tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15484892941099291882024-03-05T17:34:13.532-08:00KINDNESS: SPREAD IT ALL AROUND AND THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE.buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-61156222829829519052010-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:002010-11-14T07:51:29.992-08:00EIGHT IS ENOUGH<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BPFEPnDrknFLCih7c-0dh__Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eOZgw_QisWOiMkgl_sRa_UHsDvAfx49u7HvSjgg0oO6mu3KUiLEyWykD-R7CMrrOQspr8ze-892hmAe1Hnu28cADN10cxMZVXRaY4c5ReN_Hj0m3MJX5yKKurKxxDoBx3lMkQqRIoVXk/s800/NO%20ONE%20DESERVES%20THIS.jpg" height="480" width="609" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><i>No one deserves this</i><br />
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TODAY, AS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AND CERTAINLY A COUPLE MILLION OTHER FOREIGN NATIONALITIES OGLED THE PACQUIAO-MARGARITO BOUT, I HARDLY GLANCED AT THE TV. I’VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF BOXING. I’VE NEVER IDENTIFIED MYSELF WITH PACQUIAO. I DON’T SEE ANY SYMBOLISM OF PATRIOTISM IN HIM AT ALL. I HAVE NO TASTE FOR REAL BLOODY FACES AND MILLIONS OF NEURONS SNAPPING SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAINS OF COMBATANTS. WHY ANYONE WOULD OPEN HIMSELF UP TO PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND OTHER POSSIBLY FATAL AILMENTS DISGUSTS ME.<br />
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WHAT DISGUSTS ME EVEN MORE IS AN ENTIRE COUNTRY HOLDING ON TO PACQUIAO’S SHORTS. HE’S A GIFTED, HARDWORKING, CHARISMATIC ATHLETE. THAT’S ALL. I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE EUPHORIA. THE SUCKING UP. IT’S TOO MUCH, FIGHT AFTER FIGHT, BELT AFTER BELT. FILIPINOS HAVE GOT TO WAKE UP TO THE FACT THAT PACQUIAO AIN’T GONNA ERASE THE FIASCO THAT WAS QUIRINO GRANDSTAND. THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE. FILIPINOS HAVE GOT TO LOOK ELSEWHERE AND DIG DEEPER FOR HEROES—UNDERPAID SCIENTISTS, NURSES AND TEACHERS. ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS. ATHLETES THAT DON’T BEAT UP THEIR OPPONENTS. FOR ALL OF PACQUIAO’S RELIGIOSITY (SEE ALL THOSE TELEVISED MASSES HE ATTENDS), HIS SPORT OF CHOICE—HIS MULTIMILLION BREAD AND BUTTER IS BARBARIC AND INHUMAN. WHAT WAS HE PRAYING FOR? VICTORY, RIGHT? BUT AT WHAT COST? IT’S NOT THE SAME AS WHEN CHRISTIANS OR MUSLIMS SOUGHT DIVINE PROVIDENCE BEFORE GOING OFF TO WAR. THERE IS NO WAR ON THAT RING. JUST TWO HUMAN BEINGS BEATING EACH OTHER UP FOR PRIZE MONEY, WITH A 40,000+ LIVE CROWD CHEERING THEM ON LIKE BLOODTHIRSTY ROMANS.<br />
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WHAT EXAMPLE IS PACQUIAO SETTING? WHAT MESSAGE IS HE SENDING? WHEN EFREN “BATA” REYES WAS WEAVING HIS MAGIC IN THE BILLIARDS CIRCUIT, THE COUNTRY’S YOUTH WERE HANGING OUT WITH CUESTICKS. BILYARANS WERE EVERYWHERE. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? HOW IS EFREN REYES? AGE HAS CAUGHT UP WITH HIM, I HEAR, AND THE MAGIC ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE. YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS ASSOCIATE PACMAN WITH NATIONALISM. THEY ASSOCIATE HIM WITH MONEY, AND ALL THE MEXICANS HE HAS DEMOLISHED. “IT’S COOL TO BEAT UP A GUY. YOU GET PAID. YOU GET CHEERS. YOU GET ADVERTISING DEALS. YOU GET ELECTED.” MESSAGE SENT.<br />
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BUT I HAVE THIS TO SAY TO MANNY PACQUIAO: CONGRATULATIONS. NOW DO AS YOUR MAMA DIONISIA SAYS-RETIRE FROM BOXING. YOU ARE A CONGRESSMAN NOW, AFTER ALL. GO SLAY THOSE CORRUPT COLLEAGUES OF YOURS IN CONGRESS. MAYBE THEN I’LL THINK OF YOU AS A TRUE HERO.<br />
Posted 15 m<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-27745956139087226112010-08-26T00:07:00.000-07:002010-09-26T07:02:28.536-07:00PAGBABAGOMama was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in August of 2005. Since then, our family, my brother and I, particularly, have been knocking ourselves out, trying to make sense of what pseudo-sympathizers call “rich man’s disease,” looking for doctors (now Mama has five-a neurologist, a psychiatrist, an internist, an ophthalmologist, and a rehab doctor), caregivers (struck out seven times already), funds (no weekends for my brother and me), and answers (???). PD is already a big bad force to reckon with, but Mama’s recurring depression, brought on by a childhood of isolation and self-doubt, and by consecutive family tragedies (the passing of Daddy and her older sister), is the whammy that’s most difficult to challenge.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7VxQTv9Twrc5Z0gVwC3uN__Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb_mAG8AtQo_q3rhKfiIVyWddLMQnsfwRkpNweACY_Vqn1rYBUvI5aIBKre3Tom7yre4-3XlhRqBRlkYUpcSv-IAv5KyvGk_5K2K2QVImsOiBgNhZJ5q4PQcQXUD9D5ovprKD2F5nA0rn/s144/IMG_0087.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><i>Christmas 2007: Mama could still smile into the camera</i><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O6X8FAt2XxmH-kQO6OZMTf_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloNEuFZVYlX0MInjYRqxzD7J51HaBBpYCrRGYDEACohsvJPFsXluCn6lo3zK0KFTZuTTSUI3w8ag-KNRl8AiVFHrxDKqP5HI9Nr62ClohhgFtq-CW5WtwOo4DqY2HvA-9PW0zOU-uFrtj/s144/01012010820.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><i>New Year's Day 2010: Mama sees less...</i><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4tx--owLeWYQLhUqMkfqOv_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hpTfrY7Jw9_jLOAfZuXkntW_3-g_sxOHOrVv4TtCGazB1jLZ5t-sIx6EIhjOrALg8JMDBJ5_Ko92H-UNu0_oHHmxXx6pzAYKKXYxCyYWwSXb_8nlrM5N1jaBaivceLmO_c7AqfAwrR9L/s400/01012010809.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><i>...But still has a healthy appetite!</i><br />
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There are happy changes, though. The trembling, drooling and choking are now a distant memory. Her voice is now audible, her speech patterns, less garbled and repetitive. Despite her confinement to a wheelchair, she regularly shoots hoops, sings Frank Sinatra songs from memory, and when her vision was still unimpaired, beat us all at Scrabble and watched her favourite WWE wrestler, Triple H, in action. Her once-69 pound frame must have doubled in the last 36 months, thanks to a steady, physician-approved diet of wheat bread, chocolate cereal, milk, white meat, rice, mixed vegetables, papaya and pears. But her absolute, hands-down favourite is the Goldilocks Crema de Fruta, and everybody knows it, as visitors never fail to visit her without the familiar festive fruit toppings and luscious cream filling nestled inside the unassuming brown box. Needless to say, if no visitors happen to drop by within the week, I am more than delighted to present her with her favourite Goldilocks dessert myself.<br />
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What makes her Crema de Fruta experience extra-special is the fact that she simply has to put a slice on her tongue, and her mouth , through all that chewing, will curve up in a smile. Then she’ll say, “Crema de Fruta!” And I’d say, “Mama, you’re psychic! Or your taste buds are just super active!” The truth is, she’s half-blind from glaucoma, and could no longer see what she’s eating. So it is my pleasure to spoon-or-fork feed her until that big fluffy chunk of Crema de Fruta is all gone from her saucer.<br />
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For our family, living with a loved one totally dependent on others, changes are not really major breakthroughs, but small yet significant steps that each one must take in order to get through the day. Sometimes, change is beyond one’s control; it just happens, and you have to live with it, or overcome it. But the change that I am most familiar with is the change that is based on personal choice. Many people have suggested that we bring our mom to a hospice, or that I go abroad so I could afford a private nurse for her. But those are not my choices. I choose to be physically present and actively involved in my mom’s life, no matter how back-breaking it is. I choose to bathe her myself, to shop for her clothes, to personally talk to her doctors. Mama’s chronic and incurable condition has changed my personal lifestyle, turning me into a homebody, and—I’m happy to note—a prolific blogger. <br />
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Sure, I work 8 hours a day, and the pressures of being a school administrator linger with me at the end of the day, but coming home with a Goldilocks Crema de Fruta, knowing my mom is waiting excitedly for me, and the Crema de Fruta, of course, makes everything worthwhile.<br />
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<img src="http://www.nuffnang.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/blogpost_attachlogo.jpg" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-20067538331797175292010-08-23T10:49:00.000-07:002010-08-23T10:49:36.127-07:00GET ON THE BUSI'm no fan of beauty pageants, but I sincerely hope that Venus Raj wins Miss U tomorrow (August 24 in Manila). We need a FEEL-GOOD moment after that Manila Bus Hostage tragedy, and all those other bus-related tragedies (Benguet, CamSur) in the last few days.<br />
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Everyone's been focusing on the tragedies, and with good reason. From faulty brakes to reportedly drug-boosted drivers, from 42 dead in Benguet, to a former beauty titlist dead in Cam Sur--all in a week's span--this series of disgustingly unfortunate but avoidable events are a glaring reminder of what this country has become: transportation hell.<br />
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Of course, the Quirino Grandstand fiasco had nothing to do with faulty brakes and drivers on a high. The world watched in horror as it showcased a disgruntled former policeman with a mission, get his job and benefits back, by calling the Ombudsman's attention with 22 hostages onboard a Chinese tourist bus. Naturally, GMA and ABS-CBN were there to get the grisly details on the 6:30 news. ABS wins the "Most Insensitive, Sensational Award", in my book, for training their cameras on the bloodied bodies of tourists on stretchers, some of whom the reporter blithely identified as already dead. There was even a shot of Dinky Soliman giggling like a schoolgirl as cabinet officials and medical spokespersons got ready for their press conference. I have never seen such blood-curdling television since Face to Face.<br />
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There was a lot to be ashamed of as the crisis segued into the night. I won't go into all those serious and not-so-serious feedbacks flying all over twitter and facebook all night. I will not go on the defensive, begging the international community not to judge us Filipinos for one man's actions. C'mon. The late Senior Inspector Mendoza WAS one of us. Frustrated, out-of-control, misunderstood. Hate him on facebook, we hate ourselves. He represented the worst in all of us, so we should rightfully be ashamed.<br />
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P-Noy has apologized to the Chinese government for what happened. HongKong has issued a total travel ban to the Philippines. A facebook friend warns, "Kawawang Singson sa HongKong". <br />
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Me, I'm going to root for Venus Raj, who lost a friend and probably a couple thousand text votes tonight.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-88700348206813961952010-08-06T03:19:00.000-07:002010-08-06T03:19:04.521-07:00FROM WANG-WANG TO KAWAWANG SHUTTLE DRIVERS AND OPERATORS<i>[Someone close to me is greatly affected by the recent MMDA anti-colorum drive. I'd just like to express his sentiments, which I think are valid and need careful creative rethinking by PNoy and his team of blue boys.]<br />
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Ang kolorum na AUV (aka FX o shuttle) nga ba ang dahilan ng trapiko sa Metro Manila? Nasan ang datos nyo? Natanong nyo ba ang mga taga PLM,PNU, La Salle, PWU, St Paul, Manila Doctors at mga call center employees na araw-araw sumasakay dito kung gaano nila naapreciate ang presence ng mga tulad namin lalo na sa gabi at madaling araw, at wala na silang masakyan?<br />
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Alam nyo po ba kung bakit maraming kolorum na bumabyahe? Kasi po napakamahal ng prangkisa, hindi makatarungan ang presyo. Sa laki, kailangang ipangutang pa! Marami po kaming umaasa (drayber, may-ari ng sasakyan) sa kita ng byahe ng tinatawag nyong "kolorum", pambili ng pagkain sa pang-araw-araw, pambaon sa skwela, pambayad sa ubod ng taas na singil ng kuryente. Marami ring mga nagtatrabaho, nag-oopisina, mga mag-aaral ng kolehiyo na araw-araw, rain or shine, pumipila sa mga "kolorum" dahil kahit paano, mas maginhawang sumakay dito, malinis,aircon, tama lang ang singil. Pagkatapos magbanat ng buto maghapon, konting comfort lang ng katawan pauwi ang inaasam, dahil sa gabi at madaling araw lang naman nakakabyahe ang "kolorum". Ang laking tulong din nito sa reduction ng pedestrians sa kalye, dahil sa isang AUV, 12 ang maximum na pasahero.<br />
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Kung ititigil rin lang ang sistema ng kolorum sa ngalan ng batas, mag-isip naman ang Pangulo at mga kinatawan nya ng alternatibo upang makapaghanapbuhay pa rin ang mga tsuper at may-ari ng sasakyan, at makabyahe pa rin ng maginhawa ang libu-libong pasahero. Kalampagain sana ang LTFRB, na maging patas sa pagpresyo ng prangkisa. <br />
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Ang hinanakit naming maliliit na may-ari ng sasakyan, pinag-iinitan kami dahil wala kaming laban at walang mga kapit sa heneral, ombudsman, cabinet secretary o congressman. Willing po kaming magbayad ng prangkisa kung sa kaban ng bayan at kapakanan nito mapupunta ang ibabayad namin. Pero wag naman kaming damputin at i-deprive ng ikinabubuhay namin. Hindi po kami mga kriminal. Kung mga kriminal nga, hindi nyo mahuli-huli dahil mabilis kumaripas ng takas, o mataas ang kapit. Kami, mga mababait na tupang sumasama sa inyo pag hinuhuli nyo dahil wala talaga kaming magawa.<br />
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Suggestion ko magkaroon ng public forum tungkol sa usaping ito. Palagay ko hindi alam ni PNoy ang puno't dulo nito. The MMDA is under the direct supervision of the President, right? Iparating nyo naman please ang saloobin ko, which I am sure ay saloobin rin ng maraming maliit na tao na nais lang kumita ng marangal upang mabuhay sa pang-araw-araw.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-7407111405722356242010-07-17T02:57:00.000-07:002010-07-18T22:47:47.781-07:00RAINY PILGRIMAGEWhat to do, what to do on a rainy, electric-powerless day...definitely not clean up the wicked mess Typhoon Basyang left on our front yard. My brother had a brilliant idea: hit the road to Lucban, Quezon!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Lbr8sbNtbEt8_poCrsf4X__Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfxiqZ-OIWp7DLEWHdftJmr1RlZxwEn0dgWODP0tFZPEWxv9v63ssLBS1KqWLVd38NPbNBCvifs7jlK4IMrSah4-6CQyBzZ1V4JcaWqZ2Uv_UKfoMMCHaCqfdhCtzopMBEXojcX-4GYEV/s400/071420103123.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table>Kamay Ni Hesus Retreat Center<br />
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And what a road it was! Cavite and Laguna flew by quite nicely, but in Luisiana, Quezon, the road snaked upward like a bad Prozac dream. If I looked to the left,tree trunks were dangerously leaning toward the ground; on my right, if I dared to look, was a tangle of forest and "bangin". I munched my fears away with sandwiches and buko pie, and chatted with Mama, who by now, was feeling not so chipper with all those twists and turns.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KkqO0xU9ZcqfnvtvDqWZIf_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9mK8rSG47HMB1-eipEEbdKDoc48VJELZhyphenhyphen_H_JrF0S9kPVO_rWsrZQZ53UDW3XTi-RE1HuXbzAoxhRxomRKhwsxND5Bx1HM62Yfg6JxsMAOCrQDt5IiyKx5RAe4SP1WZRhse-TabeNLT/s400/071420103122.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table>Road clearing operations delayed our trip<br />
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Our real destination was Kamay Ni Hesus, a young shrine famous for two things: the mountainside journey through Jesus' Stations of the Cross towards the Risen Christ, whose hands reach out to the weary pilgrims, and the Church where Fr. Joey Faller celebrates healing masses. We thoroughly missed the Wednesday mass by 8 hours, but the church felt so warm and inviting, that we went in anyway, said our prayers, and took several pose-y pictures. We looked longingly at the pilgrims' mountain,hoping to trudge to the top, but the non-stop drizzle and enveloping fog prevented us from doing so.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jyvE6UiTnISQP_rGzdeskv_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BBFdmFSY2tDTnGB8Irwe7ZeJZjGBSbXKI9jkR-Tcrxgo-NjZh3xuH25KdWFIoBsKnzuJ43isFgaCPUUkuISqaxY5V194eQKLN0tYBagYOXsefAy5DEMTNEzOIFLjIb7Vbgn2_DELFqHh/s400/071420103124.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table>A Pilgrim's Dream<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DSkCFz1_eZDT8ODhvr7plf_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl_e39bvyajg_C351jTu68gv3U-LtGCNTK9iAcZWLAlbqyH2V-d1uv-eyEYRN2Ysw4YmZYaUSAhihUd9a5Iu9xqWbPdSQPCI4EZsAZiExx3nFBTNdqLSk3qSGSfnEm4WknCosUJrUaFkB/s400/071420103142.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table>Healing Hands<br />
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Several photo-ops later, we decided to head back to the car and hit the road again. Because I was such a whiny baby, my brother took a longer, but less winding route back to Paranaque, which was still wallowing in darkness.<br />
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Definitely, this pilgrim is coming back in better weather.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-12416254660502832112010-05-10T01:56:00.000-07:002010-05-10T02:28:39.231-07:00MY FAILURE OF ELECTIONSI have many confessions to make today. The first and worst is the fact that I was unable to vote in this so-called historic elections. Unforgivable. Unjustifiable. But hear me out: I actually spent hours on the internet last night, resolving my undecidedness, reading reports and blogs, studying the Election 2010 guide from the link provided in Manuel L. Quezon III's blog, discussing in forums, even culminating in Loyola Press’ 3-minute retreat to clear my mind. By 2am, I was filling out the sample ballot, stalling frustratingly at the senate part, for I only had 5 real preferences (none of them from showbusiness). But I did it. I have decided, and I felt good! <br />
I set my alarm for 5am, bent on being at my precinct by 6am. I was there at 6:30am, and was greeted by throngs of people, lines of people with brown envelopes with three digit-numbers and stubs. I found my clustered precinct number (211), walked near-sideways between two school buildings (aside: that space is an accident for school kids waiting to happen), went up the second floor, chatted with some neighbours, and started riffling through the voters’ list over other people’s heads (aside: Has Comelec never heard of posting the sheets one page next to each other, and not in clusters of 10 or so pages?). I looked, looked again. My name wasn’t on the list. I tried three other precincts. Nada. Zilch. A volunteer advised me to ask the election inspector in 211. <br />
By this time it was already 7:45. The nightmare started to unfold before me: it would take hours to find my name, if it is there at all. Then I would have to stay in the holding room for an indefinite period of time. I looked around: none of the precincts have started accepting voters. I confess that I chickened out, at 8:15am. I had two reasons: First, I had to replace my sister-in-law as my wheelchair-bound mom’s caregiver, as the former still had to travel to another city to cast her vote; second, I remembered the last time I stood in line, under blistering heat, at the Manila City Hall and the Department of Foreign Affairs to apply for a passport. I started at 8am, and was still at the DFA at past 5 (aside: then, like now, I had my period, and my head was throbbing). That last time, I went home sick, and was hospitalized the following day, for three days.<br />
So those are my confessions, and this is my heartbreak. I never found out why I wasn’t on the list eventhough I was a registered, active voter, in the same place where I’ve voted since I turned 18. So this is how it feels to be disenfranchised, and disgusted with myself, and with the whole Philippine electoral system, with the lack of relevant, comprehensive media coverage that focused too much on “bilog na hugis itlog” (aside: Isn’t “oblong” a valid shape?), and not on the actual process prior to one’s feeding the ballot into the PCOS machine, which has been explained to death already. In my opinion, the PCOS machines, despite reports of technical glitches (it happens), are not the problem with these elections.In fact, the machines stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the chaos of public school rooms filled with seemingly clueless inspectors, watchers and voters. Before I left the building, I actually stared longingly at one PCOS machine, feeling as though I missed out on a piece of relevant history.<br />
I would have hated to be a volunteer that day, to be inundated with complaint after complaint, by people both learned and clueless about automation. The problem is not automation, but logistics and unpreparedness, and the prehistoric insistence on voters lists clumped together, confusing signages, lack of proper information and instructions. The problem is not automation, but economics. Why automate when 13,000-19,000 are still lumped together in the same polling place, sharing a handful of machines? How can a machine be of any help if only 10-15 people, some of them in need of assistance, can be accommodated in each room? When my own printer flashes “paper jam”, I throw a fit. Imagine the reaction over all the paper jam messages flashing on the PCOS machines all over the country! Didn’t anybody-Comelec, PPCRV, lawmakers, the media, the candidates themselves-anticipate this nightmare? As I type this, I’m watching the holographic technology of reporting that GMA7 is so proud of (Aside: of course they could afford it, after the multimillions spent by candidates for airtime). What is there to holograph in a country the size of Texas, USA? (Aside: the hologram of Howie Severino looks like a scene 1980’s sci-fi movie, Superman 2, specifically). Can’t a remote feed fulfil the same purpose? Mel Chanco even had the gall to suggest to voters to share in the sacrifice for the country by patiently waiting, waiting, and waiting. For what? I think she’s mistaking disorganization for heroism. Lack of foresight for sacrifice. I would gladly be a hero in a fair fight, in a venue where everyone follows the rules. Over at ABS-CBN, Pokwang is receiving calls from disgruntled voters and giving her two-cents worth. How in the world can Pokwang possibly give electoral advice? At ABC 5, Mon Tulfo and a company of dark-suited panellists openly wonder why STI was a polling place. They repeatedly stress that only public schools can be used as polling places. So what does that make San Beda Alabang, and La Salle Grrenhills? Illegal polling places? At this point, I am no longer scratching my head at the tacky campaign jingles and Erap’s survey popularity. I am wearing my scalp thin wondering, are there no more credible media outfits out there (Aside: I hope I have better luck with the broadsheets).<br />
I know I have no right to complain if I didn’t vote. My bad. My remorse. My failure. But I still have a voice, this blog, and my love for this country to spur me on. So forgive me if I keep coming back like spam in your inbox about this failure. Forgive me for believing that our acceptance of mediocrity and our propensity for suffering the ineptitude and /or arrogance of our government systems continues to drag us down as a nation. And forgive me, Gibo. I would have voted for you.<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_ckHupIeHSibM_XAQBVcMv_Almg6jqs98mPbSPusd6I?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVL3M09KKJZ50-PgypNQqN03OJJhaLxnUYys-4UoPKmd08Sbo8j-cSokC6ZGYa5WuombGH11Iot_ZWo3oVL0BwQEdoFl7SC64BToCSr4vEkof9NQ9Kr3vk3D022l8sFU3SUlSBLp9niBY9/s400/ballot.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-18344965877020337562010-03-15T05:03:00.000-07:002010-03-15T05:03:37.082-07:00NEVER TOO LATE TO GET A GLIMPSE OF ECLIPSE<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S2HIda5wSVU&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S2HIda5wSVU&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-42500202475697902202010-03-13T17:05:00.000-08:002010-03-13T18:23:32.998-08:00NO HERO'S WELCOME HEREThe Pacquiao-Clottey "Event" clears the roads and freezes the crime rate again. Pacquiao is touted yet again as the man who single-handedly unites the Filipinos even as he flashes the Villar check-sign in political sorties. An eighth title will further cement his godlike status among boxing pundits, and sweaty, giddy Filipinos will line the streets of Manila and Gensan once again, welcoming their hero noisily before returning to their daily grind and barely minimum wages, as Manny rides on to his first class hotel room and back to his American Dream-inspired mansion.<br />
<br />
I have the highest respect for Manny and his profession. Manny did rise from the hard knocks of poverty and anonymity to become one of the world's most influential athletes. Will there be another Pacquiao? Highly doubtful. That's why I subscribe to what our Lenten recollection speaker observed about this whole phenomenon: the country's fixation with Manny Pacquiao, the rabid desire for him to win, are all symptoms of CULTURAL POVERTY pervading this nation. ECONOMIC POVERTY is one thing.<br />
I understand the struggle to make ends meet, to make painful decisions about which bills to pay first, to work for peanuts in industries and corporations that insist on tossing the VAT to hapless consumers (The height would be taxing our text messages. I imagine the whole country texting expletives and death threats to the big 2). Economic poverty is too enormous a monster to slay, but cultural poverty is a contagious disease that festers in one's organs, poisons the bloodstream and makes even bigger monsters of the carriers. I personally wouldn't want to have that with my daily morning coffee.<br />
<br />
What are the symptoms of this disease called Cultural Poverty?<br />
<br />
1. That Filipinos structure their schedules around a Manny Pacquiao bout. The Pacquiao-Dela Hoya fight was a historical event, so I'd excuse that, but after the Golden Boy, they were just throwing infants at Manny's seasoned feet. Why watch a foregone conclusion?<br />
<br />
So many other Filipinos--professionals, wage-earners--have achieved much more by uplifting more lives and creating a more lasting impact on society. For a while there, pushcart teacher Efren Penaflorida, CNN award in hand, hugged the limelight and was hailed as a true hero. But compared to the massive media blitz that has followed in Manny's wake for years, that few minutes of attention has since waned, and I can only pray that Efren's advocacy continues to bear fruit long after the once-adoring crowd's eyes have moved away. Why God-fearing, Bible-toting, pro-life advocating Filipinos cheer on a man in the barbaric sport of punching and nearly-killing another man totally floors me.<br />
<br />
2. That people call themselves "artists" when all they know how to draw is manga-style comics. I'd like to blame this on the mediocre Art curriculum being used in schools. The curriculum doesn't have to adopt what Makiling School for the Arts is adopting, it just has to make art genres more experiential rather than theoretical. <br />
<br />
3. That television exaggerates suffering by making the heroine literally crawl, grovel for food and have her face disfigured or perpetually shoved in mud. Almost always she would start out as a provincial lass who finds employment as a maid in the palatial house of a cruel matrona whose heartthrob-of-a-son falls in love with her and saves her from her fate. The actors even have the gall to claim that their show is full of values ("Marami kayong values na mapupulot dito"). I especially detest the maltreatment of children in these primetime shows. There is no subtlety, no delicadeza in these scripts. In American crime shows where children are the victims, the director and cameraman make sure that the angles are respectful and the editing does not expose child actors to physicality. I cringe whenever a Filipino child actor is thrown to the ground by an adult actor, or is made to cry for hours on end, night after night just to get that "api" effect. Hello, MTRCB. You penalize hosts for saying offensive things. Don't you find the treatment of women and children in telenovelas just as appalling?<br />
<br />
4. That Noynoy, Villar, Erap, Jinggoy, and Lito Lapid are leading in surveys because their names are familiar and their ads (except in Lapid's case) are glossy and repetitious. I am all for amending the constitution so ex-convicts, current convicts and actors don't get a free ride into delicate government positions.<br />
<br />
5. That years after the Expanded Senior Citizen's Act was passed and signed into law early this year, my Mom still has to wait before she can get a full 20% off on her medicines purchase. I never tire of asking the Mercury Drug salesclerk when they will implement the law, and they never tire of telling me that they are waiting for BIR to send them the Implementing Guidelines. Do they expect me to believe that anyone in BIR, or any government agency for that matter, is doing any form of service or work, in the heat of the election campaigns?<br />
<br />
There's more, but I'd like to save them till after the Pacquiao-Clottey fight. I hope that Filipinos everywhere will wake up to the reality that Pacquiao will not save us, nor will he punch away our problems. Let's stop using him as a metaphor for success and heroism. Let's put our minds and hearts somewhere else where real problems are solved. Where that is, is up to us.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-72116430673352560982010-02-14T21:43:00.000-08:002010-02-14T21:43:45.915-08:00Doing Good Badly<a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1963749,00.html">Doing Good Badly</a><br /><br />This is a very timely, very spot-on article on the reality of relief efforts in disaster areas such as Haiti. It confirms what I believed all along: those barongs, stuffed toys, swimsuits, and expired noodles have no place in our donation boxes.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-40555264636039382432010-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:002010-02-10T23:15:09.958-08:00GOTTA GIVE IT TO THE GIBO WEBSITE: TWO GREEN THUMBS UP!<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yBeYbh9pJeCAlm8punW_uw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi6N6P-4q0W5nqbR8b1DO-C12I0clyOYIZi0wcGGETwjhZDwcgKD_6fX0vapjUNtfvokah04k7ItDLieDskoCX4ScpsQuQupPgEt2cRMYY0iepcgW8hwBPaDYqOONO4AITVFJoF6Bcdkb/s800/GIBO.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><a href="http://www.gibotalino.ph/the-cure-for-traffic/">The cure for traffic</a><br />
<br />
<br />
I'm thinking of hiring Gibo's web team.<br />
Love the site! The green/gold theme is very eye-friendly, and I'm sure it alludes to his La Salle roots.All his video and TVCs (which have improved tremendously with the the pilot metaphors) are on the banner, and his views on virtually all issues are arranged very systematically, like a wiki.<br />
<br />
Being an educator, I immediately scrolled to the "Education" section, and found two subsections--"student loan programs" and "preparing our children". When I clicked the "loans" part, I expected to find a treatise, but instead, I found this (quoted from the site):<br />
<br />
<i>Student Loan Program<br />
<br />
Exhaust all means to give everyone the proper college education--Aside from usual scholarships and state subsidies, creative solutions should also be implemented to give every Filipino the education that is rightfully his.<br />
<br />
One specific example for this is a loan system for the less fortunate, but deserving students in the tertiary level. When a student applies for a loan, he will be given a Social Security System (SSS) number. Immediately after he gets his first paycheck, it will register that he is getting a salary and subsequent deductions could be made.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
Fiscally, I don't know if that makes sense. There should be infallible stats on student scholars who actually become employed, and thus are given SSS numbers. Does this also apply to graduates who go abroad immediately after receiving their diplomas? I have tons of questions, but I find the idea interesting, something that our country's economists and education experts can do some serious pencil-pushing on. <br />
<br />
The other proposal, to add two years of elementary education, is BS, if you ask me. Parents in private schools are already scraping the bottom of their savings barrels just to pay their kids' tuition fees for 6 years of elementary schooling. Another two years will set them back, well, two years, and I'm afraid that in the good intentions of beefing up grade school quality, we might end up with high school dropouts on their 3rd or fourth year of high school. So I don't go with Gibo on that part.<br />
<br />
Ok, back to the website: one more cool thing about it is a microsite called <br />
www.gibotalino.ph. So far it's got some youtube videos where Gibo discusses solutions to national problems, i.e. traffic. This, and the whole site, is very youth-friendly, I would say, because text is kept at a minimum, while videos carry much of the candidate's message. Clearly, his niche is the educated sector of Philippine society, with his metaphors and flawless English. I can dig that, but can the kariton-pushing masses? <br />
<br />
On the basis of his website, Gibo's got the edge. Personally, he's a presidential candidate who's worth following more. Yup, I just became his facebook fan.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-83505215572223316502010-01-23T00:13:00.000-08:002010-01-23T00:25:49.502-08:00AROUND THE WORDToday in my Stylistics class with Kim San San, Kim Soon Soon, and Kim Yan Yan (obviously not their real names), the discussion drifted to the Word of the Decade and the Word of the Year. So we googled it and, "Google" was the word of the decade (American Dialect Society, beating out "blog", and "Unfriend" is the word of the year 2009 (Oxford University Press), while "tweet" is the WOTY declared by ADS.<br />
<br />
Google. Blog. Unfriend. Tweet. If they're words of the year/decade/day/minute, then definitions are not necessary. Personally, since I've done all four in some capacity over the past year/decade/day/minute, I'm not going to argue.<br />
<br />
I got curious: What is the Word of the Year in the Philippines? <br />
A couple of googles later, this is what I found:<br />
<br />
Michael Tan of Philippine Daily Inquirer relates a text scam experience that led to his discovery of the term "bagong modus". Read the article full article here:<br />
<br />
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/10/01/08/html_output/xmlhtml/20100107-246107-xml.html<br />
<br />
Is that the Pinoy Word of the Year? A term that captures the dubious Pinoy propensity for racket ("raket"), and scams? In 2007, it was "Miskol"; I believe "jueteng" and "pasaway" made it to the top of the list prior to 2007. How do people come up with these lists and choices? As far as my googling has taken me, WOTY for 2008 and 2009 have not been revealed.<br />
<br />
Because this blog isn't meant to be scholarly, I will not even attempt to go into a discourse on societal influence on semantics. I will leave that up to the folks at Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and UP Sawikaan. Instead, I asked the 3 Kims in my class what their WOTD and WOTY are, based on their individual experiences:<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iVatZmsulXi21oabiOLZ4Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuTuu9qPPJfOYb6BxMq3hdi9XzAqumV4fVfkfApxufv4NVUqoTiZGXu5jfg_yFW05pUS3MCF_PN_UKWMmFI6UeLFRsoynWgQac1UtbDkSaqF0SKlaniGYvU-ZJLFpQDF4GWYCIK3U1uVV/s400/12042009410.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><i>(The Three Kims!)<br />
</i><br />
Kim San San : <br />
WOTD: "cellphone"-from the words "cell" and "phone"; handy phone; cell means small particles<br />
WOTY: "DOTA"-I don't know what's the meaning of the word, but it's a famous games that I only heard last year.<br />
<br />
Kim Soon Soon :<br />
WOTD: "feeler"-pretentious or feeling "exagg"<br />
WOTY: "add"-used often in websites like friendster and facebook; instead of saying "Can you please invite me to your account so that I could keep in touch with you?"<br />
<br />
Kim Yan Yan :<br />
WOTD: "hang out"- "gimmick" or "peer jam" like in bars and malls; also going out<br />
WOTY: "shawty"- American slang noun referred to as "woman", "girlfriend", "girl", widely used by Americans especially in their pop music<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-10103634620714058952010-01-14T08:17:00.000-08:002010-01-14T08:24:18.090-08:00EXPLORING CANDIDATES' WEBSITES SERIES: MANNY VILLAR / NOYNOY AQUINO SITE-BY-SITE<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FpmE9jsemBSrp94kdsj-Gw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPTTAM1oPYztRsmtAakc_3ncLeoc8hYLB9tFiO_Jjt9dSl2hjTCo2Fb8Qg_brm1Aozp8c1QKyr4TZJz6Dhyphenhyphenvm5mqsKPpzcicvOYrA88lR_8u_W-SYnm-5zgsm_3WqxR1BB8bB9HNtL3a4/s400/011420101118.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
VERSUS<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ogi1uj_ZxELO0zSnkqjZHA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBsUPK0lhFxekYsN6Xv-9Ie3fNtLztyMalKawxypms6cvugweg-K1efRrvUjN-ElvRX8m41FOqnal0fMs7T-SBfsBex9lbpwq4y3Mnw-SHbjf-bAxVn57KRWJncVZQ0jxSGR1ZftGBjKf/s400/011420101111.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
I finally got around to checking out two presidential candidates' websites today. My idea was to do a "site-by-site" (a site side-by-side for comparative purposes). That wasn't really so smart, as I needed to minimize one to maximize the other. It was also my idea not to go deep into the sites (i.e. click everything on the screen)--it was 11:42pm after all--but to appraise the look and feel of the sites. I figured, with Noynoy and MV being the current occupants of the presidential leaderboard,I might as well look at the more trivial aspects of these two sites just for the heck of it. I promise to read their individual platforms better, for I subscribe to Joker's infamous question, "Why so serious?". Website-bashing is loads more fun than candidate-bashing, you know.<br />
<br />
COLOR<br />
Noynoy stuck to the black and yellow scheme, as expected. This works for him, because it's a constant reminder of how famously yellow his deceased heroic parents were. The yellow ribbon on the upper left side of the header, shaped like a dove, is a surefire hit with Corysters worldwide. I personally would love to have that ribbon on my lapel.<br />
As for Villar, well, we've seen his orange shirts, and there's nothing wrong with them. But to tint the whole website with a papaya-like hue is taking it too far.<br />
For the website color war: Noynoy-1, Villar-0.<br />
<br />
HOMEPAGE<br />
Villar's "V" sign is all over the place, and so is his photogenic face. The site's header boasts of flash-enabled images of him on a billboard. The rest of the homepage is very cluttered, with two links marked "OFW" and "HOUSING" that lead to forms that visitors need to fill up to get help and info. I wonder: does anyone even get a response from Villar himself?<br />
Noynoy's header is composed of a medium-shot of him foregrounding what looks to be a scene from his first star-studded commercial. Looks good so far. What disappointed me was the left sidebar with the big black bold letters 'SUPPORT' and 'VOLUNTEER.' It just screams, "Help me! I don't have money to mount a national campaign!" And I go: Didn't Kris volunteer to support you (read: FUND your campaign) and hire a stylist for you?<br />
For the homepage war: Noynoy-0, Villar-1<br />
<br />
MEDIA/DOWNLOADS<br />
Just one statement about Noynoy's online media presence: HE AIN'T HIS SISTER KRIS.<br />
Just one word about Villar's online media presence: WOWOWEE<br />
For the Media war: Noynoy-0, Villar-1<br />
<br />
Click to view the comedy:<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aut_chXPML8<br />
<br />
Someday I will get around to actually reading their blogs and friending them both on facebook. Till then, here's a public service announcement from Rihanna:<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HpPC4aOqqG6p_HsOzDI6WA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLeEkMcBHIQl-znl72kOfKUyDr8xO0OCfh3vpgJwdp-L-MY_lz5_cOsJjUwTrGmUc5LnIxdivjzMY4mACtDPwwIZVgFQ6pwCrBEpe0ijj9AFEJgS6KGbEVPUGhQR9oo0-LFVqcZfn-mfH/s288/umbrella_300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-38611883105574717732010-01-06T02:35:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:00:31.238-08:00BEAT YOU AT THE BOARD GAMES!<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xnEbiEuPe1yAnNPiWL3VOA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosm1X0A8sa42E4E7F6g5V2MLbjSqVAIW_rZ5vTyzzc31rhtuWqRaYJX7DDjxi-wTHialjUlTCDd80KXzoRDxFo4rxz81ADwM05M7Ulfor7IUK2ZY9Jcxrz4MSPUHzAo0qraPhAksSTuQb/s400/100_6025.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
Call me the ungeek, but I never learned how to play chess. I can tell a king from a queen, and a rook from a knight, and that's about it. My curiosity about the game was piqued late last year when I finished reading Katherine Neville's The Eight, that pre-Dan Brown novel about religious and political intrigues across Western civilization history centered on the game of chess, so I fiddled with a lame computer chess version. Again, that's about it.<br />
<br />
Even without chess, my shady 70's-80's childhood was replete with all kinds of board games. Almost every Christmas or my birthday, without fail, I would receive a board game as a gift, or inherit a second-hand set from my older cousins. Because I was never a solitary child, I lived to play these games with family and friends. It's four players, or nothing! Here are some of the board games that have molded me into what I am now: <i>bored</i> of <i>games</i> (Get it? Get it?):<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AmaXsRpeYNROmR-letGNpw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxArk8HaPqXPw37PvfO5GLoVRmO3sIQqYUTVXbYiSywPFN0SD0wTscFRVoB6ybzmI8Dv4sVDECl__o2yY1eWtWf-Gpo3SzmES9wR88x1ie0sg0omF3i425-dc6yIOTCYaYcLZRQlSQhxzU/s288/Professor%20Plum.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
<i>(Prof. Plum, a murder suspect in the game Cluedo; photo from www.cluedofan.com)</i><br />
<br />
1. <b>Cluedo</b> <br />
I totally channeled Nancy Drew with Cluedo. I even followed a British TV series on cable with totally different characters, but with essentially the same premise: find the killer, the weapon and the crime scene, you win. Anyone who's played it must agree with me: the game was so cool because of the "suspects"-Professor Plum, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, and Colonel Mustard; the "weapons"-candlestick, lead pipe, knife, revolver, rope; and the "crime scene"-conservatory, kitchen, lounge, hall, etc. The objective is to be the first to make an accusation involving the three elements listed above, and for that accusation to be correct, as proven by the three cards inserted into a "confidential envelope" before the game starts. Before a player can make a logical accusation, though, he must first express "suspicion" using this linguistic pattern: "I suspect that (suspect's name, e.g. Col. Mustard) killed (the victim--it's always the same victim) in the (crime scene, e.g. conservatory), with a (weapon, e.g. knife). The other players will hint at whether that player is right or not, based on the cards they hold in their cards (e.g. another player must say "No" if he is holding one, two or all the cards mentioned by the player expressing suspicion). So basically, the game is all about deduction, process of elimination, and intelligent guessing. And now that I am writing about this, I'm itching to do some sleuthing in the house, for my precious Cluedo has been missing since I finished college...<br />
<br />
2. <b>Scrabble</b> <br />
I need not describe how this ultimate word game is played. A bonafide worldwide sensation then and now, complete with a multilingual website and downloadable PC game version, this is the board game that slays all board games. I've had about four sets in my lifetime, from the bulky wooden set to the travel version, and all of them have helped while away those lazy afternoons. The most exciting part of the game for me is angling for the triple word block, and nearly wringing the neck of my opponent when he beats me to the coveted spot.<br />
<br />
There's a Scrabble-like game called <i>Upwords</i>, which should be more challenging because you can stack up the tiles to form new words. My only problem with it is the monotonous color of the plastic board, so unlike the patterned colors of the Scrabble board. The scoring system is also quite ho-hum, with only one point given per letter per tile (except the "Q" which automatically comes with a "u"). The tiles are also difficult to grasp for some reason. If the manufacturer could only get these imperfections out of the way, it'll be the last word in board games.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BdUzrLmb4ogDV9kCEzeAuQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3zd9ZEV5BpUURCG4b_yUK0YplSws2nWPWYqQ6zsRxnIGnkl_F_XHsBEyaR22w0eWsdnd280RrWSZ26fyqZ_JEF4vNefDm4F1ufd-06YlwwLj3DSG02krO87yIWzNpIjOOALW54LY70sM/s400/01062010861.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
<br />
3. <b>Trivial Pursuit</b><br />
My friend Rahnee brought this to one of our college sleepovers, and I swear we didn't sleep. As the name of the game implies, it's all about knowing popular culture-Western pop culture, that is. It means that you have to be familiar with Beatles songs, with 80's cop shows, with literary figures, world geography, and stuff you'll never learn in school, kinda like the opposite of "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader". <br />
<br />
4. <b>Pictionary</b><br />
First you have to pray that you get a teammate who can draw decent stick figures. The rest is great fun which includes laying the blame on the designated artist even if he's already done a Picasso. The objective is for your team to get to the finish line by correctly guessing a teammates drawing based on the color-coded topics printed on the card. For the category "All Play", even the opposing team can guess what's being drawn, and mayhem ensues when everyone starts screaming their answers.<br />
<br />
5. <b>Twilight The Game</b><br />
I just acquired this one from Jeje, a fellow Twilighter. I haven't even unsealed the box! But looking at the directions on the back of the box, I'd say it's a straightforward race to the finish, with the player knowing more about Twilight having the edge. One day soon I'll unseal the box and force someone to play with me; then I have something more helpful to say about it.<br />
After all, the game might suck, but who cares? IT'S TWILIGHT!!!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QUUm-hY-lQuff2EdomaYYg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOydIdepTwqxhW4Umhy4RFKBR8JVA9QqnrIdDppvpMDPjc-UoiqA53ydEzCJW9hEsMZGeztBu5_lfKGxzbhUXVOkI1ZU4FEX-qdPPnDukIr_qddqEMi3Q1RJdV4GxgYLpOkARyMaAcR2x5/s400/01062010874.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
[3 hours later]<br />
<br />
So I couldn't wait. I opened the game box and spent an hour-and-a-half learning the rules, which to my dismay was a thousand times more complex than Scrabble. The race to the finish is actually the race to collect 8 scene cards before anyone else. To do that, you roll the dice, move your Cullen gamepiece around the board, land on a square and do what it says, which is mostly "pick one card." That's where the fun starts. So far I know that challenge cards have red and white daggers, one of which will ask the player questions about the movie (that threw me coz I prefer the questions to be about the book. Oh well.). If the player gives the correct answer, he has a chance to collect a scene card (He needs 8), but he is forced to discard one that he already has. To get to scene 7 and 8 (the prom scene no less), the player needs to get all 6 scene cards first.<br />
<br />
I have a few complaints with the material used for the game pieces. Cardboard Cullens (all gamepieces are Cullen crests) aren't going to live an immortal life. The text on the cards are also too small for astigmatics like me, though Alice Cullen wouldn't have a problem with that. The box itself is made of soft cardboard--not immortal either. It looks like a trial version, actually, as though Cardinal, the manufacturer, was still testing the product. I suggest that they make the box sturdier and the gamepieces more durable, since Twilight fans tend to be rabid ( I almost freaked out when I saw the James cards!).<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/txxBYZX_iXOGKRBHJzUONQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0ipJ6s24_q3dZ-4u8Xk38GfiXoMegPt-9COeLMv8WlzxcJqLB1mDz0o7WAfbaModTLkhNIFoQlpg05HZmjMcJD-XuvZtxdoz2aHJ79MYKEf4ocDm-zH9Y2pbCPqDY0CrwhR5aST-YTMh/s400/01062010889.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
That aside, I like the game's concept. It forces the players to use their recall and comprehension skills, and of course, ogle at the pictures.<br />
<br />
All I need now is to look for playmates...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-31034567043036389462010-01-03T19:31:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:09:53.989-08:00TEACHERS OF SUBSTANCE:LESSONS FROM ELIZABETH KOSTOVA'S THE HISTORIAN<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZJtUNVbtPNvIJNuxIsJlNA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_u4w-Swx4FEASYpgSHmbjF5OgLmNZZWwLOGEzdLHg9zXj6eS_RaxqXb1XN5dAVZJIm1rXQjkq66TmQsAwdexInKdsiyiTghoId0ngQx5cMlIK0tBT4I9lkwnomuMJ0l1c0eRANzALyWq/s800/Historiancover.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><br />
<br />
I closed the book <i>The Historian</i> by Elizabeth Kostova over a year ago with a mixture of exhilaration (what a great book!) and disappointment (what an awful ending!). I won't review the book here, so please check out my FULL BOOK REVIEW BLOG of The Historian over at www.xanga.com/millette_espiritu. More than just another book about vampires--actually The Vampire of lore, Dracula/Vlad Tepes, the novel is a testament to the nobility of the teaching profession.<br />
<br />
My favorite character is Professor Bartholomew Rossi, a brilliant historian and quite an intellectual academic superstar in his day. Paul (as narrator in this chapter, while his daughter is his rapt audience) is his dissertation advisee, and clearly, the young graduate student has nothing but admiration for the esteemed Rossi. He was part-English, part-Italian, but the Anglo part, at least in Paul's worshipping eyes, stood out:"His face was of crisp English mold, sharp-featured and intensely blue-eyed...to look into Rossi's face was to see a world as definite and orderly as the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace." It was Rossi's keen mind that made him the American Paul's Idol: "His mind is another thing altogether...his encyclopedic production had long since won him accolades..." But above all else, Rossi was "the kindest, warmest friend I'd ever had." I found the latter to be true in the succeeding chapters. Let me jump the gun here by saying that when Rossi mysteriously disappeared just minutes after his last visit, it was Paul who risked his life to find his mentor.<br />
<br />
I can sympathize with Paul. I was the ultimate "sip-sip" in high school, perhaps without meaning to be one. As a student, I remember hanging onto the coattails of my teachers. To my mind, long before I drifted towards the academe myself, teachers were God's gift to humanity. To this day, I believe it to be true. After a quick rewind to my days as a fledgling learner, I've come up with my top 5 all-time favorite teachers:<br />
<br />
1. <i><b>Ms. Dulce Atienza</b></i> (Grade 5 and 6 Math, Manresa School)-Ms. Atienza is a motherly, articulate teacher who made Math meaningful for me. It has since lost its meaning in high school, when the teachers resorted to terrorism to drill cosines and square roots into my system.I love Ms. Atienza for being kind but firm, and, as my section adviser in 5th grade, for being my second mother.<br />
<br />
2. <i><b>Mrs. Pearl Santos</b></i> (Freshman English, Manresa School)-My Idol with a capital "I." I lived for her 12-page exams on diagraming sentences, and her stories about her days as a hard-hitting journalist. She was a perfectionist, all business at all times, and she played no favorites when my other teachers then had not-so-subtle "babies." I began to love the English language because of her.<br />
<br />
3. <i><b>Ms. Angie Ureta</b></i> (Junior and Senior English & History, Manresa School)-She was 19 when she zoomed into our batch's humdrum existence in 1985, and we were enthralled by her youthful candor and world-wise sensibility. I thought back then that she picked on me out of unreasonable cruelty, but I began to realize that she was bulldozing me into finding my niche--writing. What I am now, a writer, I owe to her.<br />
<br />
4. <i><b>Prof. Emmanuel Torres</b></i> (Shakespeare on Film, Ateneo de Manila Graduate School)-Firstly, I loved his class because we met every week in the Ateneo Art Gallery. Secondly, he was a non-threatening, soft-spoken, brilliant man who brought us to the Globe Theatre with just a few panoramic sentences, as well as his hard-to-find films. But I will never forget, most of all, his comments on my essays, most of which he would read aloud in class, to my utter embarrassment. For my paper on Mel Gibson's portrayal of Hamlet, he wrote: "With this paper, and others like it, you have demonstrated a potential for being a professional critic." OMG.<br />
<br />
5.<i><b>Prof. Danton Remoto</b></i> (Survey of Philippine Literature, Ateneo de Manila Graduate School)-I will never again read NVM Gonzalez' <i>The Bamboo Dancers</i> without thinking of Prof. Remoto's acerbic comments on protagonist Ernie Rama's sexuality. Our class of 6 students was clearly in awe of this man's literary genius, and I for one, was motivated to churn out academic papers that would hopefully meet his standard, which I'm afraid I never did. But that's OK. Today, I see him fight for gay and lesbian rights on TV with much tact and poise, and I'm proud to tell one and all that Danton Remoto was my teacher.<br />
<br />
<br />
To my delightful surprise, a former student, Maika Bernardo, wrote about me in Inquirer.net:<br />
"<i>Miss Millette encouraged me to write more and head the school paper staff. Her words of praise helped aspiring writers to come out of their shell. With her encouragement, I earned a leadership award on graduation day."<br />
</i><br />
<br />
To view the full article, see:<br />
http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=20091004-228351<br />
<br />
I believe that teachers impart learning more effectively if they are MENTORS, not instructors. I've tried mentoring, and I can safely claim that I've done more for my students this way, rather than give them lectures thay can always download from some website. This is confirmed in <i>The Historian</i>, particularly in Paul and Rossi's warm, genuine friendship forged by a common love and respect for history, and for each other as human beings. And this is affirmed by the many teachers I've thanked along my life's journey, and the many students like Maika who have thanked me simply by being good, God-fearing, productive citizens of the world.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-53351818677660965252010-01-02T21:03:00.000-08:002010-01-06T01:07:43.334-08:00Exploring Candidates' Websites Series :The Official Website of Mar Roxas<a href="http://www.marroxas.com">The Offical Website of Mar Roxas</a><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CVajPpWp3APZ02wkDKbrfg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VbivFAfNRMTz7mqGBqFHIl35lf5w-oS1eOET7Eue3aLrErjgtJD8_kE_RrV5TrnB2vtlX_NefOW8cCUml9n7g7RdeqiuJA2HXZfEHZsc3GTvp_GqvLV8ztqt4xIWXDZWZiILQKmt4O3y/s400/01032010849.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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Hey, I'm not campaigning for Mar Roxas, or for anyone in particular. That is not my style. But what I am is a curious, dubious website aficionado. So today, I wondered, what does a politician's website look like? After all, with the inevitable social networking explosion these days, I'm very sure that candidates' PR departments will maximize the relatively cost-efficient avenues provided by the internet.<br />
<br />
Truthfully, I searched "Manny Villar" first. Error there. Mar Roxas' website loaded in .2 seconds (is that a sign?). Then I realized my personal faux pas: Roxas was running for VP, not president. In my mind, he was still a presidentiable (regrets, Korina?). Anyways, the website was waiting for me to <strike>be explored</strike> explore it.<br />
<br />
The site was fairly easy to navigate. It's actually student-friendly, with its down-to-earth, highly readable blogs (by Roxas himself), discussion of issues on education, "murang gamot", agriculture, etc. There are many interesting tidbits for the clueless like me: that Roxas is the "father of call centers and BPO industry", that he was voted senator by 20 million Filipinos (a record, the site says), and that he has 24,586 Facebook fans (as of 2:04pm today), and that he eats leche flan with rice (hmm, shades of the Obamas and their cheeseburger binges).<br />
<br />
I can fathom what Roxas' web press team is trying to do: make Roxas a poster boy for new politics, as opposed to the "trapo" stigma that many of his elders and contemporaries are projecting. All of Roxas' pictures on the site show a smiling, laid-back guy, with a good number featuring wife Korina, the two of them in frolicking pictures of marital bliss. The site is littered with tweets of support, testimonials that sing his praises. Even the blue Atenista color helps give him an air of respectability, prestige, and nobility, which aren't exactly the nouns you'd associate with the masses. For some reason, the "Mr. Palengke" monicker is absent from the site, which for me is a smart move, as the website's target audience aren't really the market-going public.<br />
<br />
I give the marroxas site a two-thumbs up. Props to the web design team for keeping it simple, compact, and functional. Will Mr. Roxas' political career be just as simple, compact and functional? Wait till the ballots are scanned.<br />
<br />
<i>P.S. Just sharing (proudly, ahem) that I was a Gerry Roxas Leadership awardee in 1987...</i><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7CJhp_g-5wuwpcoHLNX3Qg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvpmmfCG881HfOvLRbg0PyWxs4VsFmw4GwdwQDnXxGo9sASwMEbTB8SS_i1-YfIDrxWSEm3jzCsWIbqNEMRD9C-dQcgTd4mSqCP5_Gx0APcXhfNEDbBgfKclJaUd4300vrdz2WEC_FmSs/s288/01032010847.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-7840015376071609242010-01-01T02:23:00.000-08:002010-01-03T04:40:01.532-08:00NEW YEAR'S AT POTTER'S RIDGE-TAGAYTAYI like my New Year's quiet and foggy, not loud and smoggy. So the family and I trooped to Tagaytay on the 31st, the sound of early bursts of firecrackers fading out as we exited Sucat.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MpkZMROH_J7BsnPN2zFUkA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIni1Q3pTgfhftNOupYn65vmCmaGrBd_ig53JrHZFqV7Ao4EZ0dbybI-7jLiT_ljkl29hj4ZwtAvrfz4qkfeW7gDqwxSTpiXc62Cn9y7gwwP2njdrIJk3vMDRi7bkSkDDLjtkzI6wWYa0t/s400/01012010804.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</table>What I wasn't expecting was the icy air blowing in from two huge picture windows of our suite room. Spectacular views from both windows (one was a carabao indulging on grass) kept us entertained for hours until the fireworks started to light up the horizon.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FlZsej9LiHOPLbQ3-OKWDw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD-G84aE8m0jgGFqpY4aOc4oruTuZIEz2wNCVfsX625fWk4q5Uj0N06vIGg0aYlnrJKGNaaYvDCGyGrgqe3zdTAqP_3J0UoUyPg0b5xLP-rLp6s8l7jrClzMxcSTsZ8KiOAELO3WiosDJ/s400/12312009713.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><br />
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The best part was Mama's unbridled joy at the cool wind on her face, the sumptuous pancakes and sausage-bacon breakfast and the incessant teasing from all of us. It's a shame that her eyesight isn't too keen anymore, so she missed a lot of the heart-stopping scenery. But she was having a really happy new year, and that's all that matters.<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8bIyQgtmcRgmIdB-5LIwBw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTc4Jb0JtPJXFz6QSm6sibqzWGqipPEmyp8xfhlp8ovn4Hovd1rzD7hksJV6jG0wf9QCBvBTKGWeaQBz4mdW5R7qr7rnBXfdlln3-Dm1kSGjDvaNzAjVrpLbV5-ONiEN1K_l_UidPeQLI/s400/01012010809.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>(Note: Mama has Parkinson's Disease, which, doctors believe developed from depression. It has affected her mobility, her eyesight, and in severe bouts of nervous tension and panic--her speech. She is our family's Baby, so we do everything in our power to make her happy and comfortable.)</i><br />
<br />
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</table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-37695850837740521922009-12-28T21:10:00.000-08:002010-01-05T19:49:20.743-08:00WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER READING CURRICULUMFor the second time in two years, Veritas Parochial School hosted The Gathering 2, an overnight celebration of discussing books, meeting fellow book lovers, and listening to music. The school's book clubs have decided to do this every first Friday night of December. Last year it was all about Twilight. This year, it was all about 10+ books--a veritable explosion of pages! Students discussed George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984, and Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games,among others, to listeners in their PJs, lounging on sleeping bags.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3PDypnMJbg828V-YSOuxnw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTW3JWpqGRWSLEggNSizato3d9S8xBo3kr2fcUwZcyE0hmIo-GuKzu5x8jfCOQ3Nhlf9Hnj03vHjuWQTg4SMo1TshYkMr7OQPKlxkthruNmV6xuNOjDYsukvnnxjuDRNm3XdYebQ0VnMo/s400/12042009364.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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Podcasts of Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty and Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book were broadcast. Top discussants won prizes and enthusiastic applause.<br />
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Unbeknownst to the sleeping book lovers, I spent the night/early morning poring over reader's journals submitted to me by senior high schoolers who opted out of the book talk. The journals were a revelation, for like most journals, they chronicle the reading process meticulously, but unlike most journals, they were bursting in color, favorite passages, even a movie stills collage. Creativity to the fullest!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L9tGopx5gpmYRNWxSUzS0w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPwxSeLNB91SXj-U4euSnV-OZ-odjUAIbkPAXwjjqeflltMzZJqNCsVmwPy4cadWpXvwT4hXy9HLSxCmm1OHFGwjeyIuebJhyphenhyphenGGnNzL9-90h5EhIm3wxGioG5CKpbwxtoz2UMN-vIMwLC/s400/12052009412.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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All this leads me to wonder why the Department of Education can't see what's right in front of them: young people thumbing across the pages of books, discussing plot and character, making book trailers, making scrapbooks--generally enjoying the reading process. If you were a parent perusing the pages of the English curriculum, with all the macro-skills blah and the Understanding By Design-BS, you'd be afraid for your child. Could he really master all 95 reading subskills? Will not spotting the main idea outright jeopardize his job-acceptance chances? Will his teacher penalize him for not buying 3 textbooks and 3 workbooks in Language, Reading and Speech, respectively?<br />
<br />
In my 17 years as English teacher, I can now safely assure all worried parents that the Philippine English curriculum does not decide the fate of their children. Former DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz, speaking to Diocese of Paranaque educators in June 2009, cites an international study claiming that a literacy-rich home environment is actually the BEST INDICATOR of student success:<br />
<br />
<b>100 books in the house<br />
1 computer in the house<br />
the child's own study desk in the house<br />
</b><br />
(Source: TIMSS 1998, 2003)<br />
<br />
And by student success, we don't just look at reading, but maths and sciences as well.<br />
<br />
In Finland, a nation that consistently tops international examinations, the teachers are not boxed in by a national curriculum; they design their lessons with their students and make adjustments when necessary. Teachers and students practice equity in the learning process.<br />
<br />
<b>Bottomline: invest in books, a working personal computer, internet access, a study desk, and TIME with children as they read and ask questions.</b><br />
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As for me and the Veritas community, we just simply enjoy books, and make them available to all. We have future projects that will put 3 brand new non-academic books in every high schooler's hands for him to keep. <br />
<br />
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I don't need an international study to tell me the overflowing benefits of reading for my students. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ilq4r0KNdEyS8AKibepNTw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIcK85GSbfWJ7T3irTziREmrV08VctcXnOASgyf3p3aR4M_majIuONCjgczUECP8jhgFMnco5LQLP39Cgu_QdCGPfNnDxG9n4T4VWas6D8Q_WBtK8_5sxFSBkgUxLl_rrCynoXaP8ClYn/s288/12042009372.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><br />
I just listen to their book talks and browse their journals, and I'm happy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-58495417357373497402009-12-27T04:31:00.000-08:002010-01-02T03:47:52.351-08:00TOILET TALK<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rIFQHzlBZJXAi8BAl4dVyA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYrLJL6T1Nvlmf2qFQshHjqiSBdhXLg0qqiJWGCSOF4ePhclqlw-nyr11_SG8kJP86fvmhG2yh1DlvEXYviQoWQOCyDLfz_9KMQMQrqAOMWW9Qz6CrcF0GbqzOrktBfnna9vvzM5cdiKO/s144/toilet.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
As principal of a school with +/-500 population, I don’t get to mince words when it comes to reminding students to behave. So general assembly Mondays are always freaky, both for the guilt-ridden objects of my so-called ire, and for me. Sometimes, to keep a school running, I just had to be less than cool when I remind people about haircuts and unreturned reply slips. Discipline is a bitter pill to swallow, especially for young people who are simply testing the limits of teachers’ patience. Principalship 101 posits that I should step in when the teachers’ hairs are all frizzy and their freshly-manicured nails are all ragged, to do damage control.<br />
<br />
So instead of giving the usual howdydo pep talk at the start of the school year 2008-2009, I decided to give a brief but succinct lecture on how to use the school’s spankin’ new toilets.<br />
<br />
Why is that so vital? Because this is a school that has gone TWO DECADES WITHOUT RUNNING WATER AND FLUSH. So in case the students have trouble remembering what it’s like to swish-swish the toilet after every use, I had to give some pointers:<br />
<br />
1. Flush, flush, flush, but don’t push the knob of the water closet knob to death. One gentle push is all it takes to bring down the “enemy.”<br />
<br />
2. Don’t stuff the bowl with toilet paper and other inorganic solids (in the previous year our janitors found a ball of yarn, and some scratch papers!). Clogged toilets are the other enemy.<br />
<br />
3. Don’t stand on the toilet seat. If it were made to be stood on, then it would have been shaped like your shoes.<br />
<br />
There were a few snickers here and there as I intoned those reminders. I understand. But what really got them pumping their fists in the air and hollering like rallyists was when I said:<br />
<br />
“We’ve got water from the faucets this year. Hallelujah!”<br />
<br />
So I decided to push my luck. I went on to remind them about the newly painted lockers. I warned them that if their lockers did not remain pristine and pearly-grey by the end of the school year, there will be blood (okay, not that graphic). I pointed out that the canteen–er–cafeteria is now a queueing place, and the food is not all fried. So take heed, I said.<br />
<br />
Then I had an inspiration. I said something like, “The changes are not just in the facilities. We expect that there will be changes in you as well, since you’re all one grade level older. You should be more mature now, more responsible. That way, the changes are really relevant.”<br />
<br />
Do I hear applause? Is that a slap in the back? Hardly. It was a somber student body that looked back at me as I ended my little speech. I hope it was a look of reflection and realization: yeah, we’re all one grade level higher. That must mean something.<br />
<br />
For us teachers and administrators, our words of wisdom can spell the difference between a mediocre performance and a truly stellar one. Section advisers who can level with students sans the threats and clenched fists fare better, eliciting more attention and long-term respect. As a section adviser in previous years, I would have an outline of what I want to say if I know I am about to give a sermon. I practice my piece before I deliver it. I want maximum impact. So with my little toilet talk that first hour of the school opening, I tested if indeed I made an impact: yes, thankfully, all the toilets were clean, happy places at the end of the day.<br />
<br />
(reposted from <i>Go Teacher Go</i> blog, June 11,2008)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-22883100775516472312009-12-26T03:03:00.000-08:002010-01-03T18:48:17.647-08:00GLOBE TATTOO, I DON'T HEART YOUGlobe Tattoo, I don't heart you.<br />
Ok, you're fast. You're very fast. Faster than Smart? I know not. <br />
I've had you for 14 days and 14 nights, and I was satisfied.<br />
But today I bought a prepaid card (300), dialed 223, as instructed.<br />
But did you respond? No.<br />
I called you (Ok I called 730-1000), but you weren't much help.<br />
You got all my numbers, promising to call.<br />
Did you? No.<br />
I waited.<br />
Waited (I gorged on chocolate while I waited.).<br />
My brother got into the act, calling you. Calling you spiteful names.<br />
No response.<br />
I was heartbroken. How could I access facebook without you?<br />
Dusk arrived. Dinner passed.<br />
Still no call.<br />
Until,<br />
Until,<br />
Until...it dawned on me: a bright idea.<br />
(How could I be so stupid?)<br />
I hurriedly called you (223) again from my other phone.<br />
(I'm glad I kept the other one).<br />
It worked!<br />
And then I shared it all with you.<br />
Always back to you.<br />
<br />
But you should know, <br />
the fact that I'm SMARTer than you,<br />
doesn't mean you can just lie back <br />
and ignore your deficiencies.<br />
For next time,<br />
I'm not going through the pain again.<br />
I'm not going about in circles.<br />
You'd better clean up your act,<br />
clear up your signals,<br />
<br />
OR I'M GETTING YOUR TATTOO OFF OF MY BACK.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-3227683637401450462009-12-23T22:58:00.000-08:002009-12-25T06:23:43.456-08:00MUGaling! MUGaling! MUGaling!Two of the best gifts I received this Christmas are mugs. Seriously. While a lot of Pinoys may wrinkle their noses at the sight of their Nth mug from underneath the Christmas tree, I, on the other hand, am and will always be a grateful, ecstatic receipient of that ceramic coffee-cradling wonder.<br />
<br />
Because people have generously gifted me with mugs throughout the years, I have never felt the urge to buy one for myself. For that, I thank my benefactors! And so, in the spirit of Yuletide joy, where a cuppa cappuccino or scalding hot chocolate is second only to family, I'm featuring my TOP 5 FAVORITE MUGS:<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VbjoI_fOxTrXegc9NOgXlg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OC2cl2d4aM5Xs_7p9fWAUZagctt63ti71-33DUgr8r3I0XN6HRtiaMAAWYV0zcZ4AoazWGIAwPOyXFEIf2rrKRmereQRKF_ysxasMHnMfKJ3J9KI7AnhkdL1b9sj4pAff9RGSMluBst3/s144/12242009627.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
This is a gift from my friend and colleague Dong Lapira. It's one of the many cool designer mugs from Multiple Choice. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ARSQBoISZUqNHjNpGFTHWw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uj8pWSw9VjnVwXe_-SaE-_r_H8J81GormZx6qfBPthLx0_W9lq5qfpqkclxsToliKarcgyO-eQdIrF0eBooVH3bW5eqCHfoup3yI7WRO0DbVQDTT2JEXkv_W39X7d3WRKS3B4SVaCOVx/s144/12242009630.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
This mug is a survivor. I once had half a dozen of these, from an old Nescafe grocery store promo. This much-used, much-loved mug is perfect for those tiny sips of coffee while soaking in sitcoms like "Will and Grace" and "How I Met Your Mother."<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u6wTn7sqGCAuIa2eIK7N2g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlgYG7pVAcDrcDoyfSuyboXaMlVJymJZuQEB83l-hJEho-KNd5_CChwBSCIOxRHTXwi-ZIJOxburKWbGymGq9F1So65mVhF_5s3SKgA7aTJS62-QZxFlmReHMaCWOjwH2Ukia-kdAYcBj/s144/12242009633.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Ok, I admit I bought this one for myself. I wanted a maroon mug (Go Maroons!), but the UP Shopping Center had none on stock. This is the one I use in school, promptly at 3pm every afternoon.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XRtMWPcIuqY4dpzAFnktOA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmOKyUV_GWmbZ3ljb5yomK-vDKCGUml45D1nMeUrUyoKPFst_EzqGqiWpUh1CFlGibIMH5s3YzuqieQ1l2aElDJxEkxvNmz1QpKVlyWxCKdt2YrShnWkaH6IjURSz8oI7Vj0aT5tOGfgT/s144/12242009639.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Peanuts! I love Peanuts! This classic cup has never been used for drinking, at least not by me. I once used it as a pencil holder, and now, it just sits in our dining room glass case with the rest of the breakables.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ubIGTbqvKrfKklzEvt23dA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvKgbzyOTfLlgvPwVyrJ0XTeGwDs8nDggu8EGQYHsT05vui-i2jfUzrv7AfOWFebY_ie3PtUCEJnCPvN8rAoGSvHXiWX1MabidzrUMs2KLeRILLHUD7ASRQdjKblaShLx9SvDhSD7MMRH/s144/12242009635.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Teachers Mine, Arra and Tine gave me this one for Christmas. When I opened the bag, I said to myself, "Finally!", for I've given so many Starbucks mugs in the past, and have never really received one. The classic, clean design of this one is a testament to my everlasting love affair with Caramel Macchiato.<br />
<br />
<i>Edit: This just in! (Or I just unwrapped this):</i><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tp97Fk75RUyR78yq28a8qg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ-oHpIkrb9IACu63MYT7KXvuLiwp_mEy8Ai_vk4dWgalqtxF3bdbEYAMiXHzmP1tUw9d3KJQPZ6pHo9ps3HrdcicOnlvXVRyFngWR9CXrZ2YWt6NuEHrUB_aHDbjjE26boWNS0LD_MSe/s144/12252009705.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><br />
Though obviously this is not a 600-year-old mug, it represents a much-revered Vincentian institution. I know that whenever I use this, it would feel like drinking from a holy cup. :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-89757565742603605102009-12-22T20:14:00.000-08:002010-01-02T04:44:37.094-08:00HELP COUSIN PATTY. BUY VINTAGE LPsLPs, vinyl, plaka (Tagalog). I have about 200 of those, inherited from my septuagenarian relatives, Auntie Charito and Uncle Sito who have since discovered the iPod and liked it. With those LPs came a Technics Quartz SL5300 record player that conked out last year when a stuffed Pooh fell on its arm in the middle of "Flashdance" (Imagine the scratchy explosive sound that blasted through my speakers!). So unless I go to Raon or have a vintage technician rehabilitate the thing, the LPs are just going to have to gather dust in my room.<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RLovMCDBV1envI9atO1HDA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlWQO8mW7AbmXJlbiNGEwLC0p4LCbkSxoL86ZZ-WvMAm-CaucwW98P_D-iQ1YL6td1_O93gIoSOqrhP6KduNyAg6fwjFSB530AL3a6WflkFBzePgO5GyCJb4i4LAeUoNDuY1aVzwC08r3/s288/12232009591.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pIF6GAEguLArdnAELY9-mw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSUgzdMeqAVm6xTBWBLiY6A8lRPguiRrrI3wsz6Euw9Bjbt_TYQKJZcyzIZrtUid4Mk9-xTjlDSU8iCEVEswpX6kOlYxabiOUo2erckZuKdU0WwZ3qnW-5Q53h5VR8QhRTqNtFAQ_y_cT/s288/12232009599.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><br />
All the portable music players with their bottomless playlists cannot, in my archaic opinion, replace the vicarious thrill of sitting by a record player, sans remote, lifting the needle with care, counting the rings to estimate the track of my choice, replacing record after record until there's a pile of vinyl discs surrounding me on the floor. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AERnoiQ_vXc191rQzOhJ8A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1evJFlhl2X6skPTkU9Hs-8gBjJSK3XArEQvGUHdBK9vavAMmgh-Joxikwm0cZ78zZKr_IkCTDpsVJB3WgDJ6cTQWaRXDrAKUKZcruaw4OWTyLVfOcAFFPE9ZyxMLWz96lLvfpK7tQy8w/s288/12232009606.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table>But some thrills have to come to an end. I am selling the LPs, and the Technics player to anyone out there who have a better means of preserving and enjoying these treasures. The proceeds of the sale will go to the fund for my cousin Patty Rosal, who has been confined in the hospital for two months due to aneurysm. Half that time she was in the ICU, near death, holding on to life with the help of prayers, machines, tubes, medicines and TLC. As I post this, she's still barely conscious and totally dependent on others (what's sad is she's only 41), and still in need of funds to pay the hospital bills and sustain her medication.<br />
<br />
Please leave a comment with your name and contact number if you're interested to help and buy some records, preferably all of them.<br />
<br />
Click this to view the titles. Prices are negotiable especially if you buy in bulk:<br />
http://seroquella.multiply.com/journal/item/1/LONG_PLAYING_RECORDS_INVENTORY<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hpCOb1MR6oYuzOdbo5Pbyg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FpQr-TWqvd65A773eru1es_6rao1KKdjdUTG85MfSHTg0TiDIlczpidZBFUbBJCJpopGSfnVHuNUJ-Gfv4V1joEMlXlroxYDZA2NrCRwUPSBiToRLxT5fVhHj6GGVDfLzNscyyXtE-K5/s288/12232009618.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/millette.espiritu/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWN0Kuv2rjEjAE&feat=embedwebsite">Blogger Pictures</a></td></tr></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-68892933745108140672009-12-21T05:48:00.000-08:002009-12-21T06:41:44.580-08:00ENTERTAIN OR DIE: THE HUNGER GAMES REVIEWImagine fighting to the death just so your loved ones could eat. We who have food on our table take it for granted, but not Katniss Everdeen, 16-year-old resident of District 12 in the country of Panem, a make-believe world where hunger, poverty and deprivation are everyday occurrences. The Capitol, Panem's Ruling District, has decreed that the 12 districts, as an indelible, chilling reminder of a quelled rebellion by District 13 against the Big C, should send one boy and one girl, aged 12-18, every year, to compete in The Hunger Games, a live action TV reality show broadcast throughout Panem. But The Hunger Games are no "Survivor", "Amazing Race", or "Wipeout." Competitors aren't just eliminated, they are murdered. The victor, the last man (or woman) standing, gets the ultimate prize: food for his/her district for one year.<br />
<br />
I just described the Games. Wait till you meet the characters. Katniss, a coal miner's daughter, volunteered to compete in her 12-year-old sister's place. Her male counterpart is Peeta Mellark, a baker's son, who confesses on National TV that he's had a crush on Katniss since they were five. Media hype or true love? That's for the rabid televiewers to decide, and they seem to love the idea of star-crossed lovers with only one, or none, surviving in the finale. Katniss and Peeta, along with 22 other contenders, battle natural and artificial disasters, and each other, but in the end, the real enemy, The Capitol, becomes the target of social unrest once again. What happens next is in book 2 of the trilogy, Catching Fire.<br />
<br />
As adventure stories go, this belongs to the family of "dystopian" literature where an alternate world is viewed as dark and depressing, where the characters are forced to compromise their very human nature due to their dire circumstances. William Golding's classic "Lord of the Flies" is an example, where boy scouts stranded in an island gradually lose their civility in the battle for jungle supremacy. Collins wrote a gem of a young adult novel, balancing bittersweet romance with often brutal cunning. Whether she intended it or not, The Hunger Games is a commentary on a materialistic society that preys on young people, making them crave, claw, and clamor, and in the process, lose their dignity and humanity.<br />
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Like the garden variety reality shows that smell suspiciously scripted,The Hunger Games has its contrived moments, beginning from the lottery that brought about Peeta and Prim's names, and Katniss' volunteerism. Put that aside, the book is a beautifully-written, character-intensive, techno-adventure novel teeming with love for family and simple joys of living. Older teens (15-19) will surely like it, and jump right into the sequel.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-63570775267701880602009-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:002009-12-20T19:11:05.202-08:00Clueless Ramen Girl DiesRIP Brittany Murphy<br />
People remember her as Alicia Silverstone's character's sidekick and rival for the affections of the guy played by Paul Rudd in <i>Clueless</i>. I saw her last in <i>Ramen Girl</i>, a pretty little TV movie about an American who follows her boyfriend to Japan, only to get dumped there. She's not red carpet huge, but she's well-loved, as i take it from the Associated Press report.<a href="http://omg.yahoo.com/news/stars-react-to-the-death-of-brittany-murphy/32967"></a>Expect movie marathons in tribute to the sunny actress.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-79970325199520419872009-12-18T04:05:00.000-08:002009-12-23T23:16:26.594-08:00WHEEEE! FOR GLEE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-fjGke9QysVgMj8s2mc4zFsC3FParb9zGAO4LfHv6wKmr4gyT1zV17QlczEqJVt2f77TCUs8sEMjpgXwDIMZkCAlrr_b6bgGjKlYW2ruoSNtFmlOwr0z7DJ47MJ58m-0XuQgk3NL6S9z/s1600-h/glee+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-fjGke9QysVgMj8s2mc4zFsC3FParb9zGAO4LfHv6wKmr4gyT1zV17QlczEqJVt2f77TCUs8sEMjpgXwDIMZkCAlrr_b6bgGjKlYW2ruoSNtFmlOwr0z7DJ47MJ58m-0XuQgk3NL6S9z/s320/glee+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416577477591366434" /></a><br />
I HATED HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. ALL THREE OF THEM. High schoolers bursting into song aren't exactly endearing to me, or realistic, since I deal with high schoolers everyday and believe me, they aren't always up for pep squad or choir duty.<br />
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A HIGH SCHOOL GLEE CLUB ("NEW DIRECTIONS") BURSTING INTO SONG ON TV, AT LEAST THRICE EACH EPISODE IS SOMETHING ELSE. It is something else,entirely: funny, poignant, preposterous, sarcastic, campy, classy, witty, cheesy--you can't pigeonhole what the first 13 episodes of GLEE have been. You just can't stop with the pilot and assume that you've heard one song, you've heard them all. Instead, you watch on and sing, breathe, quip, cry, snicker with the characters.You hold your breath to find out who won the Rachel vs. Kurt diva sing-off using "Defying Gravity" as the contest piece. You cringe along with Teacher Will as he sings "Don't Stand So Close to Me" to an infatuated student, Rachel Berry. You get goosebumps as a guest hearing-impaired glee club signs John Lennon's "Imagine." So many moment, so little time. I AM SO LOVING THIS SERIES, it hurts that there won't be a 14th episode until April 2010.<br />
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The ensemble cast is just magic. Except for Jesalyn Gilsig (Spanish teacher Will's shrewish, duplicitous wife) whom I've seen in <span style="font-style:italic;">Boston Public, CSI:NY </span>and <span style="font-style:italic;">Nip/Tuck</span>, the rest of the cast are unfamiliar to me. Every single actor, from the regular leads (Teachers Will and Sue, Sophomore diva Rachel, singing quarterback Finn), to the recurring characters (Coach Tanaka, Guidance Counselor Emma, the other diva Kurt)carries his/her designated stereotype with gallant humor. Of course, the razor-sharply-worded script can be accredited for the actors' spot-on performances. While all the episodes teem with heart and soul, the penultimate "Mattress" episode rocked my Christmas socks off with the glee club's bouncy version of Van Halen's "Jump", revelations of each character's inner turmoils, and a very nasty breakup.<br />
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Perhaps Glee's unique charm lies in its unabashed championing of misfits and underdogs. The very premise of the show, that high school's pariahs can overcome their real and imagined handicaps and sing their way to success, may be the stuff of feel-good fantasy, but it is also an affirmation of what education ought to be: a venue where strengths are harnessed, talents are nurtured, and disappointments are dealt with courageously. Schools ought to be a home for diversity and tolerance, not a factory churning out model spare parts. Much props should go out to Ryan Murphy, the show's creator. Glee is a seminal television masterpiece that should delight a broad spectrum of audiences. Episode 13 airs locally (Jack TV, Mondays at 8; ETC, Tuesdays at 10 and Sundays at 8pm) in a week. Then it's 4 months of marathons. Pop the corn!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1548489294109929188.post-89579657700775596872008-11-01T00:31:00.000-07:002008-11-01T00:35:48.552-07:00PREDICATESam back<br /><br />was busy<br /><br />miss ya'll<br /><br />got blog<br /><br />(www.xanga.com/millette_espiritu)<br /><br />am back<br /><br />here<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LexaproneMyHappyPill" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>buffybothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02324434392340149706noreply@blogger.com0