Wow, after cheating death, here is Fidel Castro, blogging... What he's saying makes sense, although I am wondering what is it like in Cuba?
His analogy and criticism could also be applied to what other people in power have been doing. Dito na lang sa Tokyo where the Governor is campaigning for the Olympics, which I think is a lost cause considering that the next Olympics will be in Beijing, an Asian city, tapos London, I don't think the next venue will be in Asia again, haaa?! pancit nanamannn?! Anyway, I think the huge amount of money earmarked for the proposed Tokyo Olympics could be put into use for improving mother and child care and equally important, elderly care facilities and policies here. I believe that any sensible policy on these issues would also impact on the current anik-aniks of the Philippine government, one of which is to send caregivers by the planeload to Japan.
Going back sa mga pinag-gagawa ng Bush Administration, malaki rin ang impact nito sa Pinas. Even if there is a ban to "deploy" Pinoy overseas workers to Iraq, Filipinos still go. Iraq no fun? There's Lebanon, Nigeria, Israel and Afghanistan. Contact your nearest illegal recruiter.
Castro has outlived several US presidents, how many? 8 Presidents, hmmm, eight, infinity. Yep, I hope he outlives Dubya. Thang-na, ano kaya ang bitamina at minerals ni Lolo Castro? Penge nga jan!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Art blogs
Surfing the web after lunch brought me to this website featuring some Japanese artists. Ang galing nila! Heto pa ang isa, this time naman puro artists ang may-ari ng mga blogs dito.
Next time, hanap ako ng Pinoy equivalent ng website na ito. Sana may mag-tayo ng ganitong online na samahan para naman sa mga Pinoy.
Next time, hanap ako ng Pinoy equivalent ng website na ito. Sana may mag-tayo ng ganitong online na samahan para naman sa mga Pinoy.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Andrea Echeverri
I just got this gem of an album by Andrea Echeverri, and it's been my pam-pagising sa umaga, kasi parang may piyesta ang dating ng mga tugtog. Latina flava kasi - pero hindi naman mala-Shakira na super-genki. There are also a couple of albums/sets I am saving money for, halimbawa yung kay Seu Jorge, where he covered Bowie songs and sang them in Portuguese, soundtrack rin ito ng the The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, nan dun rin siya playing the songs.
Siyempre di ko makakalimutan ang aking kabataan kaya't kelangan nasa koleskyon ko ito! "A Life Less Lived" check out the featured songs!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Tatlong Pinay sa tuktok ng Everest
Wow, ang galing! Pero bakit walang heroes' welcome?
nag-congrats naman daw! Talaga nga naman...
Anyway at least wala nang maipag-yayabang ang mga macho Pinoys! hehehe, kayo na ang manganak tapos ng ilang buwan ay UMAKYAT sa Mt. Everest! kaya ninyo yun?
Buti na lang di sila nakaranas ng sakuna, tulad ng isang babaeng Nepalese na natagpuan at sinagip ng isa paring babaeng Canadian sa bundok na ito. Suwerte pa rin nya, kasi biruin mo may isang team ng British docs na nagsasagawa ng high altitude medical studies malapit dun sa binagsakan nya!
nag-congrats naman daw! Talaga nga naman...
Anyway at least wala nang maipag-yayabang ang mga macho Pinoys! hehehe, kayo na ang manganak tapos ng ilang buwan ay UMAKYAT sa Mt. Everest! kaya ninyo yun?
Buti na lang di sila nakaranas ng sakuna, tulad ng isang babaeng Nepalese na natagpuan at sinagip ng isa paring babaeng Canadian sa bundok na ito. Suwerte pa rin nya, kasi biruin mo may isang team ng British docs na nagsasagawa ng high altitude medical studies malapit dun sa binagsakan nya!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
bitten by the bakasyon bug
hayyyy, heto nanaman ako yearning for the sun, sand, and sea. Thanks to a couple of my friends' blogs which are exploding in full colour with their recent trip to Boracay, etc, etc... sige mang inggit pa kayo.
There's this article at the Guardian website, "Where the spirit of '67 lives on". I wonder if we have some places like these in Pinas.
I have never been to any of the places mentioned in the article, though there are 2 places that I can actually visit without the hassle of applying for a visa. One is in Laos, the other in Indonesia.
There's this article at the Guardian website, "Where the spirit of '67 lives on". I wonder if we have some places like these in Pinas.
I have never been to any of the places mentioned in the article, though there are 2 places that I can actually visit without the hassle of applying for a visa. One is in Laos, the other in Indonesia.
Ang Supot
I have been bringing my own "supot" for several years now and endlessly telling store clerks not to overwrap things, be it in a supermarket or a department store. Dito kasi when you do grocery, the fresh stuff like a bunch of asparagus will be in a plastic bag, and the same goes for one tomato, tapos your wine bottle will also be wrapped in paper or styrofoam sheet, your sanitary pads in a paper bag... etc, etc. I disrupt the cashier's almost mechanical way of packing things at the check out counter since I tell him/her, "no plastic or paper bags please, I've got my own bag, thanks". At least this one phrase in Nihonggo that I have mastered perfectly.
Japan may be a G7 country but it sure is no match to Bangladesh when it comes to basic eco-friendly policies. The bag on the left is a typical grocery bag, not many people really use this since there is the convenience of bagging everything in plastic bags. The cloth "sack" on the right is a typical grocery bag used in Bangladesh, and I heard that one does not have a choice, since plastic bags are banned here. WOW.
Well, to be fair there is now a law that allows stores in Japan to charge for plastic bags, BUT only a few stores do this. Besides, TONS of plastic packaging is still being used! Some stores encourage the "my bag" policy, you earn points and then redeem it for a paltry 50yen! ANG CHEAP naman!
The store clerk usally asks me for the "my bag" point card but I always tell them that I don't have it and I don't need it. One store-clerk honestly remarked, "yeah, I guess so, since you only get to redeem a really insignificant amount of money!"
Now that the Philippines and Japan have both sealed the deal on some kind of trade agreement that allows this G7 country to DUMP its industrial toxic refuse (I am sure that tons of plastic grocery bags are included) on our country, I guess it would be a good advocacy for all Pinoy expats here in Japan to start curbing their use of plastic bags.
Japan may be a G7 country but it sure is no match to Bangladesh when it comes to basic eco-friendly policies. The bag on the left is a typical grocery bag, not many people really use this since there is the convenience of bagging everything in plastic bags. The cloth "sack" on the right is a typical grocery bag used in Bangladesh, and I heard that one does not have a choice, since plastic bags are banned here. WOW.
Well, to be fair there is now a law that allows stores in Japan to charge for plastic bags, BUT only a few stores do this. Besides, TONS of plastic packaging is still being used! Some stores encourage the "my bag" policy, you earn points and then redeem it for a paltry 50yen! ANG CHEAP naman!
The store clerk usally asks me for the "my bag" point card but I always tell them that I don't have it and I don't need it. One store-clerk honestly remarked, "yeah, I guess so, since you only get to redeem a really insignificant amount of money!"
Now that the Philippines and Japan have both sealed the deal on some kind of trade agreement that allows this G7 country to DUMP its industrial toxic refuse (I am sure that tons of plastic grocery bags are included) on our country, I guess it would be a good advocacy for all Pinoy expats here in Japan to start curbing their use of plastic bags.
Friday, May 25, 2007
thynchronized thwimming tscheds
Sa wakas, natuloy rin yung date namin, sa pool! Wednesday was perfect, my partner and I hit the pool and boy did we get one helluva workout, well relatively. Grabe, HINGAL KABAYO SA ASCOT ang dating ko eh kalahati pa lang ng 25 meters yung nalalangoy ko... ito yung pakiramdam na naninigas yung leg muscles mo hanggang parang no matter how much you struggle to swim, you seem to be going nowhere! I looked at the lane to my left and saw streamlined, graceful swimmers pass me by while I choke in their wake...ackk, aahhckk..langoyyy, langoyyy aso!
We found ourselves in an IZAKAYA (a Japanese pub) after our pool debut --- BAD!
But I earned big points for not drinking any alcohol! A cup of hot green tea lang!
Today was no different re the muscle fatigue, BUT I feel my blood reaching some parts of my brain now. Halata ba, heheheeee...AND I have been sleeping so well, kahit siguro lumindol sa Tokyo ng M8, I would wake up in another life na siguro.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Last Tuesday, I was straining at the leash to go swimming after work. It's been a bloody long time since then, half a year; long enough to turn my whole body into one flabby mess. Hayyyy, back to square zero ulit ito. Napurnada pa nung Tuesday dahil nga may tumalon sa subway tracks "jin-shin jiko" ang ispeyshal term dito. Parang wala lang pag may announcement dito, madalas kasing mangyari. Pati ako, apathetic byuti na rin, napansin ko...
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Pa'saan ka na?
Disc 3 - Message In A Bottle - The Police, Driven to Tears
"How can you say that you're not responsible?
What does it have to do with me?
What is my reaction, what should it be?
Confronted by this latest atrocity
Driven to tears"
I already posted my OFW ballot 2 weeks ago, hindi ko napuno ang balota ko. Kulang ng 3 senador. My friends in Manila were nice enough to share their thoughts on who should be on the list, but as I was filling my ballot up, wala talaga eh. Kulang sa 3.
Our office went into REALLY BUSY mode last Friday. Oh well, it was actually me who kicked into that mode. I did OT. It might sound so blasé to overachievers and busy beavers, but for one like myself who rarely does OT, it matters - lalo na kung walang bayad.
Sabi ni bossing, in case we miss the last train we can take a cab. WHOO-HOO, yeah the LIMO service! Of course, who in his/her right mind would catch the last train when you can ride home on a Toyota Crown? Ang mahal kasi ng taxi dito, ￥６５０ (about US$6.00) ang flag-down rate, may extra charge pa sa gabi.
The Tokyo last train might be like boarding the last chopper taking off at the US Embassy in Saigon, OR WORSE. At least a chopper has got a weight limit. Packing people, mostly drunk and woozy in a train car is another story.
The Limo service starts at past midnight, so naturally I stayed until Cinderella time. It takes at least 30mins. for me to get home by cab or by train, so during the ride home, where I tried not to get carsick (di na ako sanay sumakay sa kotse/bus kasi), I took in the Friday night scenery from swanky Omotesando, Ginza, to shitamachi Tokyo.
Tokyo is a generally CLEAN city, compared to Manila. There are no stringent fines for litteing here like in Singapore. One will still find grimy spots in the busy areas. But looking at the sidewalks, lamposts, fences, gutters and drains and to think there are not any existing public trash cans around, most of the streets are immaculately clean - any time of the day. The gutters, sideswalks and manhole covers are all intact, may kanal pero malinis. Naisip ko, ito pala ang G7 country, kaya pala....
NASA TAO ANG GAWA. Oo, nasa ating mga Pinoy talaga. Bakit ko nasasabi ito? Tulad nating mga Pinoy, ang mga Hapon, they also break the rules. There are some spots in my neighborhood were it is NOT ALLOWED to park bicycles or scooters at. Since these spots are very close to the train/subway stations and commercial areas, people still leave their bikes here. BUT everyone park their bikes in a very orderly fashion, nag mistulang parking area talaga! You could see that everyone took into consideration the hassle their bikes were doing to the pedestrians, so they all parked their bikes in the expected manner. Bikes do get stolen here, but like I said it is very rare and for reasons like one has to get home ASAP.
HOME, my taxi driver is not someone you'd suspect that will rip you off or worse, rip your throat off with a dull knife. You get a receipt and exact change, a polite thank you, the door opens automatically and you step out of the cab without any fear that you might get mugged on your way to to your flat. Sa Manila, the moment I lock my door, and make sure that no one broke in my flat, is the time I resume breathing.
Singles - The Pretenders - Kid
"Shut the light, go away
Full of grace, you cover your face"
"How can you say that you're not responsible?
What does it have to do with me?
What is my reaction, what should it be?
Confronted by this latest atrocity
Driven to tears"
I already posted my OFW ballot 2 weeks ago, hindi ko napuno ang balota ko. Kulang ng 3 senador. My friends in Manila were nice enough to share their thoughts on who should be on the list, but as I was filling my ballot up, wala talaga eh. Kulang sa 3.
Our office went into REALLY BUSY mode last Friday. Oh well, it was actually me who kicked into that mode. I did OT. It might sound so blasé to overachievers and busy beavers, but for one like myself who rarely does OT, it matters - lalo na kung walang bayad.
Sabi ni bossing, in case we miss the last train we can take a cab. WHOO-HOO, yeah the LIMO service! Of course, who in his/her right mind would catch the last train when you can ride home on a Toyota Crown? Ang mahal kasi ng taxi dito, ￥６５０ (about US$6.00) ang flag-down rate, may extra charge pa sa gabi.
The Tokyo last train might be like boarding the last chopper taking off at the US Embassy in Saigon, OR WORSE. At least a chopper has got a weight limit. Packing people, mostly drunk and woozy in a train car is another story.
The Limo service starts at past midnight, so naturally I stayed until Cinderella time. It takes at least 30mins. for me to get home by cab or by train, so during the ride home, where I tried not to get carsick (di na ako sanay sumakay sa kotse/bus kasi), I took in the Friday night scenery from swanky Omotesando, Ginza, to shitamachi Tokyo.
Tokyo is a generally CLEAN city, compared to Manila. There are no stringent fines for litteing here like in Singapore. One will still find grimy spots in the busy areas. But looking at the sidewalks, lamposts, fences, gutters and drains and to think there are not any existing public trash cans around, most of the streets are immaculately clean - any time of the day. The gutters, sideswalks and manhole covers are all intact, may kanal pero malinis. Naisip ko, ito pala ang G7 country, kaya pala....
NASA TAO ANG GAWA. Oo, nasa ating mga Pinoy talaga. Bakit ko nasasabi ito? Tulad nating mga Pinoy, ang mga Hapon, they also break the rules. There are some spots in my neighborhood were it is NOT ALLOWED to park bicycles or scooters at. Since these spots are very close to the train/subway stations and commercial areas, people still leave their bikes here. BUT everyone park their bikes in a very orderly fashion, nag mistulang parking area talaga! You could see that everyone took into consideration the hassle their bikes were doing to the pedestrians, so they all parked their bikes in the expected manner. Bikes do get stolen here, but like I said it is very rare and for reasons like one has to get home ASAP.
HOME, my taxi driver is not someone you'd suspect that will rip you off or worse, rip your throat off with a dull knife. You get a receipt and exact change, a polite thank you, the door opens automatically and you step out of the cab without any fear that you might get mugged on your way to to your flat. Sa Manila, the moment I lock my door, and make sure that no one broke in my flat, is the time I resume breathing.
Singles - The Pretenders - Kid
"Shut the light, go away
Full of grace, you cover your face"
got 3G? tara na!
I just got a new cellphone and was forced to sign up for a package that will keep my phonebill to a minimum. This package will give one the key to maximize one's 3Gphone's bells and whistles. My otaku-ness automatically kicked-in and these are so far the 2 most significant stuff that blew me away (aside from having FM radio feed, internet access, bluetooth/infrared-able, and QR-code or barcode reader, the TV feed stuff we have to bleed more through our skin pores, methinks)
I have GPS to navigate, (the 3D mode, I have not tried yet)
An optical dictionary that can read/translate Japanese to English and vice versa! Imagine the potentials! Must try at a bar... soon! (and bring Voltes 5 lyric sheet in Japanese, nyahahahaha!)
I have GPS to navigate, (the 3D mode, I have not tried yet)
An optical dictionary that can read/translate Japanese to English and vice versa! Imagine the potentials! Must try at a bar... soon! (and bring Voltes 5 lyric sheet in Japanese, nyahahahaha!)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Your friendly neighbor, Col. Spidey Saunders
The Colonel gets funky in Shibuya and joins the Cosplay crowd. Sa tingin ko marami kaming nag blog tungkol dito, yun kasi unang reaction ng lahat when I and a few passersby chanced upon the Colonel in his Spidey pjs... whip out the digicam, or for most people on the street, cellcam and blog on the spot!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
たのしみーくん！
今日は、あさって、ピックニクがあるとおもいましたので、ちょうたのしみにしました。花まさにいって、たくさんとり肉をかいました。そのあとで、だいどころで マリネードをつくりました。１０時に、パートナがでんわしました。私は、「バーベキュのマリネードをつくりました！」といいました。パートナは、「え？！、なんで、ピックニクは、ひあさってですよう！」
びっくりしました！やーだ！はやすぎたです！
びっくりしました！やーだ！はやすぎたです！
Hanggang dun lang ang abot, wag nang pilitin pa!
These past few weeks of depressing cold weather had us holed up in our rabbit hutch. My partner and I watched a lot of movies and that got us admitting to ourselves, "we can try appreciating some indie films but, they surely do tax our brains!" ANG LALIM ng ibang indie films ha.
Halimbawa, I borrowed the ffg.:
Tideland - Terry Gilliam --- loved it! partner was snoozing halfway through
Primer - Shane Carruth --- we managed to stay up until the end, this was
challenging! nagka-gulo-buhol ang line of thought namin sa huling bahagi ng movie na ito. Discussion forums have full-on OTAKU-ness. Tama na yung naiintindihan ko ng konti yung story.
Children of Men - Alfonso Cuarón- left us wanting more out of the story, BITIN! we tried plumbing its depth, and it sent us looking for discussion forums on the film, well, most of the forums say that the storyline was quite shallow and that praises rightly belong to the director's filming techniques.
Na-aalala ko tuloy yung mga nakaraang films na napanood ko na pag-iisipin ka o kaya gigisingin ka, Pi, Memento, The Machinist, Dr. Strangelove, Brazil, etc. Ngayon ko lang sinisimulang panoorin ang mga classic Pinoy Greats, sayang nga at konti lang ang available on DVD.
On our next trip to the rentals, we made sure we had a fare of friendly Hollywood films like, Bewitched, The Sentinel and the one had us laughing in the first few minutes, Jackass. Grabe, this one scene sent me gagging, the guy peed on a snowcone and started eating it afterwards, he was also puking... sabay kami, tapos there was also a scene where they gave papercuts between their toes, fingers and lips!
Watching Jackass was a real waste of time but I was entertained, and not a single brain cell challenged! I could not believe that there's even a second one! Thang-ina, and to think na pinatulan ko yung una!
One remaining DVD we have not yet seen... Nobody Knows. This is a Japanese film which won Best Actor and was nominated for the Palme D' Or at Cannes '04. Depressing and painful daw sabi ng kaibigan namin na true-blue film geek.
Halimbawa, I borrowed the ffg.:
Tideland - Terry Gilliam --- loved it! partner was snoozing halfway through
Primer - Shane Carruth --- we managed to stay up until the end, this was
challenging! nagka-gulo-buhol ang line of thought namin sa huling bahagi ng movie na ito. Discussion forums have full-on OTAKU-ness. Tama na yung naiintindihan ko ng konti yung story.
Children of Men - Alfonso Cuarón- left us wanting more out of the story, BITIN! we tried plumbing its depth, and it sent us looking for discussion forums on the film, well, most of the forums say that the storyline was quite shallow and that praises rightly belong to the director's filming techniques.
Na-aalala ko tuloy yung mga nakaraang films na napanood ko na pag-iisipin ka o kaya gigisingin ka, Pi, Memento, The Machinist, Dr. Strangelove, Brazil, etc. Ngayon ko lang sinisimulang panoorin ang mga classic Pinoy Greats, sayang nga at konti lang ang available on DVD.
On our next trip to the rentals, we made sure we had a fare of friendly Hollywood films like, Bewitched, The Sentinel and the one had us laughing in the first few minutes, Jackass. Grabe, this one scene sent me gagging, the guy peed on a snowcone and started eating it afterwards, he was also puking... sabay kami, tapos there was also a scene where they gave papercuts between their toes, fingers and lips!
Watching Jackass was a real waste of time but I was entertained, and not a single brain cell challenged! I could not believe that there's even a second one! Thang-ina, and to think na pinatulan ko yung una!
One remaining DVD we have not yet seen... Nobody Knows. This is a Japanese film which won Best Actor and was nominated for the Palme D' Or at Cannes '04. Depressing and painful daw sabi ng kaibigan namin na true-blue film geek.
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