Great Adventure Foreword
Or more aptly titled: The Fateful Day When The Author Leaves For A Long Deserved Vacation Up The Montainous Regions
Argh. The first deviation (from posts after June 2005) to my three-worded-blog-titling style, which of course will get deleted by the time I get back from my vacation.
Yes. I'm off to the mountains. And I already have some nice artsy photo shots in mind. I'd watch out for those, if I were you.
The best thing about this vacation is that the five of us who will be heading off to the Himalayas (oops, I just gave away our destination! Oh well...) are first-time travelers to the place. Now, what could be much more fun than that?! The adventure of the year. In heavy winter gear. Applying, or not, what I had been trying to do in the past year off the walls of Play Underground in Rockwell on to real wall faces, add to that the peril of hiking up the mountains until we get to the rock face which I have heard might luckily give us birdflu or dengue if we are not so careful.
Which reminds me, I still have to dash for some Vitamin Cs!
Farewell, Makati. Tibet, here we come!
A Cursed Entry
To insomnia which translates to your not being able to sleep on time even if you really really and whole heartedly want to / not being able to report to work on time thus making you take the axe on ratings-day / missing the beautiful sunrise / not being able to kiss the early morning mist on the cool -ber months / making you light headed the entire day on weekdays much so when work is taxing and demanding....
To that nicely dressed woman at Sydney International Airport who offered a kakabayan-mother help only to dash away with with the poor trusting kababayan-mother and her daughter's luggages together with their passports after entrusting its lookout to the nicely dressed woman while they phone their sundo that they already are at the airport / that they do not know the place too well / do not have enough cash to take airport taxi / are quite hungry as they saved the inflight meal for dinner later....
To those who are responsible for / who are thinking of plotting something in the line of / have been privy to the information of a plot on / who are in the business of getting paid and getting really really good at killing journalists and good leaders....
To the men / priests / powerful people / entities in authority / pimps who molest children....
To the fathers who don't give a shit about their family....
To the bad politicians / drug lords / jueteng dukes / plainly selfish people who have led and still are living a luxurious life at the expense the Philippines and my Filipinos....
To the companies who unjustly milk their laborers for every cent they're worth / underpay their talented employees by giving them jobs which are more than they can handle but who accept the jobs anyway maybe because they are too afraid to decline and that its a modestly earning alternative to being a bum / who knowingly succomb to the corruption of the current government system by paying out bribes / who cheat on paying taxes / who contribute to blatantly polluting the environment....
To the high interest rates of loans that people would rather be subjected to just so they could realize a part of their dream be it buy a house / get a car / pay the mortgage / refinance other enxisting loans....
To the diet regimens that may have worked had it been easier to eat the shittly food on its list / are too expensive to religiously follow / falsely give hope but will not ever work / kill instead of let live....
To the myriad of reasons of each and every one of those who have not lived to be in the career they want and dream to be, be it financial / work / physical / geographical / circumstance....
To the issues that will never have a venue for expression....
To the secrets that we have promised to take with us to the grave even if it burdens our heart and mind for years until our death....
To our dependence on petrol as fuel / the crises that give birth to other crises / the slow-but-sure price increase of all basic living being's needs....
To the betrayal of trust / abuse of power / the so-called friends who would easily sell you out / injustices on our day-to-day normal-people type of activities....
To the sexual urges that never stop / leave you cold at night / leave you tired and cursing yourself for your self-induced feeling of filth the morning after blissful indulgence / are most often left unsatisfied / make you wake up in the morning to find a stranger you have just met, who smell of fresh flowers in spring, and who's happily married with the person she hates / are every bit as ironic....
. . . Fuck You, Assholes!
Roads Less Traveled
It's been a while since I last went to Quiapo. For those who are wondering, yes, you could still get a whiff of that welcomed smell of tinapa along side Quiapo church, the tianggue is still as busy as before, and fortune-tellers who look the part still line one side of the place and you get to choose a specialist on your particular sign on the zodiac. Most worthy of note is how clean the street below the LRT Carriedo Station had become. That area is now, and had been for a quite a while now I was told, free from horse shit and passing public transport that includes calesas (horse-drawn carriages), thereby explaining the horse-shitlessness.
I went there just last Saturday when I did not really have anything productive planned for the day and Ana and Beth seemed excited with a three-point agenda in mind being: go to Quiapo and scout for anime DVDs; go to Cubao via LRTA from Recto to get Beth some cold-weather wear and visit what is purportedly a legendary ukay-ukay venue with a promise of quality finds; then swing by Greenhills for cheap PC peripherals and flash drives.
The tour proved eventful as I got to get A-quality replacement batteries for my trusty alternate-phone and the complete Getbackers series on DVD which I had been itching to get my hands on for the longest time. Also, I got to buy the best computer-generated sequel movie to the Final Fantasy VII game entitled Advent Children (due out in DVDs elsewhere on November 29 this year).
A vendor asked me if I'm currently collecting anime movies, upon observing my selections. I said not really. He then told me he's got a great new title and automatically showed me a picture of a naked woman baring all and not just her pearly whites. Disgusted on his desperation to sell porn, I walked away. He then said at earshot that I did not make a mistake in getting Advent Children. Sure, man, but I already knew that.
Next stop: Cubao. Ana was actually excited to try the new LRTA out from the moment she heard that the train seats don her favorite color: violet. We first got on a jeepney going to the station just beside Isetan. We all found the train quite impressive. The escalators are working rather smoothly, the ticket-cum-passage-card vending machine is as high-tech as those in other Asian countries, and the train itself spacious. An in-train PA even announces the next station a few meters before and upon arrival in two languages: English and Swahili, er, Tagalog (next station: Betty Go Belmonte...ang susunod na istasyon ay Betty Go Belmonte). I was beside myself with pride and smiling at how our government had done a nice job in trying to cope with public train transport technology. I was also actually smiling bacause Betty Go Belmonte is a weird name for a station and that I had no idea who she was, until Monday morning when somebody volunteered the info.
We did not get to find the ukay place but the Araneta area, truth be told, has also tremendously improved over the years. It's not a huge wet market anymore, an image which stuck in my mind from since I was an inch tall. They now have nice restaurants and its tianggue inside Farmer's Plaza is actually already comparable with Greenhills, the tianggue capital, which just happens to be our last stop.
Who says we still need to go outside the Philippines to do thrift shopping? There are cheap cool stuff in Greenhills ranging from clothes to gadgets and house decors and tools and Christmas gift ideas.
When was the last time you went around the metro the way we did? If it was more than 3 years ago, or so, try the itinerary out and let the joy of rediscovering your city surprise you.
Rice And Fall
In the olden times, when the gods of bountiful harvest still walked the earth, legend has it that the Shichifukujin, the Seven Lucky Gods, hold their temple in every grain of rice. Thus, in old feudal Japan, rice is regarded as sacred. To finish off every grain of rice on one's plate during mealtime is regarded as grateful appreciation for the meal, for the harvest, and for life's continuity. Another equally popular belief which goes, "a drop of wine is as sacred as a grain of rice," has the same underlying concept. Sake, a type of wine still popular in modern Japan, is, after all, made by fermenting an agent derived from rice. A grain of rice for a drop of wine would thus seem logical.
I remembered the story while I was having dinner last night. It was quite late, a few minutes before the fastfood joint closes. I ordered a close alternative to what I actually wanted to have since I had to wait a long while for them to prepare the meal which I originally had in mind. With a bag of soiled clothes slung over my shoulder, I got my foodtray and walked towards the nearest vacant table. It was when I was taking my food out from the tray that I noticed grains of rice scattered about on the floor. They lay strewn under the table accross mine where the guard-on-duty was plotting the time when the branch's crew went in and out for the day, or so it was what seemed to me was keeping him busy. The rice-unfriendly culprit, I could just imagine, must have been shaking violently by the arms from a sudden and unexpected fit of Parkinson's or something similar in magnitude. Involuntary, unintentional, and helpless. I actually felt sorry for him had my speculations been more of a fact than downright B.S.
The guard seemed really busy. The crew were, too. No one paid the scattered rice mind. Come to think of it, no one seemed to notice or even care.
At home, when we were still little pains-on-our-parents'-arses, I remembered picking up each grain of rice which unintentionally flies off from my plate and onto the floor. That had been my automatic reaction from my first recollection of having a grain of rice flying unintentionally off of my plate and onto the floor. Cleaning up the mess is hygienic, for one. Personally, I find the sight of people who would either accidentally or intentionally step on cooked grains of rice (on the floor) rather repulsive. Like a mockery on my belief on a provider of good tidings and bountiful blessings. It struck me as an insult like blasphemy towards spirituality.
I finished whatever it was I was eating, took shots of the mess on the floor, and left the place. I made one last sweeping glance inside the store from the outside and saw the guard still writing down stuff, the crew doing their closing chores, and the rice still awaiting the final respect it deserves.
Click on the photo for a larger image.
From www.sixdegreesevents.com, Speed Dating is actually here! There's new hope for all those who have not had any/recent/ lasting/meningful relationships. Of course, as with any venue for prospective dates (like hooking up in bars, online chatting, online dating, blind dates, or socials), signing up for Speed Dating will not guarantee a match made in heaven right there and right then. It's actually like a taste-test, pardon the pun, where fifteen to twenty five singles are given 3 to 5 minutes to converse with one attendee. At the end of the night, all searching-men should have conversed with all the searching-women participants of the event.
I have not gone to one (yet, hehehe) but I have seen an episode of Saturday Night Live featuring a riotously funny segment on speed dating. In the TV show, eight or so tables are arranged in a round about fashion in one room. A girl is sitting at each table. The boys are then given a seat from where to start his speed date rounds. At the sound of the bell, the "paired" should then converse, ask relevant questions, and get a feel of the chemistry between themselves. The alloted 1-2 minutes should be enough for both to make an initial assessment which they would then jot down in a "booklet" which has a name of all prospective singles (opposite sex) in the event. At yet another sound of the bell, the men should go to the next lady for yet another shot at getting-to-know until the bell is again sounded to get-your-ass-a-movin'. What I just described is what I saw at SNL. The local event might be different in form but characteristically same in concept. From what I've read, That's 3-5 minutes per person and 30-50 people comprising of a 1:1 ratio between men and women for each event.
Though hooking up might come naturally for us Casanovas (not!), a substantial number of single professionals are either too bored to go to bars and hook up or they just do not feel like approaching a complete stranger and hope to start something interesting. Mustering the confidence to go near a prospective hottie alone is not that simple. Also, most do not consider chatting and online personals as good sources of quality finds, it being home to numerous fakers and psychos. With speed dating, the inconvenience of torpe drowning your confidence is greatly diminished as someone has already set the mood of hooking up for you. Chances of your getting punched in the face for trying to flirt with an already taken hot chick who happens to have a body-builder for a boyfriend who may have just gone to around to discreetly hook himself up behind his girlfriend's back via talkng with friends of friends while waiting in queue in the restroom is but a funny idea which would never ever happen in a speed dating event.
Now, don your coolest porma (outfit), make an extra effort to look great, brush up your social skills, loosen up, practice on flashing that killer-smile, and lay down your full-house or royal-flush because you can never tell whether your P800 fee (inclusive of a sumptuous beffet dinner and event joining fee) would take you down that dreamily paved and sweet smelling path called, ehem, love-street (naks!). Just make sure to mind the protocol on speed dating which could also be found in Six Degrees' site.
For the singles, don't you already feel so excited?! Consider your efforts as an investment. Visit the site for details and FAQs.
Photos from the www.sixdegreesevents.com site.
20 Random Facts
Per the last comment on my last entry, I was tagged by the very talented penovate to write in "20 random facts about me then tag the same amount of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts."
Here goes, typing at the speed of sound:
1. I take perverse pleasure in trying to look great and being praised and having Ian worship the road to style that i tread on
2. I have 5 books which I have started in the past two months that I haven't finished reading. First, The Tempest by Will Shakespeare, then, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (pronounced by some dopey-pricks as dumb-ass), one other book by Neil Gaiman entitled (edit, yeah, not the MirrorMask script, as initially posted) Anansi Boys, then the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and last, this cool book by Susanna Clark entitled Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. (Smite me now, Ainna, dahil hindi ka nag-iisa on being stuck with a reading material. In fact consider yourself lucky for being stuck with only one)
3. I have never bought a watch for myself since birth and I hate wearing watches as there do not seem to be a need for it
4. I like seeing people laugh
5. Favorite desert: Creme Brulee Trio at M-Cafe (Museum Cafe at GB4)
6. All the four mobile phones I ever owned (from the by-gone years to the present) are still working, in tip-top shape, and currently being used (two of them I personally use)
7. I have all the traits of a person with ADT (attention deficit trait) based on an article featured in the Harvard Business Review in December 2004 (or was it January 2005)
8. I have an incurable sleeping disorder
9. Because of item 8 (above), the most marvelous product that has helped me is Nickel's Morning-After Rescue Gel (for the face. It takes that tired-and-haggard-look away in an instant. NO KIDDING! Got it from Men's Inc. at The Rockwell)
10. I'm an accountant by profession in an HR career but an artist at heart and mind and soul in the body and character of a teenager (complex? Go figure!)
11. I did sound operating and mixing in several shows while in college
12. Going around malls, whether or not I buy anything on weekends, serves as my therapy for work-related stress and boredom
13. I smoke but I never drink
14. As a pre-schooler, my mom recounted that i wanted to be a cop (ala Chips, the TV program). As a grade-schooler, I wanted to be a scientist and an astronaut. In high-school, I considered being an architect. Look at what I am now!
15. I somewhat derive pleasure from the mental anguish caused by me processing multiple thoughts at a single moment, mostly at night, thereby causing my incurable sleeping disorder
16. I cry over cartoons, anime, and MTV when I feel like it
17. I feel the gods still smile at me and angels watch over me while great-to-wonderful-to-fabulous people surround me
18. Tyler is, by far, the best store there is in the style-and-cut department for men (though they are getting to be quite pricey as time goes by), in my opinion
19. I have so many books, all kinds of bags (travel, sport, gym, office, etc), and kilos upon freakin kilos of socks.
20. Jazel still labels me "The Glamorous," while PeeWee still calls me Powder (yeah, the guy from the movie). Bitch. Oh, not you, Jazel.
That's it, and, sorry if I do this to you guys, I tag:
Ainna
Ami
Neil Gaiman
Govvin
Koryn
Singkorn
Djong
In-Sneakers
(Note: Just kidding with the Neil Gaiman tag-item. Got you there, didn't I!)
Mind the Kids
Here's a short list of what are most essential in raising kids up in a more wholistic way, IMHO. The following enumeration is not in any way connected to a specific study or anything similar, nor are they itemized in any sort of hierarchy. I'm no pediatrician. I'm no parent. But I had been a kid once. We all have. Some items here are my regrets, something I have not had, but something which I think is simple in execution yet powerful in impact. I'd do these in the future when my time comes to rear my own kids. Please note that most adults harbor grudges towards their parents on something which happened in their formative years through adolescence, as experienced by either friends, acquaintances, or even myself. For the parents, please take time to read. Just skip the parts which you think are crappy or inappropriate. For me, personally, they are important which is why it found its way onto my list. As parents, again, for those who already are parents, you'll know better because you are already there, while I'm still, um, nowhere. Some of the stuff may entitle cost so improvise if need be.
A Must-do List:
1. Bring them pasalubong when you go home from work. I remember fondly the aratilis or halo-halo my Nanay would bring us home. It gave us something to look forward to. Actually, anything would count as something special for a kid with little and simple expectations.
2. Buy them at least one great toy that is very much "in" at the moment of purchase. Do reiterate, however, the importance of the "reward" for a task or feat done well.
3. Let the children play with other kids in your neighborhood. It builds confidence and social skills.
4. Be proud of them with friends, family, and relatives even if they are not at earshot.
5. Listen to what their ambitions and aspirations are. If they have talent in the arts, for example, enroll them in schools to hone their potential.
6. Let them learn how to swim and ride a bike at the youngest age possible. Have a professional teach them if needed.
7. Hug them as often as possible. It makes kids feel secure.
8. Talk to them as though they are already grown-ups. No bullshits. They are bound to find the truth up in time, anyway.
9. Give them as much space as you can for them to take a shot at making their own decisions. At a moderated level, this will heighten their awareness on consequences vis a vis their self-controlled actions.
10. Make time just for them. Never tell them, "honey, I'm busy," or "baby, I have no time for this," as it will scar them for life. Your attention for a fraction of a minute might be all that they would require for a single pangungulit.
11. Kiss them goodnight even if you get home to find they are already asleep. Chances are, they will remember that you did even if they've grown up.
12. Take them to the zoo.
13. Make them believe in Santa Claus for as long as you can keep the secret. It gives them a reason to stay good and well behaved.
14. Buy them good rubbershoes even if they are not inclined at sports.
15. Let them bring their friends over at your house. Encourage friends sleeping over from time to time. It will keep you aware of the company they keep.
16. When they read, tell them to not delve on too much science fiction stuff. If they do insist, make sure that they understand that these are just made up and may not become real in the near or distant future.
17. Kids are helpless when they are sick. They can't express the pain that they feel as most of them do not yet have advanced self-assessment skills (as some adults I know still don't). Make them feel comfortable, as much as possible.
18. If you can, ask how their day went and share how yours have gone. Encourage interaction.
19. Tell them you love them. Verbally. Face to face. And mean it. Even children could tell fake emotions from really heartfelt ones.
20. Be aware of their family activities being held in school. Attend.
21. Try, as much as possible, not to be a source of embarrassment to them by doing stuff which would seem for you to be normal but utterly embarrassing for them. I can't remember what these are but your kids would know, so ask them.
22. Praise them for trying out a new endeavor, like when they take a first shot at drawing, playing an instrument, reading, gardening, or simply taking good care of a pet. It will help them believe in the capacity that they have within themselves.
23. Should you notice a shift in their behaviour, ask if something is wrong or if they feel strongly about anything. Kids would almost always not open up when not asked. A grown-up's perspective is like a pleasant symphony in the heart of a troubled child. Soothing and comforting. It will strengthen your bond in the years to come.
My childhood was wonderful. I don't have grudges towards my parents. At times I just felt bad but it's nothing unforgivable. I just rationalized the circumstances and that made it bearable. I think I am lucky because not all people could rationalize and learn to accept as easily.
I'd add, "let them watch Sesame Street," but I don't know if this program is still being aired.
The two doodles were done by my little cousin, Denden, when I went home last December, on my PDA. She's 4.
Reinventing the Brand
Take an already existing but somewhat faltering-and-barely-coping-with-its-competitor-in-terms-of-form-and-stature brand, reinvent the logo, relaunch, offer a more diverse product line, assure a stable follow-through on revolutionary designs to re-establish your market niche, take form-factor seriously, re-launch the old brand as a classic, and you'll get the success much like that of Adidas.
Addidas Originals is now selling as a high-end and retro-fashionable sporting line. Who ever thought of its marketing strategy is a genius! Not only do they get to keep up with competition with the brand's rebirth through Adidas Performance, they got to reap revenue from their old product models as well.
Go to your badminton courts int he metro and you will observe Adidas-weilding smashers running amock more prominently than those in Nike's (prominence attributable to its ever-present 3-Stripes device trademark). At a time in the wall climbing gym inside CSA at Dasmariñas Village, I could remember climbers wearing Adidas shirts outnumbering those in other brands 6 to 1. The brand had it right with comfort and affordability when you go comparing the quality and price of their products with Nike, IMHO.
Ever heard of Y-3? It's an even higher-ended Adidas line tied up with world-renowned fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto.
Now, what will they think of next? Just recently, they have launched their women's climbing sport range (quite pricey), endorsed by Stella McCartney.
I'll be on the lookout should they come up with a men's climbing sport range. Or I may just wish they do.
All trademarks, service marks and trade names of adidas used herein (including but not limited to: the word mark "adidas", "the adidas logo", "the trefoil device", "the Globe", "the 3-Stripes device") are trademarks or registered trademarks of adidas or its affiliates, unless stated otherwise. Yohji Yamamoto is a registered trademark of Yohji Yamamoto.
