Byaning Komix

Where are you?

2011-06-02T14:05:00.000+09:00

I wonder where these two are now.

I entered them as magazine covers for the first issue of Art In Site.

QueeR Codes

2010-11-06T00:16:00.001+09:00

HOYYSSSTTTT... pa-alala lang, ang Agosto ay Buwan ng Wika!

2010-08-18T11:46:00.007+09:00

Huwaw, 3 blog posts sa araw na ito at 11:30 am pa lang!

Mula kay sa "This is a Crazy Planets" ni Lourd de Veyra, "galangin niyo naman nang konti ang wikang bumubuhay sa inyo"... oo nga naman, kahit konti man lamang. Eh bakit nga ba? Dahil daw ang mga taga-media mismo ang kumakandidato sa hindi wastong pag-gamit ng wikang Tagalog.

Ayon kay Lourd:

KAGANAPAN - Kasalanan daw 'to ni Joe Taruc at ng mga taga-DZRH. Ginagamit nila ang "kaganapan" kung ang ibig sabihin ay "pangyayari" o kaya, nagaganap. I.e. "At 'yan ang mga kaganapan dito sa drug bust sa Republiq." "Balikan po natin ang mga kaganapan diyan sa hearing ng hiwalayang Kris at James." Ang tamang kahulugan ng kaganapan ay fullness, fulfillment, o pagkakumpleto. "Kaganapan ng kanyang pagkababae ang pagbubuntis."

ASPETO - "Salitang siyokoy" ang tawag dito ni Almario, dahil hindi siya Kastila, hindi rin Tagalog. Diyosko, laging ginagamit 'to ng mga komentarista. Hinding-hindi mo makikita ang salitang "aspeto" sa kahit anong diksyonaryong Tagalog. May "aspecto" sa Español; sa Ingles naman, "aspect." Paano ba nauso ang "aspeto?" Kasi daw, dahil merong "respeto," "obheto," "suheto," sa Kastila, kala ng marami, lusot na ang "aspeto." Isampal man sa mataba mong mukha ang page 62 ng New Vicassan's Dictionary eh wala ka pa ring makikitang "aspeto." Sabi ni Almario, Ang tama: "aspekto." Tandaan! Amen? Amen.

Ikumpara natin ang ating kalagayan sa mga taga-Brazil, na para sa kanila, ang hindi wastong pagsasalita ng wikang Portuges ay isang palatandaan ng kakulangan ng pinag-aralan. Kaya nag-tatag ang kanilang pamahalaan ng mga "hotline" na kung saan dito ma-aaring makakakuha ng wastong impormasyon tungkol sa kanilang wika. Tayong mga Pinoy naman, pinagtatawan natin si Erap (atbp) dahil hindi sya marunong mag-Ingles at Tagalog lamang ang kanyang alam na wika.

Ang kabuuan po ng "This is a Crazy Planets" ay nakuha ko dito.
Yung balita naman tungkol sa mga taga-Brazil, dito.

May bagong silang... may bagong PISO!

2010-08-18T11:00:00.006+09:00

Sa mga ka-edad kong tanderkats... na-aalala pa ba ninyo ito at ang "Bagong Lipunan" Piso?

Bagong Lipunan
May bagong silang, may bago nang buhay,
Bagong bansa, bagong galaw,
Sa Bagong Lipunan!
Magbabago ang lahat, tungo sa pag-unlad,
At ating itanghal, Bagong lipunan!
- Felipe Padilla De Leon, 1974

Ayon sa balita, magbabago raw ang lahat ng pera ng Pilipinas, ngayong Disyembre. Ngunit ang nakapagtataka raw ay bakit sinisikreto ng Bangko Sentral ang isang napaka-laking pagbabago na ito?

Isang kasagutan ng BSP ay para daw maiwasan ang pag-counterfeit ng ating Piso... BWAHAHAHA! Potah, eh sinong sira-ulo ang gagawa nito?

Basahin ang buong balita ditowz PoH. jejejeje....

"ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika..."

2010-08-18T10:35:00.000+09:00

Pagkatapos ng almusal, isang pabungad na balita tungkol sa paggamit ng wikang Ingles sa UST. Magsisimula na raw doon yung "English Proficiency Campaign" at ito ay sinalubong ng protesta mula sa mga mag-aaral, lalong lalo na sa Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC).

Ayon sa ABSC:
“Maganda ang maging mahusay sa pagsasalita gamit ang wikang banyaga. Ang hindi tama ay ang pagiging mahusay na sa paggamit ng wikang banyaga habang hindi pa mahusay sa paggamit ng sariling wika, at kapag sinabing mahusay, ang ibig sabihin nito ay nagagawa na ng mga Pilipinong mag-aaral ng Pakultad ng Sining at Panitik na gamitin ang wikang Filipino sa intelektuwal na pamamaraan sa pagsulat, at sa kahit na anong diskurso o pakikipagtalastasan.”

Hmmm, paano na kaya kapag nagsimula na rin yung pagtuturo muli ng wikang Espanyol sa mga paaralan? Pasang-awa ang lahat ng grado ko sa Spanish, kumukopya lang ako ng sagot sa mga kabarkada ko tuwing may test. Sa tingin ko ganito rin ang kararatnan ng karamihan ng mag-aaral ngayon. Eh higit na mas nakakalibang ang wika ng Jejemon at Bekimon keysa sa tener, tengo, tenemos, chuva-chenes chever!

Siguradong nagka-tumba-tumbalelong si Gat. Jose Rizal ngayon sa kanyang libingan dahil sa mga balitang ito. Siya na rin ang nagsabing "ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa kanyang paroroonan." Talagang nasa DNA na natin ang pagkakaroon ng "short-term memory".

huminga ka man ng malalim...

2010-08-17T17:58:00.001+09:00

*Metabo - ito ang tawag ng mga Hapon sa "metabolic syndrome"

paano mag-sorry...

2010-08-14T18:18:00.000+09:00

2010-08-12T08:12:00.002+09:00

kahit papaano...

2010-08-06T21:38:00.002+09:00

Ibinagsak ng Estados Unidos ang kauna-unahang atomic bomb sa Hiroshima noong August 6, 1945, at pagkatapos ng tatlong araw, noong August 9 sa Nagasaki naman.

Kung may pagkakataon kayong makabisita sa Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, siguradong ma-aantig ang inyong damdamin at lalong lalawak ang inyong pananaw sa mga pangyayaring ito. Doon ko nakita ang mga anino ng mga biktima na naka-imprint sa pader o sa konkretong hagdan. Isipin na lang natin kung paano nangyari iyon at kung ano ang nangyari sa mismong biktima.

Ngayong taon na ito, kahit papaano, dumalo ang mga gov't representatives ng US at UK sa 2010 Peace Ceremony sa Hiroshima. Kahit kailan kasi hindi ito nangyari, ngayon lang. Kahit papaano, may pag-asa pa talaga na unti-unting tuluyang mawala ang lahat ng nuclear arms sa buong mundo. Sa init na ito, marami ang dumalo at tumayo sa ilalim ng araw, mga anino nila magkakatabi at sama-sama para sa kapayapaan ng buong mundo.

napurnada ang suicide ko

2010-08-05T10:24:00.001+09:00

Nakaka-inis naman, kung kelan kong feel na mag-suicide as in, "NOW NA!", napurnada pa!

I guess I have to live another day...

Sayaw tayo!

2010-08-04T10:25:00.001+09:00

Nabasa ko sa Guardian ang tungkol sa nakaka-indak na tugtugin na galing sa South Africa, ang Shangaan electro.
Sa sobrang aliw ko, bumili na ako ng CD, sarap patugtugin ito sa umaga...

jirap na jirap na akels...

2010-07-22T01:14:00.001+09:00

Bumisita ako sa isang Kabayang blogger, at doon sa kanyang na-kakaleew na blog (as always) natagpuan ko ang isang link na kung saan ko natagpuan ang BEKIMON!

KALURKEY!!!!!

en naw, da nyus...

Salamat BatJay at Ate Sienna... at kay BEKIMON!

it's all over now... til 2014, Brazil!

2010-07-22T00:40:00.002+09:00

Parang gusto kong kumain ng tako-sashimi...

Pero sasabayan ko na rin ito ng senti-mode... la lang, isang buwan at mahigit na rin simula nung di-nelete ko yung Facebook account ko, pero ayon sa Facebook, "deactivated" lang ang account ko. Oh tuksooooh! Claire, siterrr, nasaan kah! Ang bato, Claire... ang batooooh!

Sa totoo lang, miss na miss ko na ang aking mga Katuhogs (my HS friends and barkada) and my friends en family sa Facebook...

GOAAAAAAALLLL!

2010-07-03T01:51:00.002+09:00

Heto nanaman tayo, after 2006 Germany! Iyak ako nang matalo ang Japan via penalty shoot-out. Heart-breaking, indeed. Bago sila maka-abot sa best 16, lahat ng matches nila up to the World Cup matches, either draw or talo sila! Then Japan beat Cameroon and Denmark to reach the best 16 for the first time!

Kaya heto kami, tulog mode from 9pm, gising at 3am the next day for the Japan vs Paraguay match. It was a heartbreaker, pero kudos sa Samurai Blue, hanep... ang LAYO ng narating nila for an Asian team! (same goes for North and South Korea!)

Tapos na ang NED vs BRA match ngayon... nanalo ang NED, 2-1. Sana magkaroon ng interes ang Pinas sa football, kasi sa tingin ko wala tayong pag-asa sa basketball, talaga. Ilusyon at porma lang ang lahat.

Bukod dito, I also support women's softball, sa tingin ko malaki ang chance natin na manalo tayo sa international matches.

O sya, Uruguay vs Ghana naman mam'ya... sa'an kayo... ako, GHANA!

Catch you later...

2010-06-18T17:25:00.000+09:00

Artist Trading Cards - Philippines (Pinoy ATC)

2010-03-16T19:40:00.007+09:00

Ever heard of an ATC (artist trading card)? I've been fascinated by this one since I stumbled upon the website ages ago.
The Pinoy ATC is something I thought of while immersed in Facebook. Bakit nga ba hindi?! So I asked Babeth Lolarga if she's interested to trade and we did our first swap via post!
Big thanks to Babeth for her interest to trade and for initiating the first ATC swap meet in Baguio!
I've just put this group up in Facebook, it's still exclusive and by invitation only. If you want to join and trade, please leave your email address or email me. I still have to ask the current members if they would like to make the group public.

Antabayanan po lamang!

※ Sali na... public na yung group!

strange but true! Everyone's kili-kili has a different smell, BUT I CAN'T SMELL MINE!

2010-02-24T20:42:00.005+09:00

My niece joined a group at Facebook called, "Everyone's house has a different smell, BUT I CAN'T SMELL MINE!" and I thought... hmmm WHY NOT KILI-KILI?!

Nilapastangan ko ang original page.... isang bahay ang nasa larawan ng original, ngayon, isang ma-masa masang kilikili ang bubungad sa inyo... mamase-mamasa-maku-makusah!

Apologies to the original page. Someone raised her hand to volunteer for this money shot. Thank you whoever you are.

Morning rush

2010-01-24T10:49:00.001+09:00

2010 01

2010-01-19T19:55:00.005+09:00

It's been weeks since I saw this. One early sunny morning on my way to the train station, at the traffic stop, there was a classic Mini, British racing green with white stripes on both sides of the bonnet, and in it were 2 women, happily chatting, looking lovely in their kimono! Were they just coming home from an all-nighter or on their way to a very early appointment?

Wafu weekend

2009-11-14T00:53:00.003+09:00

Late lunch last weekend, we decided to go "wafu", traditional Japanese.

I brought my camera along expecting a beautiful arrangement of the food that would make you feel sorry for the dishwasher but cheer for the chef.

Off we went to Ueno, it's like our Divisoria or Quiapo district were one can find anything at bargain prices. We were quite saddened to see several shuttered shops, though the fantastic food stalls were still in business.

Did not buy anything but found a wandering band of Chindon-ya, musicians performing traditional live advertisement, this one for a sushi restaurant.

Play ball!

2009-11-14T00:32:00.002+09:00

An exciting weekend, back at Jingu stadium, this time it's Waseda U vs "arch enemy" Keio U. We thought of buying some "provisions" first and being quite new at this, we just bought our beers but forgot to bring some cold packs! Oh well, the weather was pretty cool so we really did not have to glug on warm suds.

Waseda had a thrashing, 2-11 and they actually lost twice that week! I heard that it's been 3 weeks since these devastating losses and people in campus were still talking about it. I am so looking forward to the next series.

It's soba for a very late lunch, sayang talo ang Waseda U. Oh well, at least I understand the game much better now.

Treat!

2009-11-03T08:55:00.006+09:00

Got a bag of treats from my Nihongo sensei, polvoron from España! These are labeled "artesanos" and they are rightfully so. Nevetheless, I've already acquired a taste for our own from Goldilocks so it took me a couple of bites from this huge piece of the "original" one to appreciate it.
So, anong lasa? It's fine powdery-dry flour with no milk and is packed just so, doesn't crumble to the touch but softly breaks as you bite in. The taste is sweet, subtle, lemony, sofisticados!

remembering mommy

2009-10-31T00:58:00.005+09:00

Mom made "cheese pimiento" with red pimiento, star margarine and grated cheese. It really goes well with pan de sal, much better than the "cheez whiz version".

I skipped the margarine this time and used butter instead, no pan de sal here so a baguette had to do.
Not as tasty as the original but, the chunks of pimiento and cheese really brought back sweet memories of helping mom in making this spread.

dinner time!

2009-10-19T19:56:00.002+09:00

What's for dinner? Well, we have sashimi tuna, salmon, amaebi, kanpachi and hotate. There's an assortment of veggies, 2 patties of grilled satsuma-age, and a block of tofu from Kyoto garnished with fresh myoga, ginger and spring onions and drizzled with yuzu tare. Persimmons are in season so that's our dessert. We'll have chilled nihonshu that's semi-dry to drink. Ittadakimasu!

yesterday at the ballpark

2009-10-18T13:45:00.009+09:00

It's Waseda U vs Hosei U, and at last I finally got to watch Saito Yuki on the mound! He's been really popular since he debuted at Koshien in 2006 with his pitching skills, his good looks and his habit of using a blue handkerchief (a towelette, really) his mom gave him, to wipe the sweat off his brow before he throws a pitch. Hence, the media dubbed him with this cheesy moniker, "The Handkerchief Prince". A buying frenzy for that blue handkerchief soon after made sales for a towel company really booming and a loyal following of devoted middle-aged women could be seen at every game where Yuki is pitching. I saw a gaggle of them yesterday, toting mini-binoculars and digital cameras and happily cheering for their prince.

Two hits by the "handkechief prince" made for 2 home runs, plus a great play added another point at the 5th!

We brought sandwiches and warm drinks to the ballgame and had draft beer afterwards. Looking around at what people are usually eating, there was one munching on a home-made rice ball, one tucking into his obento, there was also curry and rice, hotdog on a stick, and hard-boiled egg (with salt)! The fare was very Asian, which made me think about bringing a Pinoy obento next time.

Hosei rallied on the 7th, caught up with Waseda and our handkerchief prince had to replaced at the pinch. The game was extended to 3 more innings and ended up in a draw at 3-3.

We visited a dear friend in hospital afterwards, and then it's happy-hour at a yakitori nearby. That's grilled chicken with ume paste and wasabi. Kanpai!

a boxful of delectable yummy stuff

2009-10-18T13:20:00.004+09:00

Funwari Shokora - there's a long line at their shop at Tokyo station and google shows that it's been much blogged about lately.

There are "cheaper" versions of this, like Lotte's Choco-pie... but this one is more artisanal, spongy, moist choco cookies that's not so sweet, with a wedge of "nama" chocolate in between, subtle balance of bitter and sweet with spicy and orangey notes as well in every bite.

A box of 5 pcs. costs about 850¥, I think.

a weekend at the ballpark

2009-10-18T12:57:00.003+09:00

After a typhoon-ravaged week, blue skies and a cool breezy weekend! We got tickets to a Tokyo Big6 baseball game between Waseda and Rikkyo U. It was my first time to a baseball game and it's really fun to watch the game with a "sports jock". I learned a lot about baseball, and was hoping too that I get to take home a foul ball. However, Waseda U's ace pitcher, Yuki Saito was on benchwarming post today so it was not as thrilling as I expected it to be.

Waseda U lost, a shut-out to Rikkyo kicking thier butts with 4 HRs! Rikkyo's ace pitcher really gave the Waseda boys a tough time. Rikkyo's cheering squad was superb!

After the game, it's koteri ramen-time!

2009-10-01T20:22:00.000+09:00

This is "A Cup"

2009-08-19T18:36:00.008+09:00

Girls, take your pick...

1. The Warmbiz Heated Bra
2. The Voter Turnout Liftup Bra
3. The Post Office Bra
4. The Bra Bag
5. "My Chopsticks" Bra
6. The Birth Rate Decline Bra
7. The Marriage Hunting Bra

©reuters/kobejournal/triumph

Andito sa inventorspot yung iba't ibang styles, pics at description...

At tsaka may bra rin para sa mga lalaki!
Men's bra ang tawag dito.. duhh-anufafluh? Yun nga lang, isa lang daw ang size. "A cup"

An "eternal" flame that waits to be extinguished

2009-08-07T20:12:00.004+09:00

Let us not forget the victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and nuclear tests around the world.
This site brings together the testimonies of surviving victims and features updated facts concerning the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear testing and its consequences.

The "eternal" flame remains lit at the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and will remain so until all nuclear weapons are abolished.

Tumatawa akong mag-isa dito...

2009-08-06T16:43:00.004+09:00

Was distracted as usual by Facebook, and stumbled upon a friend's note which pointed me to this website that generates random slogans. Go on, have a good laugh, just type in a word and ...

Absolut Pekpek.

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator. Get more pekpek slogans.

Some people don't really get it!

2009-07-25T10:43:00.012+09:00

My lazy Saturday morning started with me wolfing down a fresh "momo" for breakfast, doing the laundry and checking my Facebook news feed. Looked like most people had an eventful Friday night, as posts were quite sparse; there was even a casualty from last night's reverie, courtesy of Jack Daniels!

And at the bottom of the news feed, were a succession of statuses posted as:
ALERT: Facebook has agreed to let third party advertisers use your posted pictures without your permission. Click on "Settings" up at the top where you see the "Logout" link. Select "Privacy". Then select "News Feed and Wall". Next, select the tab that reads "Facebook Ads". In the drop down box, select "No One". Then save your changes. Do it now. Help your friends...cut and paste this into your status.

No wonder there are applications, like this "Birthday Gift" that has card samples with pictures that looked randomly picked out from someone's album and then splashed on the cover! And I thought my settings were all fine until I went to check "Facebook Ads" as instructed, and behold, it was set to "Only friends"! Now how did I miss that?!

I experienced this random pic posting, done by a previous "friend" at Facebook. The person knows that I take privacy matters seriously but "Boffo" (not real name) still posted my pic with a caption to entice others to take note and reply. I asked "Boffo" why was my pic posted without my permission and told "Boffo" to take it down.

No reply, no action for days until one chimed in... "I knew you'd react this way when we posted this..." "Sorry we'll take it down." "By the way, (to Boffo) post other pics of our childhood days."
Oh well, I know a taunt from a sincere apology but I just kept my cool and did not reply. Besides, I also received some messages from other friends expressing their disgust at what's happening.

The "controversial" pic was eventually taken down, but soon, other pics, mostly group pictures were posted with my image rubbed out or obviously cut out of our group pictures. No apologies from "Boffo" at all.

So I simply deleted "Boffo" off all my lists then.

... and nothing but the TOOTH!

2009-06-25T22:35:00.003+09:00

My online buddy, Mags posted this wonderful short about the tooth fairy.

The Truth About Tooth - directed by Hazel Baillie

I remember that the only reason I keep my tooth under my pillow is because I anxiously try to dislodge a loose one with my tongue at bedtime. I keep it under my pillow so I can take a pretty good look at it, first thing in the morning.

Istop mo...

2009-06-18T18:03:00.002+09:00

Fished out of my Facebook wall, from a friend... nakaka-aliw panoorin!

The director says:
"This is my senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design. Where my idea comes from is that every time when I am busy, I feel that I am not fighting with my works, I am fighting with those post-it notes and deadline. I manipulating the post-it notes to do pixel-like stop motion and there are some interactions between real actor and post-its. Here is the making of : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArJYva...

Directed by Bang-yao Liu
Music by Röyksopp (http://royksopp.com)
Sound design by Shaun Burdick"

100,000,000 PHP

2009-06-17T21:57:00.002+09:00

Mon / 14:43

Blogger's off for maintenance and I am still on holiday, mouth still wired shut but will definitely recover from laryngitis or else I will be stuck with a voice that would be great at karaoke singing AH LUV ROK N ROL!
Tomorrow's the Dream Jumbo Lotto Draw, and I sure did buy a couple of tickets. I would not be winning this one, re the odds considering Japan's population of about 127,000,000 and considering the aging population of about 25% and the current economic situation, expect a lot of ticket holders!

What to do with the prize money? Would you change your FB status to.. "I JUST WON 2M US$!" or quietly disappear and just suddenly post in FB photos of yourself on a yacht (yours of course) somewhere?

Here's the breakdown: (the whole bloody lot is tax-free!)

100,000,000 PHP X 1 lucky bastard
25M PHP X 2 instant millionaires who'd have instant friends as well
49,000 PHP X 199 who'd host a Baranggay party, but would not be responsible for any llives lost...
49,000,000 PHP X 3 who'd fear for their lives, yes you would if you live in Manila and word breaks out!
4,900,000 PHP X 10 who'd be the next Baranggay Captain, or heck... the ALL HAIL THE Congressperson in the upcoming elections!
5,000 PHP X 10,000 mall invaders
1,500 PHP X 100,000 who'd pay some petty dues
150 PHP X 1M happy texters

The lottery's real here and some of the big time winners have published self-help books on how to cope with one's sudden change of fortune. Someone told me recently, "better get a new job"... which makes perfect sense too, huh?!

Oh well then, I'll be sending out my resume soon but will be checking tomorrow's results as well.

I ♥ this penguin.

2009-06-14T14:38:00.009+09:00

My Nihongo lessons are taking a 3-week break as my sensei is on a long vacation. I just loove my sensei, I do feel so guilty when I show up without my homework so I've really made it a point to put time in studying Nihonggo.

Considering that three weeks off is a pretty looong break, I've slacked-off at study. Alas, something from sensei was in the mail! It was a blank diary and on a really cool Foujita postcard she wrote, " How's your condition now? I'd like to give you this for the three-week break... Please write a diary if you have time during my holiday. See you on the 20th."

I've got 3 entries so far and today I'll work on the "backlog". I'll be writing about this manga series I've been into lately. I've ditched the "Death Note" series since it was quite depressing to read about people dying all the time in this season. I'll reserve this one for wintertime.

Meet Kinoshita Beckham, a penguin! This is a surreal trip to an elementary school, with a penguin (Beckham) and a boy (Naoto). There's already a TV anime and now a movie in the works! This manga is really funny and it got me giggling to myself at a cafe lately... C was so curious and started reading a bit, and said this was definitely what elementary grade-schoolers would enjoy reading!

Malalaman mong nasa Japan ka na kapag ang pinalalabas sa sinehan ay full-length movies ng One Piece, Doraemon, Pokemon, Gundam, Tamagotchi at ito!

Image © Yūji Nagai/Shogakukan, Sho-Pro, TV Tokyo

Oh my Goth!

2009-06-13T22:01:00.006+09:00

Lazy weekend, partly due to my condition. I'm still recovering from laryngitis, so I'd better wire my mouth shut during the weekend. Been noisy at Facebook all day though.

Summer's nearly here, cosplayers will have to withstand the sweltering heat in their cos while playing at Akihabara. And the Harajuku Goths... well, I stumbled onto a website from a Coilhouse article and it's neatly titled "Goths In Hot Weather ©"

I'm sure you have one goth you'd love to post up there! I know a wannabegoth I'd rate a 2 for Gothiness and a 20 for Sweatiness... the perfect partner for the "51st Sweat" goth or the dripping goth at Tales of Woe!

What goth kind are you? Sweatiness?

at the spring basho

2009-05-31T18:31:00.007+09:00

It was a cloudy afternoon but still good for a walk to the Kokugikan at Ryogoku where the last day of the Sumo Spring Basho was being held. All tickets were sold out so just like other sumo fans, we hung out by the gates. There were the raucous oyajis who obviously had a drink or two while waiting for the results of the final match broadcast via a tiny analog radio, there were a couple of tourists, both local and foreign toting their digital cameras, a group of gangly high school lads who just finished cram school were looking for a nice viewing spot by the gates, others were watching the match on their cellphone and we just listened and looked at the hi-def screens whenever we could.

As colorful banners billowed in the cool breeze, the lower-rank rikishi were already leaving and their presence were known as fans shouted out their names...

This is Takamisakari, he's really fun to watch as he launches into his trademark "gone berserk sumo wrestler" opener at the face-off. He usually loses but is a crowd favorite and I think he's been earning more from his commercials and public appearances.

Here is "Goeido" also a local, he made news this basho with surprising wins.

There's the towering "Baruto" from Estonia, it's exciting to watch him being pitted against smaller rikishi.
As the final face off between Yokuzuna Hakuho (Mongolia) and Ozeki Harumafuji (Mongolia) unfolded, a hush fell upon the gates and as everyone huddled close to watch the match, live on tiny cellphone screens or listened to the tinny radio broadcast. It was a good fight and the Ozeki won!

Now it's time to head on to the nearest izakaya or chanko restaurant for a recap over beer, nihonshu and otsumami. Harumafuji, omedetou! Kampai!

missing the old me

2009-05-27T23:54:00.005+09:00

Do I miss chunks of the old me. I am older now but I miss the old me, chunks of 'em.

The body snatchers are real, they live and propagate, slipping stealthily into the unwary victim.

Where's the gym rat that alternates her cardio with weight training?
Fat ass Facebooking. She's gained 3 kilos, which in her and her partner's terms are really massive amounts. The clothes still fit.. like sausage casing.

Where's the party animal that raves til the first trains come in?
After surfing the net and Facebook, she's snoozing. It's just too expensive to get hungover nowadays. The bloody Tokyo trains should run 24/7. Taxis are for the rich here. Excuses.
Got a great job but the pay sucks.

Where's the passionate artist that works on her canvases till the crows come home?
She's doodling still but you'd' see her more online, wasting away time. If there's "writers' block", she is having a great massive wall laid out in front of her. The loud music and alcohol helps but she thinks she should grow up and be able to create without some of these "basic needs".
Acne still bugs her once in a while when she attacks a helpless chocobar.

Where has the "clotheshorse" gone to? UNIQLO

Where are her rapid-fire chats with her online mates? Pulses of life are still sent via e-mail, snail mail or ESP... her mates may have been body snatched as well.

Where's the spirit then?
Nandoon pa rin pero, ewan ko ba. SHE IS JUST PLAIN LAZY... too content, I guess. This is really BAD. BAD! BAD! .... ((((moonwalks)))

tawid na...

2009-05-26T23:18:00.003+09:00

thanks to Maey and Maey's friend and Maey's friend of a friend...

I got this from a friend's wall at Facebook.

I dare you... TAWID na!

cafescapades 01

2009-05-18T20:54:00.002+09:00

May Tully's na malapit sa min, mga 3 minutes away, at minsan doon kami nagpapalipas-oras.
Ang kaso eh sa Tokyo, every square centimeter counts, so tables at some cafes are placed close to each other, sometimes uncomfortably close. I don't mind this arrangement as long as the person sitting next to our table is quiet.

Usually, most Japanese are quiet naman at cafes, unang una eh dahil nag-iisa lang sila. Unfortunately itong katabi namin eh, tipong may ka-date na classmate nya in HS yata. Ewan ko ba, he was the loudest and most fidgety guy I have ever seen at a cafe!

Yung pa kyut nya sa girl date nya eh parang may nakapasok na alupihan sa pantalon nya. The newspaper force field helped a bit until I read that Man U is just a game away from clinching the English Premier Championship which was on the last page. I even tried reading a bit off C's newspaper but my Nihongo level isn't up to it.

I guess it was the coffee that made him fidgety. The girl was pretty cool, and she was keeping her voice down so as to tell the guy... "huuy, ang lakas ng boses mo, magkaharap lang tayo!"

So with all my reading stuff done, I started doodling, and he also became a bit quiet and less fidgety...aahh... peace be with us.

get trippy

2009-05-17T12:47:00.005+09:00

View these fantastic flora and fauna and other trippy vids on 1stavemachine's website.
It's a cold, wet, gray and dreary Tokyo and I am just about to log off until I visited Coilhouse and was transfixed by the latest post on 1stavemachine. They also mentioned Chris Cunningham and flashes of creepy Rubber Johnny came back to haunt me.

Short Films, yehey!

2009-05-14T22:50:00.003+09:00

I just love 'em! Heto, mga 10 short films ito. So far, 1 to 5 pa lang ang napapanood ko. I like "Sebastian's Voodoo". These shorts remind me of "The Twilight Zone" - yung TV series noon.
Bukas na ulit yung iba...

Biernes na pala bukas, I have to return some CDs and DVDs I rented, "My Life Without Me", "21" and "Zenzen Daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine)". Looking forward to some social events this weekend!

2009-04-10T22:30:00.000+09:00

It's out!

2009-02-27T09:12:00.004+09:00

©ryoheihase http://www.ryoheihase.com

It's finally out, the sequel to Donnie Darko! This according to Coilhouse.
Read more about it over there and you get to see the spectacular works of Japanese artist, Ryohei Hase. There is the dog-men image (the screengrab above) which got me transfixed for some time, and also the bunny-men image which reminded me of a David Lynch film, Inland Empire. C and I were just about 15 minutes into the film where it had rabbit people walking around without talking. We were already totally lost, bored and mumbling, WTF in 3 languages... of course we both reached out for the remote and that was our latest (hopefully not the last) David Lynch experience.

Pasado!

2009-02-15T19:02:00.005+09:00

Natanggap ko na ang resulta ng Japanese Language Proficiency Test, level 3.　Pumasa ako! Yehey!

Ok naman yung scores ko sa listening, writing at vocabulary pero mababa yung score ko sa reading/grammar. Kaya naman pasang-awa ang score koh!
At least alam ko na kung saan ako mahina at dapat pang mag-aral mabuti.

I'll try watching Akira Kurosawa movies, siguro mai-intindihan ko na ito. They're of course for rent here but without English subtitles. Konti lang ang Japanese movies dito na may English subtitles. Yung mga lumang pelikula at yung mga anime, halos in Japanese lang.

Thanks to my ever supportive sensei! Naka isang taon na rin ang aming Saturday sessions, malamang matutuwa sya at pumasa ko.

よかった！

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2009-02-13T21:19:00.002+09:00

Got this one from a friend... DO NOT HONK AT OLD PEOPLE!

Filipinos, que alegria!

2009-02-01T11:29:00.004+09:00

Sikat talaga ang Pinoy!

GEROPPA!

2009-02-01T11:25:00.000+09:00

Ang hindi tumawa dito, magpatingin sa dentista.

2009-02-01T11:20:00.000+09:00

Magsadya lamang dito sa LINK na ito... galing ito sa isang kaibigan.

screengrab©manilagayguy.net

wtf! なんだそれ！hanuvayann?!

2009-01-26T19:22:00.006+09:00

Balitang Pinoy....

"Spanish classes to return in schools" that's what the news said.

"Starting this coming school year, Spanish will be taught in selected public high schools around the country to better prepare students “in communicating a widely used second language,” according to Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

“(This will) prepare the students for meaningful interaction in a linguistically diverse global workplace. It will also develop understanding and appreciation of other people's culture," Lapus said on Monday."

Sa totoo lang dapat pa ngang pagbutihin ang pag-turo ng Tagalog at Ingles.

I cannot believe this is allowed to happen. Jose Rizal must be doing hypersonic spins in his grave right now. Tsk, tsk, tsk... "to better prepare students in communicating a widely used second (really? facts, please!) language,” then what?

It was not cold enough in Tokyo so...

2009-01-24T00:43:00.000+09:00

I spent my winter break in Sapporo and Otaru in Hokkaido, Japan's second largest island. If you look at the map of Japan, that's the top most island that looks like a manta ray, and it's really close to the Sakhalin Islands and Vladivostok. So it was my coldest vacation ever!

Our plane reached Sapporo just in time. It was closed the following day due to snowstorms. The weather was foreboding but we still stepped out to fill ourselves at a robatayaki.

Nothing like cold beer on a freezing day!

The nihonshu was excellent and it went well with all the food!

After a sumptuous dinner, we trudged out to Odori Park, famous for the annual Sapporo Winter Festival in February. The snow was all slushy and my boots were for Tokyo streets so I badly needed some snow boots! Found a nice cheap pair for $40, tall, waterproof and fleece-lined, my feet were in heaven!

The first thing I did in the morning was to take a peek outside. Sapporo was all covered in snow. Tons of it! A snowstorm was raging outside and we had a scheduled meeting. It was my first time to walk in a blizzard. My face was stung by the wind and snow, and I guess I've burned a lot of calories just by walking on ice for a couple of blocks and confronting my dreaded fear of icy pavement. By the time we reached our destination, I can say that I've finally overcome my fear.

We're no happy campers, so we got on a taxi afterwards and headed straight to Sapporo station, hoping that the trains to Otaru were still running.

A view of the Sea of Japan from the train gave me a haiku moment. We were in for more bad weather so the sea was all gray, chilling and totally unforgiving. Still, signs of life were there, seagulls were riding the wind or perched on rocks enjoying the breakers.

Finally, moon base alpha. Otaru station.

This is a port town...

2009-01-24T00:42:00.000+09:00

At a local market in Otaru.

Chunks of whale blubber, and at the upper left corner, whale bacon.

Hoke, sole, turbot...

Tuna, uni, roe, octopus, seaweed...

Salmon, abalone, scallops...

Kegani at $25/tray!

Salmon roe!

More seafood! That mushy, white mass of "brains" on the right is called "shirako", or according to the Wiki, is fish milt -- "Milt or soft roe also refers to the male genitalia of fish when they contain sperm, used as food. "

Fresh shirako up close, shrimp and some weird fish.

Snowbound in Otaru

2009-01-24T00:40:00.000+09:00

A lovely morning, everything was covered in powder-snow!

Back-breaking work...

I wish my breakfast would always be like this in Tokyo...

Lunch was great as well!

Back to Sapporo

2009-01-24T00:39:00.002+09:00

At the Sapporo Beer Factory

Vintage beer posters, girls' night-out!

The "sarariman" and his beer. There's this saying about the typical salaryman; he always goes home to a warm beer and a cold family. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Kampai to cold beer!

NooooooooooooooOOOOOOOO!

2009-01-03T15:33:00.002+09:00

One of my fave websites, PingMag is closing down!

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!

2008-12-24T17:40:00.004+09:00

Posted at my Ygroup...

got my mojo risin'

2008-12-10T18:35:00.004+09:00

Ewan ko ba but I've been in an "Arts and Crafts" mood lately. I bought some colored emboss pens, rubber stamps, multi-color stamp pads, construction paper... and I have been racking my brains and channeling Gary Larson of The Far Side for the 2009 Nengajou year of the Ox.

There's an article about Facebook or Twitter replacing blogging and I am about to agree with it
kaya lang mas madali pa rin mag-post dito sa Blogger o kaya sa Multiply. Here's a couple of stuff I've posted on Facebook...

Dec 10 at 18:15
It's strangely warm... this weird weather change got me today, I overdressed! I could have steamed several dumplings in my jacket on my way to work, it was also like a dry sauna in the train with matching heated seats!
--- I need a shower, now na!

Dec 09 at 18:15
I got ticked off someone's friends list... I guess I was NAUGHTY and not nice at all! Oh well, better not cry, better not pout. Pacquiao is cominggg to town!
--- siguro anti-biotic ako sa kanya

Dec 05 at 18:15
With my eyes closed, I eavesdropped on people on the train on my way home. Some Thais were talking about how many layers of clothing they've put on, one said, she put on 3 layers and she thought it was too much since the train was really packed; a couple were speaking in Japanese then suddenly switched to Chinese so I lost track. The rest were wheezing and coughing, ugh!
--- libreng tsismis (at influenza) sa tren

The Latest GPS model!

2008-12-05T19:20:00.004+09:00

My brother said he's got the latest GPS model with superwide-view screen for his batcar, and sent me this photo.

Post-WWII photos

2008-11-10T12:48:00.001+09:00

This is from someone in our forum who always posts really nice stuff.
I hope the link works. The hadaka-matsuri photo is something! This sacred festival is still being practiced today and this year's poster I think had to be re-designed because of complaints that it was quite risqué. Perhaps, this is the mother of all male-bonding festivals!

books naman

2008-11-06T15:20:00.005+09:00

Browsing books together at Maruzen, near Tokyo Station does sound like a geeky date but that's what C and I enjoy doing. We ended up with a bagful of books, and though I have not finished "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein yet, I've already started nibbling on "Sexy Origins and Intimate Things: The Rites and Rituals of Straights, Gays, Bis, Drags, Trans, Virgins, and Others" by Charles Panati.

This could be a valuable source of "trivia" para sa usapang lasing sessions. Take for example the penis (p.47) Did you know that the Bushmen of the Kalahari Region in Africa have semi-erect penises all the time? It's because theirs is made of super-dense spongy erectile tissue so it never goes "flaccid".

Nakakalibang basahin since you can start on any page. On "XXX for Kisses", the symbol harks back to the early Christian era when the cross mark or an "X" conveyed the force of a sworn oath. Back in those days, only a few people could write, and their signature cross or "X" was legally binding and to emphasize their complete sincerity on the agreement, they kiss the mark.

There are 3 kinds of "Holy Whores" classified in the epic Gilgamesh. The qadishtu, a full-time temple harlot; the ishtaritu, a servant of the goddess Ishtar who only copulated with men of noble or military rank. And the harimtu, who is semi-secular and when once married could no longer work at her profession. O di ba, saan na kayo nabibilang? hehehe...

It's a fat book and it's fun to read, takes out the negative feelings I get from reading the other book.

pang pababa ng presyon

2008-10-24T20:06:00.004+09:00

Totoo nga ba ito? Nakaka-baba ng presyon ng dugo ang UTOT.

Ayon sa balitang parang kuwentong barbero, eh may enzyme daw tayo sa ating blood vessels na nag po-produce ng hydrogen sulphide --- ang sanhi kung bakit mabantot ang ating utot.

May relasyon kaya dito ang heart conditon ng mga "passive utot-inhalers" na laging katabi o kasama ng mga ututin? Mababa kaya lagi ang presyon nila? Sa tingin ko hindi, isipin na lang natin yung pag titiis sa masamang hangin na pumapalibot sa iyo, nakaka stress yun di ba? Lalo na kung di ka maka-angal!

In the future, magiging health consumer item na rin ang bottled compressed fart. 'Gandang business idea ito ha... it comes in different levels of malordous flatulence and sounds! Take a hearty whiff and see your blood pressure drop.

Heto ang article sa BBC news.

weekend mixtape

2008-10-14T07:16:00.003+09:00

Looking forward to the next long weekend! 80)

Geraldine
Glasvegas

When your sparkle evades your soul
I'll be at your side to console
When you're standing on the window ledge
I'll talk you back from the edge
I will turn your tide
Be your shepherd and your guide
When your lost in the deep and darkest place around
May my words walk you home safe and sound

When you say that I'm no good and you feel like walking
I need to make sure you know thats just the Prescription talking
When your feet decide to walk you on the wayward side
Up upon the stairs and down the downward slide
I will, I will turn your tide
Do all that I can to heal you inside
I'll be the angel on your shoulder
My name is Geraldine, I'm your social worker

I see you need me
I know you do

Tanderkats are GO!

2008-10-10T22:38:00.007+09:00

Social networking sites contain treasure troves of albums, including some pics or worse, videos that you've been keeping to yourself to make sure it does not see the light of day. They are now out in the open, thanks to your loved one, your ex, your friend or your fiend-- be it hi-resolution, or not, uploaded in the vastness of cyberspace for all to see and download (for odd reasons, I guess).

I'm saying this because a childhood friend of mine uploaded our entire High School Yearbook online, hehehe. But rest assured, for privacy reasons, only Batch members can view it. It's fantastic to have "that was then and this is now" pics side by side. I tell you, talagang lahat kami sa Ygroup namin ay aliw na aliw sa aming album! We have some classmates na parang hindi tumanda talaga -- which made me jokingly quip "...you are so well-preserved!", you can imagine the banter that followed!

So far wala pa namang nag-upload ng sex videos...

Well, in 20 years time, our albums would probably look like this... Stylish tanderkats are go!

Hooked

2008-10-10T17:57:00.005+09:00

It's amusing to find out that some of my friends/family have been hooked on Facebook. Ika nga ng aking kaibigan... "Welcome to Facecrack!"

Yeah, that's potent crack indeed, worth billions! What could be the next? YouPorn? And how are we going to call this... wankcrack? or some kind of adultery? -- corny naman... anyways, the website actually exists and I can't wait to hear someone update their status on Facebook as... "I'm hooked on YouPorn!" -- o di ba?

I on the other hand, have not been bitten by the Facecrack bug yet, perhaps it's because I'm already hooked on the net, lahat-lahat na. I've kicked my smoking habit ages ago, 13 years to be exact and I've drastically cut down on my drinking, the binges are history, tanderkats na kasi -- believe me, my tolerance to alcohol is getting waaay too low. I shudder at the sight of an open bottle of tequila. Dry baby, dry!

My internet addiction is a perfect distraction from the things that I should be doing. How to kick this, I am figuring out, still. Maybe I should go back to drinking....

ang may huling halakhak...

2008-10-07T20:10:00.002+09:00

Na-aalala ko noong bata pa kami, mga kalaro kong lalaki, ang laging tuksuhan sa isa't-isa ay kungdi "bakla, bakla!" ay "supot! supot!". Pagkatapos nun, kinabukasan may mga wala sa patintero at pagbalik nila, nanga-ngamatis ang...

Hanggang sa pagtanda ko, naririnig ko pa rin sa ilang mga ka-inuman kong lalaki, the straight ones mostly, ang pag-lait nila sa mga "supot". They still sound like lil' boys, really.

Well, I hope they read this blog on "artificial foreskin". Ayon sa blog, "There is now conclusive medical evidence that a circumcised penis with the glans exposed has less nerve receptors and is less effective than a naturally covered penis."

There really is artificial foreskin now being sold and it comes in 10 sizes! Ano ba yan, sounds so desperate! Para namang pag binalot mo sya eh mag reregenerate ang mga nerve endings! hahahaha! Kaya?!

Tekaaaa... eh paano na kung may suot ka ng artificial foreskin tapos kelangan mo pang mag-condom! Aba, tinalo pa ang lumpiang shanghai ng aking good friend dito!

tsk...tsk...tsk...

2008-10-06T20:38:00.002+09:00

Napansin ko lang, kahit saang lupalop, walang paltos kong maririnig sa kapuwa kong Pinoy ang parinig nilang "tibo yan" o kaya naman eh "lesbee-yan". Sa Manila, talgang parang kasama na ito sa soundscape, pero di ko sila ma-sisi... ikaw na ang maging kalbo.

Dito rin, na-alala ko, kumakain kami ni C ng hapunan sa isang Chinese restaurant nang may isang grupo ng 3 lalaking Hapon at 2 Pinay na umupong isang mesa ang pagitan sa harapan namin. Napansin namin sila dahil narinig namin yung mga babaeng mag-Tagalog.

At kunwari pa nilang pabulong na sinasabi sa kanilang mga kasamang lalaki na kami raw ay mga "lesbee-yan". (Siguro ngayon lang sila nakakita ng 2, magkaibang lahi pa!) Natawa na lang kami dahil hindi talaga ma-gets ng mga lalaki yung sinasabi nila, ang the girls made it a point that we could hear everything (to our amusement). They had to explain to the middle-aged guys what they were blabbering about --- and eventually, the guys just shrugged them off! Ni hindi nga kami tinignan! (inisnab kami ng mga oyajiii!, hahaha!)

Sabi ni C, usually bale wala itong issue na ito sa mga Japanese guys, lalo na yung mga middle-aged oyajis. What matters to them are the young girls' Ts and As. We were already chuckling to ourselves at this point, to let them know that yes, we heard everything... and as we stood up, we also made sure they heard... "well at least we're not going to bed with that!"
tsk...tsk...tsk...

Awesome rockers talaga

2008-10-06T20:02:00.009+09:00

Blogged about this awesome band last year and I still have not got enough dough to buy the box-set "First Time In A Long Time", I also thought that this website was by a fan... ay mali!
Check out the Fanny website by one of their very own drummer, Alice de Buhr!

Anyway, ang galing talaga nila. I came across another article about them at After Ellen, "When Fanny Rocked", nakakatuwang basahin ng mga anecdotes ng mga band members. When I first saw clips of the band in this documentary, "Radical Harmony", kinutuban ako about the Millington sisters, aba Pinay siguro sila (Pinay nga!)... and June registered a blip-blip-blip on the gaydar! Salamat sa Google at YouTube and devoted fans, marami silang clips online!

Bakit kaya noong kapanahunan at kainitan nila ay hindi sila sumikat sa Pilipinas? Or did I just miss it -- kasi bata pa ko nun? Bakeeet?!

"the first all-female rock band to be signed to a major label... they played hundreds of fantastic live concerts for thousands and thousands of fans and were instrumental in founding the modern world of women in rock"

Ah, alam ko na ang aking Christmas wish...

my tainted love of food and drink

2008-10-03T21:06:00.006+09:00

Hmmm, I am eyeing my last Chocopie (parang isang mega-Mallows ito), sitting on top of our dining table and at the same time wondering whether this sweet treat has got traces of melamine in it. What da heck, I've already eaten the rest of what was in the box!

I guess were just looking at the tip of the iceberg here. Aren't we actually ingesting other kinds of chemicals everyday through food containers and kitchen stuff?

What about the teflon coating on cooking pans, rice cookers which we all have ingested one way or another through out our lifetime? Have you checked your pans lately, I bet you can already see through patches of exposed metal. And the tocino sticks to the bottom of the pan more often than before. It's really convenient to cook on non-stick pans as long as we're in denial about the chemmy stuff.

Check out your spatulas and other cooking utensils, some of them are plastic and heat resistant right? But how sure are you that tiny bits of heated chemicals do not get mixed with your sinangag (The "tutong" sure tastes good! ) or stir-fried beef with broccoli?

Thirsty? Bottled water infused with PET chemicals will definitely hit that dry spot. Same goes for canned or boxed drinks, different container liners but can we have some reassurance that chemicals do not leach through? Gaddemmet, I just wish that glass wasn't as breakable as it is.

I can only imagine a world without plastic food containers, no ziplocs, tupperwares, rubbermaids, nalgenes, etc. It's possible but there's no other convenient way around this right now, I guess.

I'll pass on the Chocopie and just go for that cold can of beer in the fridge.

Almusal Pinoy

2008-10-01T18:55:00.002+09:00

Imbes na Tabasco, dapat pala suka't bawang ang sawsawan ko, kaso naman may pasok ako ano!
Kahit mag-sipilyo't mumog ako, amoy-bawang pa rin ang hininga ko. Mantakin nyo ba naman ang longganisang Lucban na siksik sa garlic flava! Palugit na nga't plain rice ito, wala na akong oras pang mag fried garlic rice!

Before my longganisa phase, dahil sa sobrang miss ko ang tapa, I made it myself! Madali lang naman pala. Just marinate the tapa in the basic suka, bawang, toyo, paminta at bay leaf (plus worcestershire sauce) and let the beef strips dry out in the sun for several days. Food orgasm ako sa unang subo ng tapsilog ko!

Next in line would be my homo-made tocino. Ilang taon na rin akong di nakaka-kain nito, tulad na rin ng tapa't longganisa. Yung tuyo kasi di pwede dahil ma-amoy syang lutuin -- sa Manila na lang ako kakain nito, kasama na rin yung daing na bangus at danggit!

Honga naman...

2008-09-30T17:55:00.003+09:00

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...

2008-09-24T19:26:00.004+09:00

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...

2008-09-20T14:28:00.005+09:00

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!

2008-09-19T23:09:00.004+09:00

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!

2008-09-18T18:26:00.005+09:00

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?

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!

2008-09-15T16:08:00.006+09:00

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

2008-09-15T09:38:00.006+09:00

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!

2008-09-11T21:17:00.002+09:00

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.

Pils na pils!

2008-09-07T21:27:00.002+09:00

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!

2008-09-07T20:27:00.005+09:00

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...

2008-09-07T19:54:00.004+09:00

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

2008-09-06T08:21:00.001+09:00

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"

2008-09-02T15:09:00.001+09:00

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!?!

2008-09-01T18:02:00.001+09:00

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.

hay buhay...

2008-08-28T19:18:00.002+09:00

Naaalala ninyo siguro yung 2 lola na taga San Francisco na nagpakasal after all these years. Pumanaw na yung isa sa kanila ayon sa balita. Nakakalungkot naman para dun sa naiwan.

"Ever since I met Del 55 years ago, I could never imagine a day would come when she wouldn't be by my side," Phyllis Lyon, 83.

Shine a Light

2008-08-25T15:01:00.005+09:00

This ongoing series about the Ninoy Aquino assassination written by Fe Zamora of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and another article by Joel C. Paredes, PCIJ.org shed some light over cracks and crevices that were once unseen or ignored. Time and again some "new" tidbit of fact or trivia comes out every 21st of August that would refresh my already fading memory of those who perished while fighting for our country. I cannot remember the names right offhand, but I do recall Lean Alejandro, student leader, assassinated at age 27 and Evelio Javier. Marami pa.

I was in my early 20's when these people were murdered (and the list does not stop there), I had other things in my mind then, though by reading the dailies I had cultivated some interest in the politics that was going on; and perhaps this was also brought on by some close relatives who were pro-Marcos. I remember my mom asking me not to even enjoy the thought of going to Mendiola to join the student rallies, though she praised the nuns who were always seen at the forefront. Sabi ko sa kanya noon, "I might consider being a nun" -- hahaha, ala Sister Stella L... but then that is entirely another story.

Ispektakyular!

2008-08-24T17:20:00.005+09:00

Araw-gabi naming inaantabayanan ang mga live broadcasts ng Beijing 2008. Tulad noong women's softball semifinals between Japan and Australia, we ran out of beer and food as the game was stretched to 12 innings! Ang galing ng ace pitcher ng Japan, si Ueno Yukiko who had been throwing 300+ pitches in 2 days, and she never failed the team, at all. She's got nerves of adamantium! Japan won, of course!

The final match between the USA and Japan was in order the next day, which was also a "heartbeats game", as C would put it. We also had to flip to another channel to watch the women's football bronze finals match between Japan and Germany! I noticed that our beer food, edamame and fried potato wedges were the perfect complement to the match. Germany won, but the Japanese team performed more than was expected of them in all their matches, not like those over-hyped, puny men's team who were the darlings of the press but were already sent packing home even before the semis!

Back to softball, Yukiko Ueno had been pitching 400+ by this time. Both teams were really good, the USA having the upper hand in their power hitters. Again, the nerves of adamantium delivered! Japan takes home the gold... luhaan kami sa tuwa!

Haay, sarap rin sana if only I could cheer for a Pinay Softball team... sa 2016 naman!

Congratulations sa Philippine Wushu team, for bagging a gold, a silver and 2 bronzes! Aba kahit na demonstration sport ito, it shows that we are strong contenders in Wushu! Bring it on sa next Olympics, 2012!

Freak me!

2008-08-22T10:45:00.000+09:00

I just had to check out all the fuss about Google Map's "street view" so I sought out my own address. Lo and behold, not only did I get a satellite view of the area, there is indeed a 360º street view that even has my apartment building in it! This composite was probably taken late-winter or early spring because the people were still in down jackets. The rotating and zoom feature really freaked me out! I could zoom into the row of vending machines and clearly see what's selling! Once could virtually get close to the entrance of our apartment building!

Kaya pala, privacy issues are being raised here in Japan and it was reported that a "street view" of a couple entering a love hotel has already made it into an online bulletin board! hehehe, dito kasi uso ang "walk-in" (at "walk-out") sa mga motel.

mamasyal naman tayo...

2008-08-20T18:46:00.011+09:00

C was off yesterday, and since she was wanting to buy one specific book, we found ourselves at swanky Marunouchi, Tokyo. There is a huge bookstore near Tokyo station that's about 5 stories high, and chock-full of the things we love most. We laughed at what we ended up carrying, 2 bags full of books, instead of what the Tokyo OLs tote, bags of LV, Coach, Hermes.... haaay, certified nerds kami talaga.

Snacktime, we had pho but it was really so-so... at least the beer was chilled.

Then off we went to "shitamachi" (downtown) nitty-gritty, smelly, Ameyoko, Ueno. If you have been to Jatujak or Divisoria, then this place will be so familiar to you.

This perhaps is very typical in Tokyo - wala lang, anyone, I mean anyone can walk in here and not be worried about anything. The last time we went into one, there were 2 Korean women who bought vibes for each. Of course there are classier sex shops than this one, but can you imagine something like this in the middle of Divisoria or Quiapo?

These are displayed right outside the store and there's no one loitering around... I can just imagine, kung sa atin ito o sa Bangkok, dami nang nag-aaligid sa tabi-tabi soliciting other "services".

This alley would be just like in Paco, Carriedo or Ongpin, right? Oh well, minus the street children, tambays, and basura. Pareho na rin....

summer's nearly over

2008-08-20T09:22:00.001+09:00

After swimming in the outdoor pool we were just too lazy to cook lunch. Obento to the rescue!

Typical summer snack, edamame and chilled mugi-cha. The beers were for the women's football match, Beijing 2008 Japan vs USA. Japan lost, so saaad 80(

Kitchenware Town

2008-08-18T23:39:00.005+09:00

Kappabashi, is the place to go shopping if you are an owner of an izakaya, cafe or restaurant or a kitchen gadget otaku. I'm neither of the above, just a plain curious tourist who found this place a bit boring, save for the coffee place and the wax works.

I bought "stainless soap", it's a bar of stainless steel that you wash your hands with together with regular hand soap to get rid of strong odors like garlic or fish. Dunno if this really works, I hope it does; so romantic home dinners would really be "romantic" without C complaining that my fingers stink of garlic! (dang, it's difficult being the chef and the date at the same time). I also bought a bag of espresso beans from the coffee specialty shop since they recommended that I try their roast and it was also a bargain at Y800 (300 pesos) for 200grams.

Next town is Asakusa which is way much more interesting hence, touristy. I thought of walking towards the Senso-ji, a very famous temple but the weather was not really good for taking photos.

Iron brands

If one can't read Japanese, all one has to do is point to this.
They're usually on display in front of restaurants and izakayas.

The time is kappa/maguro maki o'clock and ika sushi minutes.

"努力" - 　"effort" - "sikap"

2008-08-18T11:12:00.005+09:00

Ahh that comforting smell of salonpas... I pulled my left tricep last week from swimming (without any warm-up, silly me!) and thought that it had healed already, so this morning I went straight to the pool. The water was quite chilly since it was cloudy and rainy yesterday. There's nothing like a dip in a cold pool in the morning! The cold fired up my neurons and nerves, everything was bright, blue, crisp and clear, both the water and the sky! Gising na gising ang ulirat ko!

After several laps, my left tricep just turned into one hard knot, sheeeat... that means I have to stop, ok lang malapit na naman ang isang oras. Edad na nga ba ito? Oh well, at least I have nudged myself out of this rut today. 2008 has been so far, a bummer year for me. I am still struggling with my putting in enough effort to make things happen, I do hope that towards the end of the year things will get better in terms of my creativity (to produce more artwork or at least finish a couple of commissions that are waaay overdue), my language skills (to pass the language proficiency test in December) and my physical self (to be a gym rat again!).

I know, I know, it all depends on my bloody effort.

そいようことですね！

2008-08-17T13:35:00.005+09:00

August 15

2008-08-17T09:29:00.000+09:00

"Profit in Peace" - Ocean Colour Scene

All the people under broken homes
Dont wanna fight no more
All the people nursing shattered bones
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace
So weve gotta fight some more

And all those who are in foreign lands
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who lost their feet or hands
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
Weve gotta fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

And all those just trying to play their part
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who own a human heart
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in what you want
So we must fight some more

And all those who got an axe to grind
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who got their burning lights
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in ever being right
So we must fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

And all the people under broken homes
Dont wanna fight no more
And all the people never going home
Dont wanna fight no more
There is profit in the land you own
So we must fight some more

And all those who got a tired face
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who lost without a trace
Dont wanna fight no more
But there is profit in the love of hate
So we must fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more...

Mixtapes are back!

2008-08-17T01:02:00.001+09:00

Fantastic at 50

2008-08-15T21:25:00.003+09:00

Featured at guardian.co.uk -- Madonna through the years... sabayan natin sya (sa pagtanda)

Pampalipas oras

2008-08-15T12:04:00.001+09:00

There's this music that's been looping in my head for days since I read about Issac Hayes' demise. The theme from SHAFT -- yo damn right!

A featured article in today's Japan Times about led me to this website where one can upload his (or her, why not!) photo and try on different styles of mustaches and beards. The 3D feature is pretty cool, so go visit, have fun and get your hirsute mug animated!

Beer and watermelons

2008-08-10T11:01:00.000+09:00

Summertime is a great season to enjoy ice-cold beer and watermelon! That is if your grandma is not watching. Masama daw mag-halo ang beer at pakwan ayon sa mga nakakatanda. I grew up hearing this one at picnic tables and though I ask why, the elders would just say, it won't hurt to follow what they tell you.

What's amazing about this "kasabihan", is that even in Japan, I have been told by C that beer and watermelons usually do not mix. Pareho ano?! I asked her why... it's what the elders say. Is there a scientific explanation to this belief? I tried googling for an answer and I have not found a convincing one yet.

Honestly I did not feel anything after beer and watermelons.

Nagasaki

2008-08-09T16:20:00.004+09:00

After watching the amazing and spectacular Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing last night, I just wished that wars would not happen anymore and that warring nations would all just convert their destructive and truly barbaric energies to celebrate the spirit of sports. This would not happen in my lifetime for sure, as Georgia and Russia are at war right now as I blog; but I hope it would happen in the future.

August 9, 1945 - Nagasaki became the second city to be atom-bombed by the US; as if the death and destruction from the bombing in Hiroshima was not enough. Here is a gallery put up by Tyge O’Donnell, the son of the late Joe O’Donnell, a US Marine Corps photographer in WWII who took photographs of the aftermath of the bombing and eventually became an outspoken critic of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The images in the gallery reminded me of scenes from the anime "Grave of the Fireflies", which was about the firebombing of Kobe in WWII.

If we do not learn from out past mistakes, we are bound to repeat them as our history shows.

I'd rather die laughing

2008-08-08T17:46:00.004+09:00

Lumindol ng tatlong beses nga ba ngyong araw dito sa Tokyo? Noong 1am daw, madaling araw, lumindol ng pagkalakas-lakas, M6.5. Tapos mga bandang 7 ng umaga, M4 naman daw... tapos sinundan daw ito ng bandang 1pm ng isa pang M4.5!

Kahit isa sa mga episodes na ito, wala akong naramdaman! Siguro habang sinusulat ko ito eh lumilindol...hehehe. Kung sakali nga eh, OK lang bords... dahil talaga namang nakakatawa itong Ilonggo dubbing ng "300"!