"Nation of Servants"

It really saddens me when I read articles like this. It is sad and it hurts because somehow there is a shadow of truth on it. But nevertheless, describing our country as a nation of servants to justify their claim of the Spratly Islands is very racist and should not be taken sitting down.

Well at least what we do eases the lives of many of their people.

They however, destroy lives with what they bring to our country.

____________________________________________________

Hong Kong columnist attacked for 'racist' article on Spratlys

HONG KONG, March 30, 2009 (AFP) - A Hong Kong columnist came under attack on Monday from angry Philippine politicians and migrant workers after he described their country as "a nation of servants" and condemned Manila's claims to the Spratly Islands.

Chip Tsao said in his column in the latest issue of HK Magazine that the Philippines' recent threat to send gunboats to defend the disputed islands in the South China Sea against Beijing, which also claims sovereignty, was "beyond reproach".

The reason, he wrote, was that more than 130,000 Filipinas were working for as little as 3,580 Hong Kong dollars (459 US) a month as domestic helpers in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.

"As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter."

Tsao also wrote that he had given his own maid a harsh lecture, warning her to tell her people that the whole island chain belonged to China if she wanted a pay rise next year.

The column drew an angry response from Philippine groups and politicians who branded Tsao a racist and demanded an apology from him and the magazine.

"Instead of contributing to intelligent discussions on ways to resolve the Spratlys' dispute, Tsao only succeeded in eliciting hatred and sowing more confusion not only among Filipinos but maybe even among his fellow Chinese who are not aware of the intricacies of the issue," Pia Cayetano, chairwoman of the Philippine Senate's committee on social justice, said in a statement.

Gina Esguerra, secretary general of Migrante International, the country's largest alliance of overseas workers, said the article "smacks of unqualified racial bias that vilifies the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in Hong Kong and puts them in danger of prosecution and harm."

The group also called on Manila to declare Tsao a "persona non grata" in the Philippines.

Tsao, who is also a television and radio host, told the Mingpao newspaper that he was a little shocked by the response to his column. He said it was just his style of writing and asked his readers to take it easy.

The dispute over the Spratlys, believed to sit atop vast mineral and oil deposits, has been renewed following a near collision between Chinese vessels and a US naval surveillance ship earlier this month.

The chain of atolls and reefs is also claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

here's a copy of the article:

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.

Life in the Gulf

Sandstorm in Riyadh

Philippines Registers Record Participation

The Philippines topped the Earth Hour global register for cities, towns and districts taking part in Asia, with more than 650 communities taking part.

The event started with the darkening of the Rizal Shrine, a major Manila landmark honouring Filipino national hero Dr. José Rizal. The massive Mall of Asia in Pasay City, the world’s fourth largest mall, also went dark in a ceremony that drew several hundred people.

The ceremony was broadcast live to homes around the country by Studio 23, one of the largest television networks in the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of the half dozen countries that share the Coral Triangle – a world centre of marine biodiversity - home to six of the seven marine turtle species, more than 3,000 species of fish, the heaviest bony fish of the deep (the 1,000 kg mola) and the coelacanth, a species thought until recently to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago.

But more than 18 per cent of the region's coral reefs were damaged or destroyed in a bleaching event linked to rising sea temperatures in 1998-99, underlining the immense risks climate change poses to the environment, food security and the economies of coastal and island countries and communities.

Sound Dock

Overview

The SoundDock® Original digital music system from Bose was specifically designed to expand and enhance your enjoyment of the music stored on your iPod®. Just slip it into the docking cradle for the BOSE® sound your favourite songs deserve. The iPod® charges as it plays, so you enjoy music without interruption. Its sleek, slender design fits almost any room's décor. And the included remote lets you control the SoundDock® system from across the room.

BOSE® performance meets your iPod®


Enjoy the songs on your iPod like never before. The SoundDock® Original system is designed to play your favourite tracks with crisp clarity - allowing you to discover subtleties in your music that used to simmer beneath the surface. A host of proprietary technologies adds vitality and realism to your tracks. With BOSE® proprietary acoustic design, you enjoy a full, rich sound that's greater than you'd expect from a system this small.

Easy to use. Easy on the eyes. Easy to love.

The SoundDock® Original system is easy to operate. Just plug it in, pop in your compatible iPod® and play. Your iPod® works as long as it has a dock connector on the bottom. There are no extra wires or adapters. The included remote allows you to control your music at the push of a button. And a stylish, sophisticated look means it can be the centre of attention or blend in wherever you place it. The SoundDock® Original system and your iPod® share a commitment to simplicity, quality and above all, music. Now just introduce them and watch this pair become best friends.

Features

BOSE® proprietary acoustic designRich, full sound from a relatively small enclosure.
Docking cradle/chargerCharge your iPod®, iPod® photo, iPod® nano or iPod® mini while you listen – without cables or adapters.

Small footprint/slim profile

Complement your room with a system that blends in with almost any décor.

Infrared remote

Control system volume and basic iPod® functions from across the room.

Active electronic equalisation

Balances output of all frequencies to provide natural tonal balance and clarity throughout the audio spectrum.

U.S. patented integrated signal processing

Enjoy lifelike, rich performance at almost any volume level.

Digital signal processing circuitry

Helps your system maintain audio accuracy with greater consistency.

Compression circuitry

Keeps your music sounding clear, not distorted, at high volume levels.

Shielded speakers

Prevents TV and computer picture interference so you have more flexibility to place your system where you want.

Earth Hour Tonight

Earth Hour invites one billion people in more than 2800 cities representing 83 countries to turn off their lights for one hour – tonight, Saturday, March 28 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Paris, Sydney, London, Cairo, New York, Los Angeles and Cape Town, will join together to demonstrate their commitment to energy conservation and sustainability.

Here's how you can participate:

All you have to do to Vote Earth is turn your lights out for one hour tonight, Saturday, March 28 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time, in your city. Your light switch is your vote!

Set your computer's power management and save up to $60 on your electricity bill and nearly half a ton of C02 over the next twelve months. Climate Savers Computing Initiative provides instructions on how you can save electricity all year long through efficient computing.

Join Earth Connect and share your opinions about climate change through blogs, e-mails, and Twitter. The goal is to gather one billion words to present at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.

If you are affiliated with a college, help your university reduce its environmental impact by adopting green computing practices. Pledge to Power Down for the Planet and create a video to teach others about the importance of energy efficient computing in the fight against climate change.

Earth Hour is about more than dimming lights for sixty minutes; it’s about making a commitment to reduce energy consumption throughout the year. As Google's business grows, we want to make sure we minimize our impact on the Earth's climate through responsible environmental practices every hour, every day.

Magayon

Picture taken from http://www.inquirer.net/

Mayon Volcano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elevation: 2,463 metres (8,077 feet)

Location: Albay, Philippines

Type: Stratovolcano

Last eruption: 2006

Additional Info:Mayon Volcano is an active volcano in the Philippines on the island of Luzon, in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region. Its almost perfectly-shaped cone is considered by some to be the Philippine equivalent of Mount Fuji in Japan.

The volcano is situated 15 kilometres northwest of Legazpi City.Mayon is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano).

Its symmetric cone was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava flows. Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted over 50 times in the past 400 years. It is located between the Eurasian and the Philippine Plate, at a convergent plate boundary: where a continental plate meets an oceanic plate, the lighter continental plate overrides the oceanic plate, forcing it down; magma is formed where the rock melts. Like other volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, Mayon is a part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire".

You may vote for Mayon Volcano

http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/nominees/asia/c/MayonVolcano

In 1814, the Mayon Volcano erupted, spewing scolding lava and 30 feet of ash over the ancient town of Cagsawa- 30 minutes from the city of Legaspi. Frightened, over a thousand townsfolk took refuge in the local church and were ultimately buried alive. Today, nothing but the bell tower and some old ruins remain scattered about the grounds. Aside from the area's tragic history, it offers a spectacular view, and a constant reminder, of the beauty and danger of the Mount Mayon Volcano.

At 2,420 meters in height, Mt. Mayon is internationally know to be one of the few volcanoes in the world with a perfectly symmetrical cone. She is said to be the twin sister of Mt. Fuji in Japan. It has erupted almost 50 times in the last 400 years, making it the most active volcano in The Philippines.

In July, 2006, Mt. Mayon came alive again with a silent eruption. Almost 40,000 people were evacuated from the region, until August when the eruption seemed less imminent (although the swollen mountain did cause some alarm.) The disaster actually came in November of that year when Typhoon Durian hit the area sending mudslides of lahar, or volcanic rocks, and water zooming down to the Casagwa area of Daraga again, covering the homes up to their rooftops in mud and ash. Students were buried alive in their dormitories. Because whole villages were wiped clear off the map, the death toll may never be known, but it is believed to be at least over 1,000 people.

CNN Hero Teaches Literacy with Pushcart

When I read stories like these, I just can't help but feel proud and happy. With all the bad things happenning around us, people like Efren lights a flicker of hope and reminds us that we can all make a difference and one does not need superpower to be a HERO.

I do not know our hero personally, but its good to know that we came from the same school (Cavite National High School).

To know more about the group or how you can help, visit its website at http://www.dynamicteencompany.org/.

__________________________________________

Story taken from Philippine Daily Inquirer March 23, 2009 by Edson C. Tandoc Jr

MANILA, Philippines—His expression of gratitude comes in the form of a wooden pushcart loaded with crayons, books, pens, clothes, jugs of water, a blackboard and a Philippine flag.

Every Saturday, the pushcart goes to the public cemetery, market and dump in Cavite City where 28-year-old Efren Peñaflorida has been leading teenagers, for more than a decade now, in teaching street children basic literacy skills and values to save them from illegal drugs and prevent them from joining gangs.

Peñaflorida’s pushcart has earned him recognition, the most recent being a citation from international news agency CNN as a modern-day hero. CNN gets nominees around the world to be featured as a hero—an ordinary individual with an extraordinary impact—each week.

Himself a victim of gangs when he was in high school, Peñaflorida knows by heart what poverty can do: Snatch children out of school and lead them to violence.

Born to a father who worked as a tricycle driver and to a mother who was a laundrywoman, he managed to finish college through the help of other people.

Giving back

Through the pushcart, Peñaflorida is giving back. “I realized why I was created and I want to fulfill this mission,” he said.

Peñaflorida is referring to Dynamic Teen Company (DTC), which he and his classmates at Cavite National High School formed in August 1997.

The company began as a simple gathering of some 30 schoolmates as an alternative to the numerous teenager gangs which got involved in riots at that time.

But Peñaflorida himself is surprised how DTC grew into a group that now has 2,000 active teenager members all over Cavite province.

“We asked ourselves what causes the creation of gangs and we found that most of their members are teenagers who live in the slums,” he said.

In its early years, DTC visited children in the community where Peñaflorida himself grew: The town’s dump.

More than empty stomachs

The group initially brought food for the children, getting funds from selling junks they collect, but the problem was more than just empty stomachs.

DTC started to grow and soon, members decided to start literacy classes every Saturday. To carry books and a blackboard, the group bought a bike with a sidecar.

But once in a while, the tires would run flat and the chains fall off, so high school senior Emanuel Bagual, the current president of DTC, proposed that the group use a pushcart instead.

Peñaflorida almost had to drop out of grade school. His parents had told him, being the middle child among three siblings, that he had to give way to his elder brother who was finishing high school.

But a community volunteer helped Peñaflorida get a scholarship from the World Vision, a group which matches sponsors to needy children, when he was in Grade 5.

Thanks to his good grades, his sponsor from Australia agreed to finance his education until he finished a two-year diploma course on computer technology.

Club 8586, a volunteer group based in the city, also helped Peñaflorida in his studies and in setting up the DTC when he got into high school.

Calling

Being with street children most of the time, Peñaflorida felt that his calling was to be a teacher. He went back to school and completed a degree in education in 2006.

He knows that he could earn more if he tried his luck working abroad. He now works as a high school teacher in a private school in nearby Bacoor town.

Although Peñaflorida received his greatest gift when CNN aired its feature on him on his birthday on March 5, his parents were not able to watch the live broadcast and his live interview with journalist Larry King. They did not have cable TV at home.

Peñaflorida also knows he could give more if he earned more. To buy food and school supplies for the street children, DTC just depends on the commitment of its high school members for their fund-raising activities and donations.

But he said: “I have faith that the Lord will provide.”

He may not have much money, but he and the teenagers joining the DTC have their time and commitment to share.

At first, Peñaflorida’s family was not excited about his project. “You are just wasting your time,” he recalled what his parents had told him.

He could have spent time studying or finding part-time jobs to help the family instead of serving other people.

But now, even his youngest sister Glenis May is a proud volunteer of DTC.

Lives touched

Peñaflorida measures the success of the project not only by the enthusiasm of DTC members, who have pledged to spend their Saturdays teaching street children, but also by the young lives that the wooden pushcart has touched.

One of the children who attended the weekly sessions at the dump was Michael, who sniffed rugby and stole power wires when he was 7. Now 16, Michael is now a volunteer of DTC.

He knows better and regrets the way he spent his childhood. He wants to make sure other children will not make the same mistakes again.

“I found my goal in life,” Michael said.

Michael and the other members hold three sessions every Saturday. One group goes to the public market and another goes to the dump in the morning. In the afternoon, a group goes to the cemetery.

About a hundred kids join each session and they are grouped according to age.

The volunteers not only teach street children how to read, write and count, but also proper hygiene. They would bathe some of the children and give them clothes. They also instill faith among them.

Change

“You are the change that you dream,” Peñaflorida would tell the teenagers who join DTC.
In a country where many things go wrong, he said: “We are the change that we seek.”
The pushcart and the teenagers behind them have been reaping recognition, too. In 2008, DTC was cited as among the 10 accomplished youth organizations in the Philippines.

If the attention he and DTC have been getting makes Peñaflorida happy, it is because of the opportunity to inspire others.

“I hope other youth organizations will have their own pushcarts in other parts of the country,” he said.

Many children still need guidance and help, Peñaflorida said. This was the reason the DTC had just built its second wooden pushcart.

(To know more about the group or how you can help, visit its website at http://www.dynamicteencompany.org/.)

Girl Be Mine

This is one my favorite Francis M song. I remember playing it over and over the first time I heard it (a case to most of the song I really like). With new songs playing in my ear, this song somehow takes a backslide. With the passing of Francis M recently, the song finds it way back to my playlist. And I'm happy to rediscover the song with its happy and cool beat. The song starts with an acoustic feel with the guitar strumming at the beginning, then rocks on the second stanza and halfway through you'll hear harmonica playing like one those Alanis Morissette song. And on the last three stanza, the song blast with a gospel feel with the choir like singing on the background.

Totally cool! Let the sun shine … coz it’s a beautiful day now

GirL Be Mine

Francis M

let the sun shine

let the rivers run away

coz its a beautiful day now

to play now

as i close my eyes and pray

lord have mercy on me

coz im feeling kinda lonely

would you be

could you be

my one and only

took a train at a station

and almost lost my patience coz i was waiting

damned rain delayed the train

now im waitin in vain

just to see your face

is this the one that im supposed to be afraid of

is this the one that im supposed to be ashamed of

hard as a rock not soft like play-do

everytime i hear a song playing on the radio

let the wind blow

let the wind touch my face

i wanna take a little break now

shake now

this is what i have to say

i feel so fine

so fine that it blows my mind

tell the truthwhen will you be mine

and in my dream you are so real

so it seems

inside my head a giant screenplays every scene

while i scream

i feel you everytime i go to sleep

wake up in the middle of the night

and i weep

gotta be mine

that girl is so fine

girl be mine

girl be mine

all it takes is a matter of time

and in my dream you are so real

or so it seems

inside my head a giant screen

plays every scene

so you seei feel you everytime i go to sleep

all it takes is a matter of time

tell the truthwill youl be mine

sun shine

let the rivers run away

coz its a beautiful day nowto play now

as i close my eyes and pray

lord have mercy on me

you know im feeling kinda lonely

could you bewould you be

let the wind blow

let the wind touch my face

i wanna take a little break now

shake nowthis is what i have to say

i feel so fine

so fine the it blows my mind

tell the truth

when will you be mine

let the sun shine

let the rivers run away

coz its a beautiful day now

to play now

and as i close my eyes and pray

lord have mercy on me

you know im feeling kinda lonely

could you be

would you be

could you be

would you be

could you be

would you be

be mine

Don't Worry Be happy

Don’t Worry

Worry is a warning to the mind as pain is to the body, they say. It identifies danger and the strategies to lessen risks. However, excess of this innocent and helpful ability can be tormenting to all worry warts.

It is said that the word worry comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "to strangle" or "to choke." Too much worry really chokes out our life’s vitality. It can even lower our resistance to disease and cause a multitude of health, heart and digestive problems, medical research claim.

The other negative effects are obvious: it puts us in a perpetual bad mood, it hurts our relationships by making us bad company to be around, and it robs us of zest, energy and optimism to live a great life.

A Christian pastor links too much worry to mild atheism. When one worries too much, it is just like not believing that God (or a higher power) has everything in control and has our best interest in mind.

He also said that it is irresponsible to worry too much. It wastes our energy and leaves no room for creative and constructive problem solving. A reformed worrier sums it up well when he said, "Worry doesn’t empty the day of its troubles, but only of its strength."

Worry is also irrelevant because it cannot change anything nor remedy it. They say that an estimated 40 percent of things we worry are about future possibilities that will actually never happen. Other worries involve things from the past that can’t be changed (30 percent), health concerns when there is really nothing wrong (12 percent), and other petty matters (10 percent). Observers say that actually only eight percent of the things we worry about legitimately deserve our thought and concern.

Be Happy

Trust God. Particularly for things that you cannot control. We only feel safe when we are in control of our situation. Unknowns unnerve us.

Through life, we were taught to take control. Even an illusion of control is so important to us that yielding it even to God is a problem for some. It requires a leap of faith to trust that God only desires the best for us and has everything under His control.

The above condition only happens when you put God first in your life. As the Bible says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will follow." If faith is your priority then you do not worry about material things and the positive outlook seems to open up the floodgates of blessings and graces. Putting God first has a way of causing everything to fall into place.

Pressures and worries are normally part of a life where material welfare is the priority rather than the spiritual or emotional. When we give worry too much importance it becomes number one in our lives causing enormous discomfort.

Take life as it comes, one day at a time. This does not mean that you do not care or plan about the future. It just means that you should put things in the right perspective.

Ziggy, the cartoon character, once said, "The present is what slips by us while we’re pondering the past and worrying about the future", This is also the message of the Bobby McFerrin song Don’t Worry, Be Happy. When it hit the top of the charts, critics said that it was so simplistic and naive. But maybe its simple truth made it transcend culture and time. The message is striking: worry is not an inevitable part of our life. We have power over it and can completely eradicate it.

As the pastor promised, when you trust God, put Him first, and take life as it comes, you do not need to worry because God will provide you with everything you need!

Good Thinking

"Too often we are scared. Scared of what we might not be able to do. Scared of what people might think if we tried. We let fears stand in the way of our hopes. We say no when we want to say yes. We sit quietly when we want to scream. And we shout with the others, When we should keep our mouths shut. Why? After all, we do only go around once. There's really no time to be afraid. JUST DO IT."-- Nike ad

Part of the problem is that everyone is in such a hurry. People haven't found meaning in their lives, so they're running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running. ..... So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. --Morrie Schwartz

"The Longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our ATTITUDES."

Life in the Gulf

Bawal (Prohibited)

Playing loud music, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public is considered inappropriate behavior under new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai, according to a press report on Saturday.

The Dubai Executive Council issued a list of public behaviors that requires Dubai residents and visitors to respect the customs of the Muslim country and avoid what the council considers inappropriate behavior, according to the Arabic-language daily Al Emarat al-Youm.

The rules, which apply to all public places, include a ban on all forms of nudity, playing music loudly and dancing, exchange of kisses between men and women—and even on unmarried couples holding hands.

Any breach of the guidelines, by nationals or expatriates, carries a possible prison penalty, the paper wrote.

The order also requires all visitors of public places, such as government buildings, shopping malls, streets and restaurants to dress in “appropriate” clothing, otherwise they would be denied entrance to those areas.

“Pants and skirts have to be of appropriate length, and outside clothing should not expose body parts indecently and should not be transparent,” the guidelines stipulate under section “public behavior,” the paper wrote.

In addition, the council ordered that anyone caught under the influence of alcohol—even a small amount—outside designated drinking areas is liable to being fined or imprisoned.

Dubai, a member of the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates, has a diverse culture as it is home to a foreign population made up mainly of low-skilled workers from Asia and Western white-collar professionals.

Unlike most of its neighbors in the conservative Gulf region, the emirate tolerates a relatively relaxed dress code and hosts dozens of hotels that have bars and clubs, where alcohol is legally served.

However, a series of incidents, including crackdowns on cross dressers and the expulsion of two British expats found guilty of having sex on the beach, has thrown into the limelight the sometimes clashing local and foreign cultures.

Throw Yourself

You may have read this joke already. Anyway, it put a smile on my face and a hope that it happens hehehe

___________________________________________________________

GMA and her family riding an airplane.

GMA: what if I throw 1 check worth a million pesos out of the window to make at least 1 filipino happy?

MIKE ARROYO: honey, why not throw 2 checks worth half a million pesos to make 2 filipinos happy?

LULI ARROYO: mom, why not throw 4 checks worth quarter of a million to make 4 filipinos happy?

Finaly her grandaughter spoke:

Grandma, why not simply throw yourself out the wndow to make all filipinos happy

Life in the Gulf

Sand Storm

A blinding sandstorm such as shown below are a common natural phenomenon in the middle east which usually disrupts air and ground traffic and even oil exports. People are advised to stay indoors.

Happy Toys

These pictures were taken 2002. I was just playing around with some of my Happy Meal Toys collectibles. I collected every new toy from Mc Donald's happy meal back then. I even encourage some of my officemates to do the same and we had a blast collecting them to the point of buying only the toy without the meal.

My only regret is bringing them back to the Philippines :-)

Sad to say, I have not seen them since.

Well at least it put a smile on my nephews and nieces face :-)

100 Years

Always looking back and looking forward
Forgetting to look where we are right now
Forgetting to live just for the moment
For we will only be 15 for a moment
And we only got 100 years to live
____________________________________________

100 Years by Five for Fighting

I'm 15 for a moment

Caught in between 10 and 20

And I'm just dreaming

Counting the ways to where you are

I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars.

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind

I'm 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy, Time to lose yourself
Within a morning star
15 I'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Half time goes by
Suddenly you’re wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on...

I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you’re on your way
Every day's a new day...

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Not Once but Twice

My dream of going to the USA will stay to be a dream for a much longer time than I expected. Recently, my application for a US Visa was denied for the second time in three years.

The reason: I did not show sufficient strong family, social or economic ties outside the US that will compel me to return to the Philippines or to Saudi Arabia (where I am presently working).

I do not have any intentions of finding a job or worst be an illegal immigrant (TNT).

I just wanted to visit my sister and her family.

I just wanted to watch NBA Live, go to New York and watch a Broadway musical or two, go to Universal Studios and Hollywood, and go to Las Vegas.

I just wanted to have a vacation. Nothing more, nothing less.

Unfortunately, not once but twice, the US Consul who interviewed me thought otherwise. The only reason I feel they thought this way, is because I am single. I better get married soon hehehe

Oh well, there will always be a next time.

I remember this dream scene in the movie La Visa Loca starring Robin Padilla where the scenario was reversed and the Americans are the ones applying for a Philippine Visa. Robin Padilla, mockingly interviews them and with a big smile on his face, stamped each applications … DENIED! And the Americans pleaded and cried their hearts out. Now that is a dream I sure hope happens :-)

Seven Ways to get Rich

Want to be one of the lucky ones on the road to riches, want to be on the freeway to financial freedom, on your way to wealth? Here are the top 7 roads to riches, the top 7 easiest and fastest ways to acquire wealth…

1. Inherit it. This is how today’s old money families got their wealth. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, before anti-trust laws, income taxes and political correctness, America’s finest families built empires and amassed great wealth; in industries such as oil, banking, newspapers, sugar, transportation, land, bootlegging and even prostitution. And that original wealth was passed down to succeeding generations. The number one easiest and fastest way to acquire wealth is to inherit it. Unfortunately, inheriting wealth is mainly a matter of blood; you have to be born into the right family.

2. Marry it. If you can’t inherit it the second easiest and fastest way to acquire wealth is to marry someone who is already wealthy. And sometimes that person may even be kind, generous, compatible and loveable. And, if not, divorce can pay off handsomely. Just remember to get married (and divorced) in a state that has favorable community property laws.

3. Work for it. If you can’t inherit wealth and can’t marry it then you can work for it. People rarely get rich having a job. Rather, they build a company and own it. And then often take that company public, collecting hundreds of millions, or billions, of dollars in doing so.Or, they invent something useful and valuable which greatly benefits society, such as explosive devices like dynamite, or the paper clip or the thigh master or eBay.

4. Win it. If you can’t inherit wealth, can’t marry it or can’t work for it then maybe you can win it. Lotteries abound, paying out multi-million dollar jackpots, and eventually someone always wins them. Unfortunately, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning then winning the lottery. But, hey, it only costs a buck!

5. Steal it or deal it. If you can’t inherit wealth and you can’t marry it, work for it, or win it then maybe you could steal it or deal it.You could become a CEO or chief financial officer for a big cash-rich company, cook the books, steal millions of dollars, buy a $20 million dollar home, lie to the feds, and hope you don’t get caught, convicted and sent to Club Fed. I don’t recommend anyone try to get rich this way.Also not recommended is to deal it; to become a drug lord and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in cash dealing heroin, crack, meth and other non-FDA approved goodies and wholesaling it to pushers who will gladly resell it to anyone to wants it, ranging from children to movie stars. After all, aren’t drug dealers just supplying what people want; even if it creates crime, ruins lives, kills people or could put you in jail for the rest of your life. Not a legal (or moral) way to get rich.

6. Gamble for it. If you can’t inherit money, can’t marry it, can’t work for it, can’t win it, can’t steal or deal it then maybe you could gamble for it. Over 50 million people play poker. A few even make millions of dollars at it. You’ve seen them on television, winning or losing upwards of a million dollars on the turn of a card. Looks easy, doesn’t it? They don’t look so tough on TV; I bet any decent poker player (like me for instance) has a good chance of beating them on a lucky day. So maybe you could simply plunk down $3,000-$25,000 per tournament entry fee, or get a backer, join the World Poker Tour, win a few tournaments and get rich! Or maybe, in reality, the average amateur poker player has a snowball’s chance in hell of getting rich that way.

7. Invest and get rich. If you can’t inherit wealth, can’t marry it, can’t work for it, can’t win it, can’t steal or deal it or can’t gamble for it then maybe you can invest and get rich. There are 2 good ways to invest and get rich; the real estate market and the stock market.According to historical data, over time, real etate goes up a average of 10% a year. So getting rich in real estate tends to take a long time. And also requires a large down payment. Hard to get rich quick that way.On the other hand, the stock market can be a good way to get rich. Stocks can go up dramatically over a relatively short period of time and make you rich but you have to have the money to invest and you have to pick the right stocks at the right time.

- by Alan Korber, the creator and publisher of the successful Korber Strategy

Childhood Yesteryears

TO ALL THE KIDS IN THE PHILIPPINES WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's!!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us. While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, a te isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes. Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker natin, matigas na kahoy din at wala pang gulong.We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), and when we rode our bikes, we ha d no helmets, no kneepads , sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na) Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata) We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711 ( minsan straight from the faucet or poso) We shared one soft drink bottle wit h four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contacted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank sofdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet coke), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso , habulan at taguan. No one was able to reach us all day ( di uso ang cellphone , walang beepers ) . And yes, we were O.K.We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down the street , only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (seweage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. ...... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo...beh buti nga !

We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls. we were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs. We had to live with homemade guns " gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakitan. .pero masaya pa rin ang lahat.

We made up games with sticks ( syatong ), and cans ( tumbang preso )and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayon g binulag o napatay.paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang. We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala yang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo. Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tignan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professi onals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed. And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

- Anonymous

Tips for Safe Travel in a Taxi

Several people were no doubt able to relate to the Inquirer story about a young co-ed’s terrifying experience in a taxi.

Many Filipino drivers not only need training but psychiatric care, too, so it is always wise to be vigilant when you have to take a cab.

Many taxis are being operated as single entities, usually private vehicles that owners have found too expensive to maintain and so are converted into public utility vehicles to pay for their own maintenance, making it more difficult to trace them. And you get all kinds of names, many of them hard to remember.

Although there are no measures that can totally ensure safety, it will help to take certain precautions. Some of these things were mentioned by the co-ed’s father:

If you are a parent, a relative or a friend seeing off somebody who is taking a cab, make sure to note the taxi’s name, plate number and telephone numbers, if listed.

As a passenger, also take note of this information. If you do not get them before boarding a cab, many taxis have their names, and plate and contact numbers listed inside the doors so as you travel to your destination, write them down or save them in your mobile phone.

Better yet, send the information to family or friends every time you take a taxi. That way, even if you lose your cell phone, somebody already has the crucial information that may be needed to track down the cab and its driver should anything untoward happen.

Of course, you have to inform the recipient that sending them the information is just a precautionary measure and does not necessarily mean you are in trouble. Otherwise, they may panic and call for help before it is actually needed.

Sending a message also provides more critical information—the time and date when you are in a cab.

Fully loaded

If you have a prepaid cell phone, make sure you have sufficient airtime load and your battery has enough power for an emergency text message or phone call. Store in speed dial all the important numbers you want to call in an emergency and keep your phone in your hand during the trip so you do not waste time looking for it when needed, especially if you are a woman who normally keeps it in your purse.

Take a taxi from the office, other places where there are people likely to see you get into one, and at terminals in shopping malls, hotels or wherever they can be found.

Almost every major mall chain has a taxi terminal now. The queues may be long but at least there is usually a security guard (in Makati, traffic enforcers even man some of the stations) making sure that everything goes smoothly. They will even give you a piece of paper containing the plate number of the vehicle.

Call a taxi company when you need a cab at a specific time from a specific place. There are now several firms you can call and ask to have a taxi pick you up and bring you to where you want to go. These include R&E, Basic, MGE, Munich (which I think is some kind of a consortium as some cabs do not actually bear the name Munich. The dispatcher will give you the name and plate number of the taxi that will fetch you: Xavierville, Tai, Dollar, Avis).

Pay with small bills. Always try to have small bills when you plan to take a taxi. Even if you do not meet this driver from hell who traumatized the co-ed, you will still find that many drivers will come up with all kinds of excuses to force you to let them have your change—“kalalabas lang po,” “binayad sa gasolina,” “naubos nang magsukli sa huling pasahero” or “kulang ang barya.”

Take note of the route you are taking. Make sure you know where you are going before you set off. Familiarize yourself with the routes that may be used to get to and from your usual destinations— home, office, church, mall, etc.

If you are going to a place you have not been to before, ask for specific instructions on how to get there, landmarks to help you know you are going in the right direction. Call somebody at your destination while you are in a taxi to help you find your way.

Although you may sometimes leave it to the taxi driver to choose the route where traffic is lighter and travel will be faster, it is always best to know where you are going.

Danger from outside

Lock the doors as soon as you get inside a cab. Your driver may be reliable but danger may come from outside. People have lost life and property when caught in traffic in certain parts of the metropolis. That smiling ambulant vendor may suddenly open your door, if it is unlocked, and grab your purse or cell phone.

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081203-175758/Tips-for-safe-travel-in-a-taxi