I've been feeling so down and out lately. I need a shot of good cheer. It's really difficult to put on this face for the crowd so they won't ask questions. Honestly, I could commend myself for simply being here. Still here. It's not that easy, mind you.

It's odd, too, that when I try to communicate what I feel exactly, people don't believe me. So what's the use?

p.s.
My phone's dead/broken/disconnected. Sorry if I can't reply. I get your texts and phone calls though.

Hello, LJ. I haven't forgotten about you.

( some long-ass meme )

!one day i will watch them live

!if jorge drexler fails to calm me down, the world is doomed :)

Listen to my station on Blip.fm!

My phone (Nokia 6120) functions as my music player.  Actually, it serves that function well.  The number of songs I put in it, however, is hindered by the measly memory of my microSD.  Anyway, I figured I don't need a bazillion songs on the go since I'm only ever on the road for an hour tops.  As for Batangas trips, Jojo has his own music.  It's his car, yo!

Last night, to get my head off worrying about my dad, I redid the playlist on my phone.  It previously contained Matisyahu's Light album.  I love that album, of course, but I find that I only ever listen to my favorites.  Anyway, with nothing else better to write about, let me write about  my current playlist.

Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
I forgot which radio station I got to listen this to.  All I remember was that I was waiting for Rivermaya to come on air because they were being interviewed about the brouhaha they're currently in.  Anywho, this song came on and I thought, "This song is so alive," and immediately went in search of it.  Funnily enough, the only lyrics I could remember (and the search terms I used) were "run fast for your mother, run fast for your father."  I love how vibrant this song is; it makes you want to dance.  It's also assuring.  The dog days are over.  Oh, I hope so.  This is my current favorite song although it was released like a year ago.

Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
I have heard this song before; I just didn't know it was Corinne Bailey Rae (who recently had a gig here).  This song reminds me of CDO because it kept playing on Ludy's car when we were there.  I also love the feel of it, very easy, like a real vacation song of some sort.  It's telling me to put my records on, play my favorite song, and know that I can let my hair down.

Dare You To Move - Switchfoot
I always imagine singing this song to someone, like challenging them to move, take a step.  It really is a dare.

Fuck You - Lily Allen
Not a very nice thing to say to anyone, but the thing with Lily Allen is she was able to put these words into a really nice (nice, nice, nice) sounding song.  It even sounds like a children's song, if not for the lyrics, hehehe... This was my jam a few months ago.  I still like it, that's why it's here now.

Gone Away - Offspring
Sometimes when I listen to songs while walking or en route somewhere, I pretend there's a camera to my face and I'm filming something.  Not necessarily a music video, just something.  I also like to have songs that make me stomp harder on the pavement, walk faster, that sort.

Greedy Fly - Bush
This is really nice to sing to someone so indecisive.  "Make up your mind."  The rest of the song you can just cruise to.  Then on to the chorus again.  And it's Bush.  It brings about memories of me doing homework in high school.

Happy - Natasha Bedingfield
I actually need this song to put things into perspective.  Sometimes it gets hard to see great reasons to be happy, but then you realize they're all around you.  Happy puts these things into focus.

Hoppipolla - We Are Scientists (Sigur Ros cover)
Rose gave this to me on one of my Sigur Ros obsession phases (they come once or twice a year) and for a cover, this is surprisingly good.  First off, I had no idea who We Are Scientists were.  This cover sounds good, as though Sigur Ros themselves made a guitar-based Hoppipolla.  And Icelandic is not easy to sing to.  It's just as relaxing as the original.

I Don't Care - Fall Out Boy
Speaking of stomping songs, this song starts out so well.  I really think this would be fun to sing to on karaoke, or Rock Band.  Hey, that's a great idea.

Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur - Sigur Ros
This is easily my favorite, happy, unlikely-sounding Sigur Ros song.  There was a time that I listened to this for an entire day.  I could lip sync to this, or softly sing to it.  I know half of what it means.  I'm just happy I could remember how the words look like in my head, how they're spelled.  Or pronounced.  Icelandic here I come.

Isn't It A Wonder - Boyzone
Looks out of place, doesn't it?  Of all the boyband songs to come out of that era, this was the least boyband-sounding.  And I have liked this song since forever.  It sounds like a real song, you know what I mean?  I started looking for this song again when Stephen Gately died.

Kiss the Girl - Colbie Caillat
I didn't even know I had this song until I started scouring the music I presently have in my computer.  This is a cover of the one in the Little Mermaid Soundtrack.  It's pretty good.  :)

Lucky - Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat
Can I just say, this took the words right out of my mouth.  Yihee.

Mad World - Adam Lambert
This is from American Idol.  That season I loved Adam Lambert.  I loved his version.  So here.

Naive - The Kooks
I forgot who originally gave me this song, all I know is that it was a he.  He also gave me the Lily Allen, but I kinda liked this one better.  Before my computer crashed, I had this song (and that Lily Allen version), but I never got around to looking for it again until I watched 17 Again and this was playing in the end credits.

One Day - Matisyahu
One of my favorites from the Light album.  I'm all for hopeful songs.

Realize - Colbie Caillat
Another CDO song.  I remember Jo sang this on videoke.  And I gotta say, I love the Jason-Colbie tandem.

On the Street Where You Live - Skins OST
I actually ripped this off a YouTube video where the character Tony was auditioning for choir and he sang this song, which was from My Fair Lady.  No one had an mp3 of this very number, so I searched for a way to get the mp3 only.  I just really like it.  You all know how this feels.

Someday We'll Know - New Radicals
My college jam.  Because I remember a boy named Blue.  Who had blue eyes.

Special - Garbage
I wanted a Garbage song that wasn't "Only Happy When It Rains" or "Push It," and besides this was my favorite Garbage song, really.

Sweet Soul Revue - Pizzicato Five
As far as happy-happy, dancey-dancey songs go, this is near the top of the list.  I could almost sing all of it.

That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings
I've always been curious about this song since I hear it all over.  It gets you moving.  Another dancey-dancey track.

The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore - James Morrison
I have learned to love James Morrison and this is my favorite song of his.  I don't know why I like the sad songs, man.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
Blame (500) Days of Summer for this. Heheh.

Times of Trouble - Temple of the Dog
Gotta put some classics in here, yo!  I wanted to put other Temple of the Dog songs, but my SD memory was crying.

Un Instante Antes - Jorge Drexler.
When my friends and I watched El nido vacio during the Spanish Film Festival in Greenbelt and this played, I knew instantly that this was Jorge Drexler.  I like it when I recognize random songs on TV or movies.  This one was a bit special because I haven't heard the song before but I knew it was a Jorge Drexler song.  I love his song for Motorcycle Diaries (Al otro lado del rio), maybe that's why I recognized him in El nido vacio.

Us - Regina Spektor
Again, blame (500) Days of Summer.  This song reminds me of Paulo for some reason.  I really don't get why.  His face just pops up in my head when this plays.

Vid Spilum Endelaust - Sigur Ros
Yes, another Sigur Ros song.  Another unlikely, upbeat Sigur Ros song.

We Will Walk - Matisyahu
This is the last song on the album, and probably the first one to really catch my attention.  I also remember where I was -- in KK Ayala -- when I first heard this song.  Right after downloading.  I promise to buy the album when i see it.

You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates
I really want to dance on the streets with this one on and have everyone else as my backdrop dancers. Hehehe... Again, this is from the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack.



And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my current playlist.

Today is the 28th birthday of the man in my life:



Happy birthday, Deary!

Sana hindi pumalpak yung icing mamaya. You don't know about the icing.  And my gift for you hasn't arrived yet.  Nothing fancy. Basta I'll give it to you.  I hope you like it.

Be happy.  Stay happy.  I love you. Yihee.

.....

True story:  When I wrote THIS in 2006, I never thought he will be the guy to be able to do all of those things I listed.  I'm really happy.  I hope he's happy.

Liz Claudio is giving away a copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller in her blog.  All you have to do is answer this:

Honestly I wanted to join but ewan, na-shy ako bigla.  But I do have an answer to that question.  I have been thinking about that same topic for quite some time now.  In fact it is the stuff of my daydreams.

For one thing, I want to be boss.  I want to be able to have enough resources to actually give people jobs that would make them able to live their lives; their kids could go to school, they can go on vacations, they can eat what they want, they are comfortable.  I just want to make life better for everyone, and if time, money, and resources were not problems, hey, why not?

I want to build a self-sustaining farm.  Wouldn't it be nice to eat food that you have grown on your farm?  And have enough to go around that the farmers who actually did all the work for all those things can actually live off the land and have some extra so they wouldn't go hungry?

I want to travel.  I want to go to all the places on my list (Spain, Iceland, Morocco, Cuba, Argentina, etc.).  I want to eat in all those places.  I want to live in those places for a few months and immerse myself in what life is like there.

I will crochet.  Read books.  Go to museums.  See shows.

See, mine are simple.  I won't go embarking on a crusade.  Ayun lang po.  :-)

I loved the movie.

I heard about this months ago (seeing that I'm a regular lurker of ohnotheydidnt).  I did not know what to think of it because I thought it was a love story of some sort.  All I knew was that it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Angels in the Outfield, anyone? Plus, he looks like Heath Ledger's little brother) and the incredible quirky Zooey Deschanel, and that it opened at Sundance.  Attractive people.  Love story, I concluded.  It turns out that the poster was right.  It was not a love story; it was a story about love.

It gained considerable buzz.  To tell you honestly, the title alone piqued my interest.  I have a thing for titles.  Anyway, so there.  I thought it was already shown here and then a couple of weeks ago I saw a poster of it in Greenbelt. Hmm.

I guess it opened here last Thursday, and then here comes all the Facebook statuses that say they loved it.  If you know me, if many people love it I almost always don't.  I resist riding the bandwagon.  I don't know if it's a flaw or a nice trait.  But I thought hey, I think it's starting to gnaw at my soul, heheh... And besides, I have movie passes and Paulo and I haven't gone on a date date since forever.  We didn't know what to watch, and now here's a movie that we can both watch (albeit it he was reluctant at first) and enjoy free popcorn and drinks to boot.  And as a compromise for making him watch something, I told him we'd watch it in Trinoma.

I don't even know where to start describing it, that's why I've been rambling for three paragraphs. Hay. Wadaheck.  You go watch the movie na lang. So bale this entry is pointless. Hahaha... I kid.  I'll just organize it into random somethings.  Organized tapos random. Liee Lozano, you're so LABO.

<SPOILER ALERT>

Favorite Scene/s.
Honestly?  When he was bashing plates on the counter when it sunk in that their relationship has really ended.  I thought that was really funny and for some reason that's where I saw what type of guy he was.

I also liked that scene at the park where they were saying/shouting "penis" as a dare.

I also liked the scene where Tom emerges from his apartment in the morning on the way to work and you could see how genuinely happy he is, you could see the swagger and he was smiling at everyone.  And then the park broke into a dance routine.  I liked it because I understood how that feels. HAHAHA.

All the IKEA scenes. Man. Lovely. Darling. I don't know how to tell you this, but there's a Chinese family in our bathroom. Hahaha!..

And the split screen between Tom's expectations and reality.  Man, I would love to see mine done that way.

And oh, WHEN TOM DREW ON SUMMER'S ARM. Wala lang. I want to draw on Paulo's arm too, you know.

Favorite line/s?  There are too many.
For starters, this kid, Rachel (Tom's sister), had some of the best lines:

Just some guy she met at the gym with Brad Pitt's face and Jesus' abs. -- I'm sorry.  I really laughed out loud at that one.

Just because she's likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate.  -- Yes.  And soulmates are... I don't know.  Ano ba talaga concept nun?  And must you be a perfect match with someone in order for you to be happy?  I'd rather have a perfect fit.  Like enzymes and receptors, if you want to be a geek about it.

Rachel Hansen: You know, all my friends love you and think you're great. It's like they say, there's plenty of fish in the sea.
Tom: [Looks at a group of twelve year old girls who wave at him and giggle] Those aren't fish. They're guppies.
-- haha! that's another way of putting it.  Reminds me of what my friend Jam told me:  "There's plenty of fish in the sea... including giant squid!"   And from that day forward, it was giant squid I looked for.  And found.

Okay.  But I think my ultimate, most favoritest, 5 star stamps on each hand line is:



Other favorite things:
Zooey's clothes.  The soundtrack.

What I liked about it is that the entire movie felt real.
Yes, to the point that the dancing in the park scene felt like it could really happen for real.

What was reiterated to me was that when embarking on, say, a relationship, all cards must be laid. All your cards face up on the table.  And whatever is laid must be agreed upon.  But even if that happens, you can't avoid someone expecting more from it.  You can't blame the other person either for staying true to what her cards were and to what was agreed upon.  After all, he/she was clear about it naman.  Ang sa kin lang, dapat clear talaga.  And to quote my Paulo:

Almost 3:00 am, still up, writing about disappointment. Hay.

.....



For one thing, I am no stranger to disappointment. It’s an all-too-familiar feeling, something that I believe I’ll always feel because let’s face it – I have a high regard for certain people. I have expectations of them that they don’t even know about and when (I feel) they fall short of them, I get disappointed. All this disappointment is my fault then. It’s like I look at people like they have 100 points and each disappointment makes them lose a few points here and there. And sometimes I get really disappointed and all points get shot to hell.

I just feel really bad.

It’s very difficult to judge, and right, we shouldn’t or at least try very hard not to because we don’t know all the stories behind the actions of certain people. And we have no right to judge. And this is difficult and utterly disappointing for me because I KNOW THE BACK STORY. It’s difficult to judge when you’re not in their shoes. We won’t really know exactly how they feel and what really are their intentions for doing what they do. But for this instance, can I judge? I still can’t! All I can do is give my opinion and not judge. So okay, opinions then.

Opinions. Hmm. I think I’ll still be vague here.

So okay. There’s a difference between empowerment and being used. HUGE difference. Empowerment involves increasing the strength of something, whether it be spiritual, psychological, physical, whatever that may be. Increasing strength. Good stuff. Being used is just, well, being used. Like a rag that can be set aside. You take a piece of cloth and use it as a rag. From then on, that will be its purpose, its use. It gets dirty and used. It doesn’t inspire anything out of anyone. Empowerment would be taking that piece of cloth and turning it into something else, say, a coin purse. You turned something so simple into something that can be used for the greater good. You saw a piece of cloth and turned into something much greater than it is. You used its strengths to achieve that. That’s somewhat what empowerment is about.

My point is I’m disappointed because some people allow themselves to be used. And some people readily use them. This cycle will not stop unless you realize what you are doing and clean up your act. The real challenge is acknowledging the mess you put yourself into. You can stop now if you want to. What really gets to me is the blatant refusal of some people to live a simple life. I’m not saying that one must be a hermit and forsake all worldly possessions and live off fruit-bearing trees.

Life on its own has its complications, its mazes, its ups and downs. If you have lived a number of years on this earth, you know that there is a system for keeping order in our lives. We all know this, and this is why we’re not all gnashing our teeth and crying because of dizzying complications. Juggling life on its own takes some effort, and it’s admirable what are some are able to do with their lives. Don’t go trying to complicate your life by adding another web of lies and deceit to your otherwise problematic one. Ano yun, because you were born in a life where you didn’t have to ask for anything and you had what you needed and wanted, kaya ka naghahanap ng panggulo sa buhay? Trust me, your life right now is complicated and magulo as it is. And then you add this. That is not the way to live, man.

And I’m disappointed because..?

I’m disappointed because a woman allows herself to be treated like that, and that a man can treat a woman like that. A man who has a mom and a sister. No strings attached daw. Maybe I’m making a big deal out of this, but to me it is. A little self-respect never killed anybody. That seems to be missing from a lot of people these days. Respect. Respeto lang. Sa sobrang kulang ng respect these days, najujustify na mga kilos ng tao when in reality hindi dapat. There’s open-minded and then there’s pangungunsinti.

What if it’s your daughter? Or your son? Would you justify it just the same? NO. Never do anything you wouldn’t want your children doing.

Let me end this by saying that I’m far from perfect and that I’m really disappointed with what has been happening. I feel like some people will sell their souls for cheap thrills. Complicated cheap thrills at that. Emphasis on CHEAP.

From now on, really, whatever problems you may or will have as a result of your actions, you brought it upon yourself. You don’t really deserve my friendship then. Not that you care. But please, have a little respect for your self. You keep forgetting that it’s just not you who’s involved.

This really pisses me off.  Andaming nangangailangan, tapos ganyan pa rin ang gagawin niyo. Nakakabanas. Ang daming dahilan. Wala daw volunteer? WTF is that? Eh di magpa-abiso, kumuha ng volunteer, magbayad ng arawan (like suggested below), just do something. What incompetence! Sana the goods were coursed through ABS-CBN na lang or the Red Cross eh di sana nadistribute ng maayos. Anak ng nanay na buhay ito o. READ ON:
...
Mabuhay!

Edit:

OMG! Good thing I was able to copy-paste Blog Ni Ella's post because the site has been blocked!

Caught this news on Twitter. WTF is going on? Can someone please confirm/explain this to me? Could this be true? If so... WTF!

I'm too upset to write. Please visit http://www.ellaganda.com.

Ella, what's going on?

Disclaimer: This post has not been confirmed and I just caugth this bit on Twitter. If you have any information about this, kindly post it in my comment box. Thank you.



Ella wrote on her (now blocked) blog:

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

 

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

 

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

 

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

 

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

 

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.

 

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

 

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

 

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.

 

Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,


 

Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.

 

The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

 

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

 

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.

At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.

 

They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro





Even grade school kids pitched in to help!




Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution 

 


Making beds from carton boxes

GMA asked world for donations

 

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

 

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

 

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

 

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)

The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

 

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

 

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

 

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

 

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

 

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”

Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

 

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

 

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit

 

Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon

 

Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon

 

(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

 

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

 

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

 

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

 

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

 

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

 

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

 

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

 

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

 

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

 

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

 

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

 

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

 

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”




The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

 

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

 

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

 

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.


SHOPPINGERO/SHOPPINGERA, what's going on?

Follow me on http://twitter.com/jenniepperson for more updates!

Like the rest of humanity, I'm addicted to Looklet.

Not saying I'm good.  I'm just saying I'm addicted.

No, I really cannot pretend to like anybody.  And there really are some people that I just cannot like, not for lack of trying.  Does that make me a bad person?

I hope not.

But what makes me NOT LIKE a person?

Well, it could be something that he/she has done that has collated over time.  Sometimes it's just science and pheromones.  Siguro our pheromones don't match kaya one look pa lang I'm revolted na.  Teka, not naman revolted.  That's too harsh a word.

Let's just say di ko lang talaga feel. Yun na.

:-)

By 30, you should have:

( done and known these things... )

For one to wish this country well is great.  To have it come from Filipinos is a bit sad, but understandable and acceptable as well.  We are all frustrated about the things that have been happening for the past how many years.  It literally has been generations of frustration.  Corruption, too, yes.  It is a problem.

But don't ever we say we don't love this country.

I felt as though your essay was a backhanded compliment.  MY country did this, MY country did that, WE envied your country, and so on and so forth, and then continue on to say how great YOUR country is.  I get it. You guys got out of the rut.  We did, too, for a while, and then something happened which we still haven't recovered from.  I really don't know what's your point.

About the people that you meet who said they didn't want to go back to the Philippines and want to have a new life in another country, what is it to you then?  Does that make us traitors and unloving citizens of this land?  And does that make the majority of Filipinos such bastards?  It's not about being Filipino or loving this country anymore sometimes.  You don't know what their life here was, or what they had to go through, or HOW DIFFICULT that decision was.  You can't judge an entire nation based on a handful of people you meet.

You guys have been staying here too.  For the most part we love your food and your salons.  Some of you are kind.  Some of you are a bit pompous and have a bit of a superiority complex (oh believe me, I have met a couple of those). That's the same with every nationality that we encounter.  Not everybody's wholly great.  I'm not targeting your countrymen alone.  For the record, maraming epal na Pinoy.

So you have made good, great lives here.  So you're doing it to return to your country?  Please don't make us think that you guys are only here to use up our resources and take all our money.  Honestly, I love that there are so many types of people here.  I like the mix.  I love the jobs that it gives to Filipinos.  I love the options it gives the nation as a whole.  But please, learn to love the country that has been giving you life.  We're not asking you to become Filipino citizens and swear allegiance and forgo all your customs.  Just don't write essays like that because it makes you sound like the pompous ones that I met.  There's nothing worse than being told what to do by someone who doesn't understand what he is saying.

There are a lot of OFWs.  There are a lot of Pinoys abroad.  They, too, want to make a good life for themselves.  They, too, want to provide for their children and see them successful.  And honestly, a hell lot of them want to return here because in their hearts, and in all honesty, the Philippines is home.  Living in another country to provide a better life for their families does not make them haters of the Philippines.

SURE, THERE ARE FILIPINOS WHO HAVE GROWN TO HATE THIS COUNTRY.  But I can't judge them.  I don't know what their life was here, as I was telling you.  And most probably it's their bad experiences that they hate, or the people they have come across here, that's why they don't ever want to return.  Have you ever had a bad experience somewhere?  I'm sure you don't want to return there.  Have you been to that other part of YOUR country?  If you have do you want to return?  Maybe you should write about that first before you write something about this country that you don't understand.

We love this country.  We just have weird ways of showing it.  And to quote someone I read, we have a misplaced sense of nationalism.  But don't ever say we don't love this country.  Sometimes we love this country a bit too much, like an obsessive, possessive boyfriend who will kill himself at the thought of you leaving.  That being said, love really isn't the problem.

Granted I have my passport renewed soon, and my finances (and livelihood projects) cooperate:

- KL/Genting
- HK
- SG
- Thailand
- SFO (eh. magrenew pa US Visa eh. Malabo, but I'm hopeful.)
- Seoul (hmm)

Medyo immediate vicinity, except for Thailand na medyo malayo ng konti.

And for domestic:

- CamSur
- Bohol
- Cagayan de Oro again (this time with the Paulo sana)
- Vigan/Pagudpud
- La Luz (again! And Batangas isn't really far na to me because I'M THERE ABOUT TWICE EVERY WEEK)
- Cebu (because I want to visit it as an adult)
- Davao (I love this city).

Ayun lang.  Good luck. Sana kayanin.

I hope to go back to this entry next year and start crossing out cities. Wheeness.

I hope to be able to have enough money going around to be able to collect Alexander McQueen's creations.

I love this resin cuff:

And this scarf (you know me and scarves... and skulls):

And now, the dresses. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these:

Gah. <3

Forgive me if my journal turns into a fashion LJ.  A girl can dream sometimes, can't she?
 

As if the 3+ years I have been writing here weren't enough telling you something.

***

When I was younger, my family went on a lot of trips by plane.  Some of these trips were during the nighttime.  During these nighttime flights I would always stare outside the window waiting for the chance to see the moon and stars up close.  I could see their glow on the plane, particularly that of the moon, so I thought the plane would pass right in front of the moon en route to wherever we were going that time.

I wanted to see the moon.  I thought I'd see the moon.  In fact I thought saw the moon up close.  Of course now I realize that was impossible.

***

I love the music of my youth.  The room just changes when you hear the songs that you listened to while you were doing your high school homework.  For me it was Bush, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Wolfgang, Rage Against the Machine, some Razorback, No Doubt, Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls, Live, Tracy Bonham, Natalie Imbruglia, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Bonehead, Iconoclast, Sky Church (back then they were ELECTRIC Sky Church), the Eraserheads, Alanis Morissette, Rivermaya... oh, you know that musical point in time.

I also listened to the Beatles.  I still listen to the Beatles.

Mostly bands, or band-backed individuals.  There's just something how a band comes together to create something that can tide you through anything.  Music is an amazing thing.  Where will the world be without music?  Nowhere.

I would like to think my music has evolved over time, and I like that it has.  I don't really know what makes me like an artist or band, or a song.  Perhaps it's just special something that no one can define exactly.

The great things in life can never be defined exactly.  Have you ever tried to define God?

***

Cinemanila is next week, but the screening schedule is not up on the site yet, not even as a PDF download.  What is up with that?  I don't know which movies I want to watch and when.  All I know is what the opening and closing films are, but even that wala pang time na nakalagay.  Hay.  Ayusin, please.