Honga naman...

I am nearly halfway through "The Shock Doctrine" and the book just gets more interesting. Ika nga ng Clinton administration, "it's the economy, stupid!" Hooonga naman....

Kahit sino pa ang manalo sa mga presidential election neo-con, neo-liberal chuvaness na yan it all boils down to the economy. Halimbawa na lang, sa ating bansa, hangga't na pabor sa mga multi-nationals at sa bansang USA ang economic principles ng incumbent administration, mananatili sila sa puwesto, kahit maghalo na ang balat sa tinalupan.

In short, talo ka kapag pabor ka sa islogan na "people before profit". The once stable economies of Latin American countries like Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia were all brutally torn down and crushed in one sweep by dictators with the full sponsorship of the USA --- na nag-padala ng mga economists nila doon (tulad ni Friedman) to literally write down and forcefully implement an economic model that will favor US multi-national companies.

Itong nangyayari sa US economy ngayon, dahil sa aklat na ito, ay napa-isip ako, ito kaya ay intentional?

Yun pala ang tawag dun...

Ito ang aklat na binabasa ko ngayon, The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. Nababanggit kasi ito ni John Cusack sa kanyang blogs at dali-dali ko naman itong igi-noogle (paano ba gawing Tagalog ang "googled"?) at ako ay naging interesado sa nilalaman ng aklat na ito. Bihira akong mag-basa ng mga aklat na ganito ang tema dahil madalas di ko maintindihan. Pero ito, dahil sa mga pangyayari na nagaganap ngayon, mas madaling maka-relate sa nilalaman ng aklat.

E ano nga ba ang nilalaman nito? Ito ay tungkol sa "Disaster Capitalism". Ayon kay Milton Friedman, "only a crisis --- actual or perceived --- produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas lying around..."

Nakaka-kilabot basahin yung Introduction, ngunit mas-nakakahigit pa yung Chapter 1. Grabe, tungkol ito sa "torture" at yung CIA project ("to erase and remake the human mind") kung saan na-develop yung nga existing torture tactics nila na ngayon at ginagamit sa mga "enemy combatants".

Ito pa ang karugtong ng sinabi ni Friedman --- "That I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable. "

Tatakbo kaya si Gloria sa 2010? Mananalo ba si McCain sa eleksyon tapos ma-titigok ito at ang sasampang Pangulo ay si Palin? Magiging kauna-unahang African-American President ba si Obama? Tatakbo bang Presidente si Bro. Mike at mananalo ba ito? Magiging manager nga ba ni Charice P si Oprah? Pare-pareho tayo siguro ng mga kuro-kuro kapag nasa kubeta, barberya o tagayan...

Tiyak na puputi ang uwak, iitim ang tagak.

HS reunion pa rin...

Sayang at tiyak na hindi ako makakadalo sa Silver Tanderkats Jubilee namin sa Disyembre. I am inspired by what my batchmates are currently doing in preparation for a bonggacious event. May presentation na sila para sa theme, which was already approved by the Alumni Committee, at nararafat lang ah! Yung mga nasa US naman ay may grand reunion sa Las Vegas!

Patuloy pa rin sila sa fund-raising activities at soul-searching on the side (may retreat chuvaness sila ngayon). Sino ba naman ang hindi maiingit... it must be just like the old days talaga. Miss ko na kayooooo!

Mapapangisi kahit si Lucifer dito!

Jesus is My Friend - Sonseed

kapag malungkot ka, panoorin mo lang ito, kapatid
" Jesus came and found me and touched me down inside..."

pati na rin yung comments sa youtube XD --- (((ngiting pitbull)))

Anak ng... ano yan!

Seen at Wired, the "Epidermits", is a robotic toy that's covered in a human-like tissue organism. Aba, ayon sa blog eh "They require minimal maintenance, can be stored in state of forced hibernation in standard refrigerators, and are customizable with different body, skin and hair selections and through tanning, tattooing and piercing."

Unang pumasok sa isip ko ay, hmm ma-aaring gamitin ang konseptong ito para sa mga sex toys o kaya naman sa prosthetics... or was it the other way around? Chicken or the egg?

© Karten Design

May nag comment sa blog entry ng "Epidermits" (parang kili-kili ang dating nito..) na mayroon pang mas shocking na bioengineered toy. At sinundan ko naman ang link nya, and behold!
Totoo ba ito? Ayon sa website nila... "Genpets are not toys or robots. They are living, breathing genetic animals."

Imagine either one of this as your Christmas present.

©Genpets

Malapit na ang HS Reunion Namin!

Sa December na ang aming 25th year Silver Jubilee, mga tanderkats na kaming lahat, at ang iba may mga tsikitings o kaya naman mga dalaga't binata na, o kaya may mga apo na rin sila! Haaay... all the merrier! Bukod dito, makikita rin namin ang aming mga guro, yung mga "terror" dati, siguro ma-teterrorize ko naman ngayon...

It was great to see childhood friends and classmates again in person at tsaka via the internet! Noong unang nagbukas ang Ygroup namin, halos araw-araw, mga 100 emails yata ang pumapasok sa inbox ko! May mga iba, sumurrender na dahil napapabayaan ang mga anak at pamilya, bwahahahaha! Ang saya naman kasi ano, yung mag-kita kita after all these years!

25 years na hindi nag-kikita ang iba sa amin, so far mga 77 ang naka-talang bilang ng members ng aming Ygroup, kung saang nagsimulang mag-bonding muli ang mga barkadas, friends, fiends, at siyempre ang mga mag-ON dati. (parang ang nostalgic ng "magka-ON"... ano na ba ang tawag dito ngayon?)

A friend of mine quipped, "hmm, mag-karoon kaya ng brokeback moments sa reunion natin?"
Excited ako sa totoo lang na makitang muli ang mga crushes ko noon, as for the brokeback moment, kung meron, fleeting or whatelse, why not?

Paalam sa Tag-Init

Tapos na ang mag araw ng pawisan na singit at kuyukot, at iba't ibang level at uri ng "putok" na ma-aamoy sa tren. Kaninang umaga, bandang 7am ay nagising ako sa tunog ng 2 piraso ng kahoy na pinag-kakatok, kasunod ng malalim na dagung-dong ng tambol, "klakk-klakk, boom-boom, klakk-klakk-klakk, boom-boom-boom". Ito yung senyales na nagtatawag ng mga taga-buhat ng "mikoshi", o "portable shrine". Parang sa atin rin kapag may kapistahan, yun bang pinaglalagyan ng mga santo, ito nga lang walang santong nakapatong pero binubuhat ito ng ilang katao na may kasabay sa mga pampaganang "cheers".

Medyo presko na ang ihip ng hangin, unti-unting humahaba ang gabi at mababa na ang sikat ng araw at paglitaw ng mga ulap. "Ber" nanaman - tiyak marami sa atin ang mag-sasabi nito, flashforward sa "Pasko nanaman..."

Paalam sa "ramune" --- matamis na soda sa siguro eh noong "peacetime" pa ito naging summer drink ng mga bata dito.


Hanggang sa susunod na "hanabi taikai" - "fireworks display, muli! Itong taon na ito, lubos na nag-enjoy kaming manood mula sa best seats in town, sa condo balcony ng kaibigan namin, overlooking Tokyo Bay and the Rainbow Bridge!


Mga summer concerts ng Pinoy community, tulad ng "After the Storm", para na mga nasalanta ng bagyong Frank. Ito ang Lahing Kayumanggi.

Ito naman ang Tampipi.
Tampipi with Rain (cutie!) on vocals.

And another band, Alab Ng Musika.


Iba ang dating ng isang malamig na mug ng beer sa tag-init... sa susunod muli!

Yee-haw!

Now I get it... the Europeans built the "God Machine" as a precautionary measure for instances like this one; in case the Republicans win the presidential elections, the EU can zap out the White House from the face of the Earth.

Copyright © Steve Bell 2008

Pils na pils!

I looves beer. Ever since I learned how to drink beer properly, that is, chilled with no ice and if possible, in the proper glass, I began to distinguish the distinct flavors in a brew.

Noong bata pa ako kasi, ang beer ko ay San Miguel. After-office 1-bottle-lang sessions taught me how to drink beer with ice cubes in it. I guess it was because we order it in buckets (forget the 1-bottle), hindi na malamig yung next bottles so we had to put ice in it. I remembered the horrified look on my German colleague in my Bangkok days, when I nonchalantly plonked ice cubes into my beer.

Para sigurong pinunit ko sa mukha nya ang original score ng "Ride of the Valkyries" ni Wagner.

He told me that the brewer and the beer had to be "respected", thus the brew should be drunk properly. Hindi ko na lang kinuwento sa kanya kung bakit naging habit ko ang mag yelo sa beer. Honga naman, masarap ang Singha Gold kapag walang yelo, matamis ito, at hindi mapanghi ang lasa ng Kloster Bier kapag ito ay well-chilled.

I finally understood why he was so horrified about my ice-beer when I came upon the German brews. My first encounter with a Weizenbier, got me beer-orgasms. To plonk ice-cubes in it is pure sacrilege. This has been my favorite brew ever.

Of course, I still enjoy other brews like Pilsner, and to put San Miguel Pilsner head to head with Sapporo Edelpils, I have to say that any reason to plonk ice cubes in a San Miguel is justified. That is to mask the thin, sweet, skanky smell and flavor that also leaves a metallic aftertaste in your mouth. Parang may naka-babad na bottle-opener sa beer. I wonder how the original San Miguel brew tasted, hindi naman siguro ganito, parang sweet-metal juice. No wonder San Miguel Beer does not list its ingredients.

On the other hand, the excellent taste of Pilsener is in Edelpils. Hops - yes, the flavor of hops lingers, it is bitter and flowery, not like you've just sucked on a rusty bottle opener.

tayo'y mag-aliwww!

If you're my age and you used to listen to early morning AM radio as you prepare for school, you'll probably remember Paeng Yabut's morning radio show where he'd holler... "Tayo'y mag aliw!" That was my lola's favorite station and program, and when she passed away, Cho Paeng was sidelined the dial toggled between Rod Navarro's and now Mr. VP Noli Boy de Castro.

Hayy, those where the days... ngayon, Internet radio na, but I listen to it for non-stop streaming music. The news, of course I get to browse for free as well, pero iba na yung newscaster na may character di ba? It looks like the bloggers are the new "Cho Paengs", "OK NgaRuds" and "Noli Boys", di nga lang naririnig ang boses (unless ito ay video blog o podcast).

Na-alala ko lang kasi ito dahil September na. Usually, pag "ber" months na, tiyak na Christmas Songs na ang pinatutugtog ni Cho Paeng. Kaya naman iwas ako sa programa nya kasi, by the time Christmas comes, I am sick to the gills of Christmas Carols, mantakin mo namang 3 buwan yung pinakikinggan mo tuwing umaga ano!

Einiwey, heto and isang ka-aliw-aliw na blog tungkol sa bayan ni Godzilla, ng sushi at Cup Ramen. Dito ko rin na-discover si Toast Girl.

Ito naman ang link sa Pinoy Gay Blogs, and its sponsor site, tiyak na mauubos ang oras nyo dito sa sangkatutak na chuvachenes blogs ng ating LGBT community!

Tayo'yyyy maag-aleeeeewh!

Kuwentong boys naman...

I'm lucky to have a friend who's a certified "film otaku", so if I miss seeing some films on the big screen, all I have to do is ask him. Among the stack of dvds I borrowed for my summer vacation, (Himala, Sister Stella L, Oro Plata Mata, Pan's Labyrinth and Insiang) is "The History Boys".

Ang galing nito! It's about a group of bright history students in grammar school who are preparing for the Oxford entrance exams. I googled for more info and it turns out that this movie was based on a play. Kaya pala... (hindi ko na kukwento yung mga highlights, manood na lang kayo) I wonder how the play went, it could have been more interesting I guess.

The soundtrack has got New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, The Cure, Aztec Camera... all nostalgic 80's new wave stuff plus Rufus Wainright (o ayan, may hint na).

Hmm, the next time I borrow dvds, may "Hot Fuzz" kaya sya...

the day of reckoning

Some scientists say that there's a miniscule chance that the LHC would actually produce a black hole that would eat us up, so here's crossing my fingers on next Wednesday!

I'm just keeping abreast of this so called "God Machine" which its website defines as: "The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100 m underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolutionise our understanding, from the minuscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe."

AMEN to that!

laging "in girl scout-mode"

September 1 marks the 1923 Kanto Great Earthquake, whose magnitude was recorded at 7.9 and took more than 100,000 lives. This is the best time to update oneself on earthquake-related stuff, like the ones found in this online-English website.

A comprehensive Earthquake Survival Manual is provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It lists the 10 rules to remember in an earthquake... with I guess, #1 being "DON'T PANIC" -- so you can remember the other 9.

In case the big one strikes during office hours, there'll be millions stranded on the street, something like 6 people per square meter! This (Nihongo) website will help one plot the nearest route from the office to one's home on foot and download the map afterwards.

Nationwide earthquake drills are regularly held in Japan, this month's drill had around 590,000 people participating nationwide. So I guess, when an earthquake strikes, grab the nearest Japanese!

しんじられなに! WTF! Ano ba yaaan!?!

EHHHHHHH?! Yan ang malamang na collective reaction ng buong bansang Hapon ngayong gabi, 9:30pm nang magbigay ng emergency press conference ang incumbent PM Fukuda Yasuo.

At vaketch kamo?! He quit his job! Reason: parliamentary deadlock. Dahil malakas na ang opposition (DPJ, Democratic Party of Japan) eh laging napupurnada ang mga balakin ng partido ni Fukuda, ang LDP (Liberal Democratic Party).

Hindi daw nya magawang isulong ang mga policies na makakabuti sa bansa dahil sa pagiging tigasin ng mga opposition. O di ba, imbyerna ang lolo! Sayang lang kasi si Fukuda ay napaka-liberal compared to his colleagues at the LDP. Ang malamang na papalit sa kanya ay si Aso Taro, isang über conservative nationalist and is also gaffe-prone. Ano nga ba yung kasabihan natin sa "islip op da tang"?

Imagine this happening in the Phillipines... si Gloria na nahuli sa isang taped conversation na nangdadaya sa ELECTION, ayun nasa puwesto pa rin. At least nag-resign ni Abalos...
Mahaba pa rin ang listahan natin... sayang ang lang bandwidth.