you don't get off at the stops), and a one-way ticket could cost as little as $200. Well, it's still a relatively big amount, but definitely cheaper than boarding a plane! And there are several detours you can take along the way. From Beijing you can travel by land towards Hanoi, Cambodia, and the rest of the Asian mainland. And from Moscow, there are railways that connect to Poland, Germany, London, and the rest of Europe!

Exciting huh! Now if only I had lots of time, money, and willing friends who can share the adventure. ;-)

Know more about travelling from Beijing to Moscow...mosey on over to The Man in Seat Sixty-One.

Keep It Simple Stupid

It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
--- Mr. Brightside, The Killers

Nakakatawa lang minsan ang buhay. Nagmumuni-muni nga ako kanina, sabi ko nga parang pelikula minsan ang buhay. At minsan, para syang isang black comedy.

Black comedy: black humor, in literature,ndrama, and film, grotesque or morbid humor used to express the absurdity, insensitivity, paradox, and cruelty of the modern world.

INTRODUCTION

Sometimes there are very simple stupid answers to complex vexing questions that haunt and frustrate you.

I started the day frustrated because I couldn't take this required online training at home. I woke up a few minutes before 9AM, but got caught up (eating breakfast, hehe), and found myself with only 15 more minutes to spare before the 10AM call. Since I decided I could not possibly make it into the office in 15 minutes at 10AM on a workday, I tried to connect from home to the office network through VPN. And yes, I can surf through all the corporate intranet sites, but I couldn't surf outside the intranet. Which was fine, the virtual classroom training didn't really require non-intranet access since it is aimed at corporate employees.

RISING ACTION

Well, big surprise, I couldn't log in to the virtual training site. It took me almost 30 minutes to browse through the corporate online help site, which, let me tell you isn't really helpful (Another irony, help files are rarely helpful at all, especially when you need the answer, like, now). I even tried to call long distance to the helpdesks listed, but unfortunately, it was after office hours in the US where the call center is presumably based, so "please just leave a message and they will call me back during regular office hours." Arg.

Changing and editing proxy servers didn't help, restarting IE didn't help, restarting the PC didn't help. After 45 minutes I had to resign myself to my fate. Two thoughts crossed my mind. One, I should have gone to the office and not wasted almost an hour trying to log in to the blasted training site. And two, I had to register for another training, since this is a required one that our group had to take.

Well, lucky me, the last training left will be on...a Friday, at 10PM Manila time. Wow. Lucky Me.

So that was the start of my day. Wasted more than an hour on that incident. Parang nag-training din ako. Hindi lang nga na-register ang attendance ko, so kelangan ulitin ulit. Haha.

DENOUEMENT

And just like a good movie, everything has to have a resolution. 15 hours later, here I am checking my email, and what do I see but a reply to the email I sent to the helpdesk earlier. (Underlines and emphasis mine)

Hello Sim, --> Nakalagay na nga yung pangalan ko sa email. I-wrong spelling pa rin ba??? I am sorry you had trouble getting into your event. www.blastedtrainingsite.corporateURL.com is a public website. You should be able to access it through VPN or outside the corporate network. You may want to try accessing the site from a home PC or without the VPN. It could the VPN port you are logging into does not have updated routing tables to allow general internet access.

Ow, blasted xxxx! Ang dami kong ginawa, and the solution was just staring me in the face. Sabi ko nga, keep it simple. Stupid. :)