The Supreme(Not??) Court of the Philippines

Few days ago, my girlfriend shared to me something really disappointing and disturbing. Apparently, she was also 'shaken' about what she learned which is something really sad for the country. It also stirred the same emotion from me.

The Supreme Court and its Justices are looked up by most Filipinos as most intact when in comes to integrity. Of course, this is compared to the other departments of the Philippine Government. They are supposedly the "good guys" of the government where corruption seemed to be as common as flies.

One of the Justices seemed to have shrugged off plagiarism in one of his delicate decisions ever. I just learned that the 'lack of malicious intent' and the incapacity of computer softwares can now be used as excuses to 'plagiarize' yet not quite.

This is probably one good example of correcting a mistake by another mistake. Justice Del Castillo tried to escape the call to resign by the UP Law Professors by making such a lame excuse. The excuse is so lame that even a regular college student would be ashamed to even use such.

Is admitting to have committed a mistake too hard that he can be excused to be dumb with coming up with poor excuses?

I am no lawyer. I wanted to be one though. But this is not even a hindrance for me to be smart and yet be humble enough to admit fault in every screw up I cause.

Smart or not, we are humans. One of our curse is our imperfection. We snap every so often. Being smart is no guarantee of perfection. Not quite.

Even Rosanna Roces is not as Flawless as she used to be and she knows and swallows it. So why can't our Justices admit fault when they see one?

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Talk JOLOGS

I was reading some of my favorite blogs when I chance upon this site which I really did not intend to click on. The link directed me to a site which has a very simple construction which, I must say, is not typical for its purpose.

The site offers to translate what ever you want to say in "Jologs Language". I am actually not sure if there is such a term. I have nothing against those who patronize or are themselves true-blue jologs. I even believe that there is a jologs in each of us somehow. It's just that some people are just so full of being jologs that it shows in how they dress up, talk, and text.

Let's face it, the Jologs is now considered as one of the fashion statements and you can see them almost everywhere now. So to those who are not a fan of being jologs, just hold your piece and let them be.

So here is the site I am talking about. It's called The Jologs-inator. Just type what you want to say in a 'normal' way, and the site will translate it in jologs terminology. I may not be a fan of those jolog caps and colorful Supra Shoes, but I had a laugh in translating some words in 'jologs'.

Jologs or not, have fun.




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Basyang Has Left The Building...Thank God!

Is she really gone?

What she did was a hell of a disaster to those who crossed her path. Wait, wasn't she the one who was crossing our land? Well, it didn't matter to her. She still brought havoc to the lands affected by her.

Basyang was one helluva typhoon. Who named this typhoon after a woman's name was really asking for it. Nothing is more frightening than a woman's wrath. Next time, can we just name our typhoons after a guy's name?



Good luck to the land she will be visiting. It will be one great party!!!


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Soon Be Back...

I will soon be back to blogging.

It has been some time now since my last blog and I miss it.

Few more days and I will be back to updating this "baby" of mine. A lot has been going on to my not-so-exciting-yet-worth-thanking-for life.

See you guys soon.

Memorial Day At Work

It’s has not been a fruitful day at work. It’s Memorial Day in the U.S. and everyone is not answering the phone. Actually, I believe the company should have sent us home since it would just be a waste of time and the company’s resource for letting us report for work.

I look around and see my Team Leader talking to Joel, a teammate, about basketball, Lebron, and the playoffs. These guys just love the sport and they won’t mind sharing their take or own review on a current game. I can now hear my TL sharing (bragging, actually) how well he played during one of his games. Then you’ll see him with his reenactment of his moves.

Then there’s Carla who’s busy cutting out some shapes for decorating their stations or desks. The company is currently have this program or contest and would give prices to those stations that are well decorated. Of course it won’t be just any decorations it has to follow a certain theme. And the theme is all about Flores de Mayo. Honestly, I don’t know what to think about these flowers and leaves made out of paper they made me put on my station. My station now looks like one of those ‘arko’ during Santa Cruzan.

But Gel seemed not in the mood right now. Then I would find out that the guy who has been bothering her emotionally just text-ed her. Though she’s a few stations apart from me, I still learned about it since she’s sending me messages thru our chat system. I’ve heard the same story, same excuses, and same concerns over and over again. But I understand that the girl has been through a lot with this guy, and with the others, and I believe she’s emotionally disturbed in this aspect. And somehow, I feel glad she trusts me with those stuffs and thinks I could give her some sound advice. But sometimes, I don’t think she wants to follow my advice but just wants someone to share the problem with, someone who would listen.

Then, there are you have the other people on the floor, doing their own stuff other than work. Some are just busy fixing how their make-ups are. One is arranging the Gundam figures on his desk (you’ll find his toys occupying every corner of his desk). And still there are those just taking it easy and sleep it off. I’m sure they’ll be in trouble with their Wrap Time and Handling Time numbers later on.

The environment is just so damn boring and dragging today. I still believe they should have not asked us to work today.

(As for me, I was just checking out new things online and, of course, blogging the whole time. He he he)

Dreaming Big In The Big World

Few days ago I was feeling a little low. I got myself some reality check and didn't like how it made me feel. A friend in college called me up couple of nights ago and we were talking about how life has treated us and some of our friends. It's been long since we've seen each other since I relocated myself here in Manila. I've lived most of my life in the city of Cebu.

I remember in our 4th year in college, though not knowing what lies ahead, we asked each other what we would want to be few years after our graduation. Like among the others I also enthusiastically shared that I want to find myself successful like the rest. Although the path wasn't crystal clear, I planned to excel in the field of Human Relations. Further studies in Psychology or give Law a shot also were some of the few I lined up for me after that door to the outside world would open. Since I was in the seminary for eight long but memorable years, the "door to the outside world" was meant literally. With those mentioned, I put on my toga and marched to my college graduation beaming with confidence and pride because the best things were just waiting for me outside those walls...so I thought.

After that conversation with my friend Aldwin, who is currently a professor in literature back home and is currently taking his PHd, the world seemed to have stopped for awhile for me. I asked myself where I am right now with those plans. And the answer made me sit back and stare blankly at the wall for a moment which seemed like eternity. The fact that I am nowhere close to achieving any of the goals I set myself years back made me worry. That moment I really felt like a failure. Was I just wasting the years that passed or did I just let the wind blow me where it wants me to be?

I am currently working in the call center. And I have worked for five call centers here in Manila for the past, what, five years? So the person I see right now in front of the mirror is definitely not the person I thought I would be. I'm not doing HR works and not even making Pleadings or attending hearings (well occasionally I attend hearings for the sole reason of being with my girlfriend who is a lawyer).

So do I have any regrets? Probably. But that doesn't mean I'm not at all proud of what I've achieved for the past years. I definitely have literally shed blood and tears just to get to where I am right now. I can even feel and enjoy it looking at my current payslip. So I realized that I should not feel bad. My "change of path" shouldn't be thought of as a failure. The challenges and hurdles I've gone through and survived definitely made me a stronger person that I am now. My strengths are all clear to me and I have worked to improve myself in areas where my weaknesses reside.

The proud and confident Cebuano who used to have big dreams back in his hometown is now in Manila with bigger and clearer dreams to make it here.

But what made me change path? Am I going for a mediocre dream?

I doubt it. I noticed that the plans I had for myself was all about me. But as I matured, I realized that they won't make me happier since I won't be able to share it with the people I hold dear. The plans I have right now includes those special few. So I'm gunning for bigger plans...bigger dreams!

Let me end this with a something I read from DJ Chico Garcia's blog by Kaboosh22; Life is good when you’re happy & blessed. But life is at its best when other people are happy & blessed because of you.

I Woke Up When Pacquiao Put Hatton to Sleep

The unexamined life is not worth living. - Socrates

For the past few weeks a lot of significant events occurred. These have somewhat changed the world and it's history. History which others might find interesting and life-changing and yet the same events others might find it hard to accept.

As you've noticed, silence described this little web space I have for the past weeks. It would a appear that the world has left me behind among the changes. It seemed like I was hibernating and just got up from my deep slumber. I guess I was.

Though I was snoring while drowned into the proverbial sleep, I was not oblivious of what reality was busy with. Asleep but aware.

The interesting and the not-so events didn't escape me. They were all real to me as it were to everyone. From the sad passing away of The Master Rapper Francis Magallona, the revelation of Bebe Gandanghari, and the deadly and catastrophic swine virus to the devastating demolition of Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton by the pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, life never let me miss them.



Now that I'm awake, done some stretching, I'm now rejuvenated to examine every moments of my life. To see the picture not just with what meets the eye but also with the underlying meanings.

Oh yes, I'm glad to be back... (would it be Mayweather Jr. or Mosley?)

Goodbye, Bob's Crab Shack...Hello, Juancho's !!!

It was one afternoon when my girlfriend and I craved for some yummy crabs. It was a unanimous decision to go to the place which introduced us to tasty crab selections--- Bob’s Crab Shack in BF Paranaque! Last time we visited the place was few months ago. So off we went to Bob’s famous crab shack.

We looked for that familiar signage which actually spells ‘delicious and tasty crabs’. We were already planning which dishes to order. And we could almost taste the food. But, to our surprise, 'the crab shack' was no longer there. Literally, my girlfriend almost cried after we found out, or should I say, after we didn’t find the good-old crab shack which was famous for their buttered alimango and tortang alimango.

Instead of the familiar name, there we saw a banner which showed an unfamiliar name. “Who the hell is Juancho?”, is what we first uttered upon seeing it. At one point we thought we got lost. But we were certain it's the right place. Even the establishments beside the what we used to know as Bob's Crab Shack were there. "Are my eyes be playing tricks on me again?", i thought.

Later we found out that the said establishment is now managed by someone else. Bob gave it up to some guy. You guessed it--- Juancho.

So, initially frustrated in not getting what we went there for, we considered other places to eat and vent our building frustration there. But, like it's a blessing, a familiar face from inside the restaurant called us and asked us to get inside and eat there. She was one of the waiters who used to work at Bob's. She convinced us to eat there after telling us that nothing really changed in the menu. Juancho decided to keep the same old but delectable dishes on the menu and will just add more exciting and must-try options.

And then our tummies were filled again.

Same food. Same taste. Same place. But this time with a little twist.

old place with new furniture

fresh and relaxing ambiance

the wait was worth it...

nah...forget about the cholesterol...

My Toothache Episode

I experience excruciating pain every time my tooth, actually two of them, would choose to ‘tease’ me with such agony. The pain is not only unbearable but it’s at the same time frustratingly annoying. Apparently, most of the time I go through this loathed moment was during times when I’m stressed or busy. So you could just imagine how it aggravates every tough situation.

Okay, so I don’t like going to the dentist but now the condition already called for it. I guess it’s time to suck it in and go though this pathetic ‘phobia’ in dentists. As I remember it, I only visited a dentist a few times during my childhood.

So I went to see a dentist last year in December. Surprisingly, I never felt that comfortable with a dentist before. I remember comparing a dentist as to that of a monster during when I was just a kid. I got my teeth thoroughly cleaned and had some temporary pasta on some of my ‘busy grinders’, everything my HMO card covered. I must say it relieved of the pain after that visit, so I thought.

Just when I thought I was over this painful episode, the agony went on after a few weeks of relief. Now this time my dentist didn’t see any reason or cause just by looking at my teeth. She suggested I had to have the teeth x-rayed—specifically, a panoramic x-ray. Not until I get this panoramic x-ray done, will my teeth be extracted. Did I mention I’m scared of dentists and tooth extraction?

So left with no other better option, I shed a few bucks (Php800) and the x-ray done just earlier today. The procedure was cool. It was like getting an MRI-- though I haven’t gotten one--only the machine ‘checked’ my teeth and not the entire body. But, man, I was surprise when the nurse (was she really a nurse?) asked me if I have any appliance inside my mouth! So I was like, “is that even possible?!”. Probably, she was referring to dentures and braces or anything foreign ‘installed’ in my mouth. But appliances? Wow, I can just imagine how spacious one’s mouth can be.

With the x-ray done, I called up my dentist’s clinic and set up an appointment with her this weekend. My dentist’s secretary even jokingly asked me, “sure ka na ba dyan, sir? (are you sure about that, sir?)”. After mustering all my wits, I told her I’m sure. Now it’s a done deal. I’m going to the dentist this weekend and face the unknown.

Don't Sweat It All

The car won’t start. What an unfortunate thing to start the day!

We were about to leave for a court hearing one morning when the trouble came about. And did I just mention we where all dressed up and all for the episode? Well, actually, it was my girlfriend who was. But that’s beside the point which was; we had to give it a push to jumpstart this baby-- I meant the car. The ‘gentleman’ in me suggested that I leave her out of the task at hand and besides, it would have raised her brows if I mistakenly asked her to give me a hand.

So there I was; summoning all my strength to give the car a hell of a push. At least, that was the whole idea. But, not to my surprise though, the car didn’t budge. Okay, so it probably moved an inch but it was still a futile and pathetic showcase of masculinity. At that moment it really didn’t dawn on me how lame and useless I was in that instance. I was so into the pushing that I didn’t bother how others, including my girlfriend, would see me. Or was I just not minding it?

So with my so-called-pride wolfed down, I solicited some help. No, not from my girlfriend, of course, but from the oh-so-willing kanto manongs who probably just had their pandesal and kape. Only two manongs yielded to my prodding (alright, so I used my Pussy-Boots-Charm. Bite me!). The next thing I know, we were working our muscles to give the car the push it needed. We’ve almost covered the entire village still pressing on and getting more than the work out we needed but still no sign of life from the car.

We later found out that it got something to do with and empty car battery. The sad part is it never crossed my mind the whole time I was dripping in sweat.

Moral of this untoward anecdote: when faced with a somewhat tough problem, try to think first and asses the mess at hand. Don’t just randomly try all the solutions that come to mind to get you out of it. You might just be wasting significant time in the process. Muscling your way through all the troubles in life might not be a good idea after all.

Sometimes the answer to the problem is not as Herculean as we think it is. Life may be hard but it doesn’t mean every answer should be. It might just be under your nose. In this case, the answer was just under the hood.