Wednesday, September 30, 2009

4 days after

4 days after Typhoon Ondoy's fury, I'd say 70% back to normal. 
- Walang pasok sa buong Metro Manila in all levels this week
- 90% ng mga empleyado ang nakapasok
- Ang mga tao sa paligid, hindi pa rin masyadong nagtatawanan. 
- Ang traffic medyo lumalala na ulit.
- Unfortunately, hindi pa rin bumababa ang tubig sa ilang areas sa Pasig, Rizal at Marikina.  Ito ang nakakalungkot na parte.  4 days na lubog pa rin sa baha, maski wala ng ulan.

1)  Isa pang posibleng problema ay ang pagdating ng bagong Bagyo - si Pepeng.  Dipala ako marunong magbasa ng graph.  Di ko masabi kung anong oras at araw siya babagsak ng Pilipinas. 





2)  Eto naman ang status ng Ipo Dam at Angat Dam as of 6am.  Both are at "Critical :Levels".  This means level of water is over the "spilling level".  Mahirap mag-speculate, pero common sense dictates na magpapakawala na naman ng tubig in both dams soon.  Hmmm.  teka, baka kaya di bumababa ang tubig sa ibang lugar.

At saka....Pag tinignan ninyo ang graphs, mapapansin na tumaas talaga ang level ng tubig nung Sabado. 









Laging mag-ingat.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Akala

#1)  1-day after kasagsagan ng baha dahil sa bagyong Ondoy, nagdagsaan naman ang tulong.  Kaso nag-piyesta ang internet at ang Facebook sa isang kakaibang tulong...

"Akala mo tulong, yun pala campaign."






#2)  Habang nag-iikot si Gilbert Teodoro at GMA nung kasagsagan ng baha, iisipin mong ang pamilya Arroyo ay tumutulong din sa relief operations.  After all, many of them are government officials.

Eto galing sa Facebook, at ang caption ay ganito:

“Was buying food for keeps… then we saw Mikey Arroyo in Rustans Liquor Section asking the salesman for a brand of hard alcoholic drink. &$%*^@ Crazy! Just a few kilometers away from Katipunan, people are needing help for search and rescue, and there he was buying bottles of alcohol. See for yourself and tell me what you think.”"


Akala mo affected siya sa mga scandals ng pamilya nila???



3)  Pati pala Bulacan ay sobrang affected ng baha. So, nagpunta si Tita Edith kila Tita Rhoda sa Mecauyan para tumulong. Kasi yung baha sa loob ng bahay naging putik, so mas mahirap linisin. Habang nagwawalis si Tita Edith sa labas, meron humintong magarang sasakyan. Ibinaba ng may-ari ang bintana ng sasakyan at sinabing “Ne, konting tulong para sa inyo”. Aba siyempre kinuha naman ni Tita Edith ang relief goods.

Actually meron pang isang humintong sasakyan. Pansit naman ang binigay, at siyempre kinuha ni TIta Edith. Ewan nga bakit binigyan pa nila si Tita Edith, e sa itsura pa language mukhang milyonarya na! haha.

Akala mo kasambahay yun pala milyonarya.

4)  Syempre sobrang devastating talaga ang damage ng Bagyong Ondoy.  Pero sobra akong natutuwa na marami pa ring Pinoy na positive ang disposition at outlook sa buhay despite what happened.

CNN headline the past 2 days was:  Philippine death toll rises after floods

Pero today ang bagong headline ay:   Philippines flood survivors count blessings
Akala mo down na, yun pala positive pa rin.
 

Post-Ondoy Pictures

Walang pinili ang Bagyong Ondoy.  Mga mahihirap, mga mayayaman, asa subdivision, asa squatters area, lahat apektado.


CRV na lumubog sa may tapat ng Xavier School



Kotseng mukhang pinapaayos sa G. Araneta





Ito ay ang Wilson Street sa Greenhills, favorite spot for gimik and tambay.



Ito ay sa Taft Avenue



Sa Marikina Riverbanks


Sa Manila Peninsula, Ayala Ave. Makati



Katipunan Ave in Quezon City


Side-streets of Katipunan


This is Hypermarket in Silver City - dito nag-coffee ang PB 2G nung andito si Tita Tetes


Sa the Fort area


From Pasig, outside Excelsior Hotel


Inside La Salle sa Taft


Si Christine Reyes na taga-Marikina


Sa Cash & Carry sa Buendia



Eto yung sinasabi kong Underpass Along Ayala


Sa G. Araneta in Quezon City

Photos after Ondoy


This is in Bocaue, Bulacan.




This is in Cainta naman - tumatawid na ang mga tao sa electric cable dahil sa sobrang baha.




A boy is lifted onto the roof of a building to escape the flooding in the Quezon City suburban of Manila . According to the government "Nearly a month's worth of rain fell in just six hours Saturday",  "triggering the worst flooding in the Philippine capital in 42 years".  Ako di sigurado dito.




This has to be the most depressing picture. This is the rosario Bridge in Pasig.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Disaster Saturday - the Realization

So, disaster was apparently an understatement.  Metro Manila and neighboring provinces were ravaged last Saturday.  Ang dami palang mga tao na asa bubong ng mga bahay sa Cainta at Marikina ng over 24 hours.  Kung nagagawi kayo sa Makati, ang mga underpasses along Ayala, punung-puno ng tubig.  This is the Central Business District, at hindi iyong usual na binabaha sa Makati (Malugay, Buendia etc.).  Will post the videos as soon as the internet connection becomes faster. 

Last Saturday, pumasok pala si Camae sa school.  At nung papa-uwi na sya grabe na ang baha.  Kasama ni Boyet, naglakad sila sa chest-deep na baha.  Iniwan ni Boyet ang kotse, tapos sinundo sila ni Ate Edith dun sa  mataas na part ng subdivision nila.  After that, bumalik si Boyet para kunin ang sasakyan.   Sila One naman at Carl 2pm pa lang pauwi na sana.  Kaso ang Hawaii street at ang washington street ay sobrang baha.  So mga 6pm pa sila nakauwi.  4 hours grabe, e ang lapit-lapit lang nun.

Sa Santan naman, mabilis namang humupa ang baha.  In the morning, wala ng baha.  Pero obviously, sobrang daming kalat sa lahat ng mga bahay.  So kelangan maglinis Kaya, Santan boys to the rescue.  Tumulong sila para maglinis at ayusin ang mga bahay sa Compound.  Thanks Santan boys!

Happy Birthday Tita Che-Che

Tita Che-Che might just have broken the record - she had been studying for almost 26 years!  Apart from a 2years stop, wala talaga siyang katapusang mag-aral ng kung anu-ano.  So mga PB parents, be very careful when you tell your kids na "sana mahilig silang mag-aral".  hehe.

Also si Tita Che-Che ang may record for being away of the country the most number of years - NA HINDI NAGTRARABAHO!  She had been in Amsterdam/The Hague, China, Malaysia, and now Singapore.  Saan na naman kaya siya susunod na mag-aaral?  

Happy Birthday Tita Che-Che.

Happy Birthday Diane

Happy Birthday Diane.  Very untimely because of what happened yesterday sa bahay ninyo.  But I hope your spirits are high and you and the family are all safe.

Happy Birthday Di-Di.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Disaster Saturday

Typhoon Onday ravaged the whole Metro Manila today, Saturday Sept 26.  You would think that since you are in Metro Manila, you are not affected.  And the floods you see on TV usually happen in far-flung provinces or only in remote areas. So totally unbelievable day. 

Sa Binan, naging parang Ilog ang Hamburg St.  Nakakakaba na umabot ang tubig sa tambutso ng kotse, kasi umabot na nga ng gulong.  Pero bale wala lang pala ito compared sa nangyayari sa ibang lugar, lalo na sa Santan.  Mga 1pm, nag-text si Ayo na umabot ng dibdib ang tubig sa may PRO (dun sa tabi nila Papang dati).  Mga 3pm, umabot na raw ang tubig hanggang sakong sa LOOB ng BAHAY sa compound.  Triny ni Mommy tumawag sa Santan, pero ang hirap makipag-usap dahil ang labo ng linya.

Around 7pm, umabot hanggang binti ang tubig sa LOOB NG BAHAY.  Si Ditse, nag-stay daw sa hagdan.  Ang mga kasangkapan, inangat na sa 2nd floor.  Nakausap ni Mommy si Kriza ng mga 8pm, pati rin bahay nila inabutan na ng tubig.  Pinatay na rin nila ang kuryente dahil delikado. 

Mga 10pm, tumawag si Ate Yet.  Kinailangan ng umalis nila Ayo sa bahay at lumipat kila Par, para sama-sama na ang lahat.  Kinakabahan naman ang mga tao dun, na gumuho ang ding-ding dun sa may Chinese factory.  Walang kuryente, ang tubig hanggang binti, safest na nga na magkasama-sama.  May sumama rin kila Ditse siyempre.

Non-stop torrential rains for almost 24 hours. Sabi sa balita, nagpakawala na rin ng tubig sa Angat Dam at sa La Mesa Dam.  Di na rin daw kasi kaya ng tubig sa dam, otherwise baka naman sumabog, so delikado rin.

Never in the history of Santan na nangyari ito, maski na officially Malabon.  So we hope everyone is safe.  Huminto na rin naman ang ulan.  Tomorrow is another day.

Happy Birthday Tita Helen

From her very first PB song "Nearness of You", alam na natin na pusong-PB talaga siya.

A singer, a dancer, a talented performer.
A great leader and a dedicated PB Christmas President
A hard-working entrepreneur
An accompished mother

Happy Birthday Tita Helen

Happy Birthday Ashlie

Happy Birthday to pretty pretty Ashlie.  Sana maging honor student ka pa rin at Best in Computer.  Maski na bumabagyo, we hope you have a nice birthday celebration.

Happy Birthday!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

3 Pinakamahalaga sa Buhay

Tapos na ang botohan, ang resulta.  "Maging Mayaman na Mayaman" ang pinakamahalaga sa Buhay ng mga taga-PB.  Ayos!  inferness, ang 2nd place naman ay 'Mapunta sa Langit'.  Di ko talaga sigurado kung bagay ang dalawang yan.  Meron kayang mayaman na mayaman sa langit?  Parang wala ata.  hehe.

On 3rd place is "Makatapos sa Pag-aaral".

Monday, September 21, 2009

Happy Birthday Lola Maam

Si Lola Maam
ay isang accomplished na careerwoman (Department Head, Principal),
distinguished educator (may librong sinulat, 1 PhD at 2 Masters),
jet-setter (kakabalik lang last month from Malaysia and Singapore),
masarap magluto (beef, bulalo, itik atbp)
matapang na babae (presidente ng Phil Association of University Women)
at mabait na nanay (minsan).

Happy Birthday Lola Maam!

Happy Birthday Patricia

Si Patricia ang pinaka-kamukha ni Tito Boyet sa mga anak niya.  Siya rin ata ang pinaka-babad sa computer sa kanila lalo na sa Facebook.

Happy Birthday Patricia.  Sana enjoy ang iyong birthday.

Mukhang Mayaman

Dahil birthday weekend ni Mommy, asa Tagaytay kami ngayon.  At this time, sosyal kami at sa Taal Vista Hotel kami nag-stay.  Sobrang ganda talaga dito, at lampaso ang Days Inn - in all aspects.  Sabagay mura namin kasi sa Days Inn.

The best din ang breakfast buffet dito.  Ang daming selection at ang sarap lahat.  Habang nag-brea-breakfast kami, sabi ni Mommy:  "Grabe parang hindi naghihirap ang mga Pilipino, sobrang daming tao dito".   Tapos inaassess namin ang kayamanan ng mga kasama naming kumakain hehe.  Iyong iba ina-appreciate ang kayamanan, siyempre ang iba ay inookray.

Naisip ko bigla, kung i-a-assess ko ang aking mga pinsan in terms of "Mukhang Mayaman".  Iyon bang unang tingin, mukhang mayaman ba siya o mukhang poor.  Pero dahil ayokong ma-ban sa PB, e itatagao na lang natin ang identity ng ni-re-review natin.

Pinsan #1:   Eto mukha talagang mayaman.  Siguro kasi maputi.  Saka parang nakataas ang leeg niya, maski ordinaryo lang.  Alam ko hindi naman mamahalin lahat damit niya, pero mukhang mahal pag suot niya.  Medyo aristocrata pa nga.  So the verdict:  MUKHANG MAYAMAN!


Pinsan#2:  Dati mukha siyang mayaman.  Pero ngayon, para siyang mukhang mayaman na simula ng naghihirap hahaha.  ewan nga ba bakit.  Parang marami atang iniisip, ewan nga kung ano.  Verdict:  MUKHANG MAYAMAN NA PAPAHIRAP NA.


Pinsan#3:  Sabi ng iba basta maputi e mukhang mayaman.  Hmmm.  hindi ata ganun katotoo.  Kasi maski hindi siya maputi, mukha siyang mayaman.  Sa pananamit ata o sa pagdadala ng sarili.  O baka parehas.  May element of kasosyalan talaga.  verdict:  MUKHANG MAYAMAN MASKI MAITIM (hahaha)


Pinsan#4: Eto naman ang pinsan na medyo maputi.  Pero di talaga mukhang mayaman.  Hindi naman siya mukhang squatter siyempre, pero di talaga siya mukhang mayaman.  Sa kilos ata, o baka sa pagkain.  hahaha. Verdict: HINDI MUKHANG MAYAMAN


Pinsan#5: Eto ang mayaman, pero hindi mukhang mayaman.  Mahirap i-explain e.  Pag di mo siya kilala, di mo talaga iisipin na mayaman siya.  Di naman siya mukhang driver or boy, pero di lang talaga siya mukhang mayaman tignan...unless makita mo siguro banko niya ano.   Well baka naman ayaw niya ring magmukhang mayaman, so hayaan mo na siya.  Verdict:  MAYAMAN PERO MUKHANG MAHIRAP


Pinsan #6:  Naku, di talaga siya mukhang rich ano.  Jologs talaga, unang tingin pa lang.  Maski na nga mag-inggles siya paminsan minsan, e talagang hindi bagay maging mayaman.  Verdict:  MUKHANG POOR (grabe ang sama naman nito hahaha)


Pinsan #7:  Hmmm.  Eto puwedeng mapagkamalang tagapagmana ng Hacienda sa probinsya.  Pero minsan puwede mo rin siyang mapagkamalang naglalako ng paninda sa Divisoria.  Hit or Miss baga.  Minsan mukhang rich, minsan mukhang poor, depende ata sa suot niya.. Verdict:  MUKHANG MAYAMAN MINSAN.


Pinsan #8:  Eto ang unang tingin talaga, mukhang taga-Ayala Alabang.   Sosyal talaga ang dating, pati-kilos pino - di maingay, di papansin.  Pero di talaga siya mayaman sa totoong buhay.  Hahaha.  At least di ba. Verdict:  MUKHANG MAYAMAN PERO HINDI.

Happy Birthday Rap-Rap.

Matalino...sana.  Talentado...sana.  Charming....sana.  Kaso madalas natatabunan ng pagiging LAYAS at PASAWAY.  Pero nagbabago na raw siya, sabi nya.

Happy Birthday Rlphy!

Happy Birthday Denniel

Hanggang ngayon di ko pa rin sure kung tama nga ba ang spelling ng pangalan niya.  Happy Birthday to the Biggest Grade 6 in the planet. 

Happy Birthday Denniel. (or kung ano man ang spelling)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Alex

Sana hindi masyadong malamig sa Canada this time of the year, so you and your friends enjoy your party on Sunday!  Pahinging pics.

Happy Birthday Alex!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Happy Birthday Lola Tiyang

Si Lola Tiyang ay isa sa mga peace-loving PB member. Madalas talaga ayaw niyang makigitna sa mga kaguluhan. Syempre mahilig din siya sa tsismis ng konti =). Pero ayaw talaga niya ng mga galitan at awayan na iyan. Minsan nga e martyr ang effect ni Lola Tiyang.

Syempre, kelangan natin ng mga peace-loving people sa PB. Dahil puro mga mapupusok at mahilig sa usapin ang mga PB e hehe. Kaya kelangan natin si Lola Tiyang.

Happy Happy Birthday Lola Tiyang.

< 100

Less than 100 days na lang at Dec 25 na!

- Sabi sa balita kagabi, sana daw magsimula na ng shopping ang mga tao. Kasi nga nagtataas talaga ang presyo kapag malapit na ang Pasko. Sabi nga bumili na raw ng Fruit Coktail - kasi matagal masira. At tumataas talaga ang presyo nito pag Nov-Dec na. Huwag lang bibili ng hamon ngayon para sa Noche Buena.

- Last year ang total ng mga pumila ay 28. Pero grumaduate this year sina Kevin, Kriza at Ayka. Kaso wala pang work si Kriza. So puwedeng maging 25 or 26 ang pipila. Teka, Karen may announcement ka ba for October? hehe.

- Palagay na nating 26 ang pipila. Kung 50 pesos each e lalabas na 1,300 pesos total. Kung 100 pesos each e di 2,600 pesos.

- 4 sa mga favorite na papilahin ay sina Kevin, Ayka, Kriza at Karen. Ang babait kasi (sa pilahan ha), at laging ready to showcase their talents para masaya ang pilahan. Iyong iba medyo boring (haha - sobrang honest). Sabagay matatanda na kasi silang 4, hindi na sila Teens!

- Meron kayong balitang matatanggap in the next few months. Something interesting and juicy. So abangan =).

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

RSVP

is actually a French term (Respondez-s'il vout plait). Which literally means 'Respond if you please'. Sobrang uso yan sa US, Canada at syempre sa France at sa buong Europe. Di ko sure kung sumusunod ang mga Pilipino dyan.

1) Ewan nga ba bakit ayaw mag-RSVP ng mga Pinoy. Ayaw mag-commit? Feeling importante? Feeling busy? Mahirap i-explain. Pero hula ko, < 40% ang mag-R-RSVP lalo na sa mga weddings.

2) Sa mga weddings, 30% ng mga may invitation ang HINDI pumupunta. At 20% naman ng nagsabing pupunta ang hindi pupunta, kapag sa hotel ang wedding reception. Kapag sa bahay/barangay e kabaligtaran +20% ang pumupunta.

3) Wala pa kong na-host na wedding na puno ang mga tables o walang maupuan ang mga guests. Laging may sobrang 1 table at 2 tables. Kasi nga ayaw mag -RSVP.

Pero, maski naman mag-RSVP ang mga Pinoy o hindi, e hindi mo pa rin sure kung pupunta sila o hindi. Marami talaga sa mga guests, ang nag-de-desisyon kung pupunta o hindi the day of the wedding.

Ang aking theory. Baka hindi dapat RSVP ang hingin. Baka dapat tanungin mo kung:
1) "Nakabili ka na ba ng damit?" Kasi kung gumastos ka na, e malamang pupunta ka. Kasi, kung hindi ka pupunta, e di mo naman puwedeng pang-araw-araw ang damit ano. so sayang, pupunta ka na lang.

2) Dapat may emotional investment or emotional attachment ang bisita. Kung asa entourage, malamang pupunta siya syempre. Kung nag-practice na ang flower girl or ring bearer for 6 months, e malamang pupunta yon. Sayang naman ang investment sa time at pasensya ng magulang.

Yun Lang, wala na namang kuwentang post. hehe

Evot-Charisse Wedding RSVP here

Hanggang di pa ayos ang wedding site nila, puwede kayong dito mag-RSVP. Mahirap kasing mag-RSVP sa Cbox, dahil nawawala yan e. At least dito na-sa-save.

Para sa mga di pa nakaka-RSVP...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Happy Birthday Julienne

Happy Birthday sa dalagita ng PB. Next year High School na si Julienne, so official na siyang dalagita.

Happy Birthday Julienne. Sana masaya ang birthday mo.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Happy Birthday Kacey Faye

Today is beautiful little lady's birthday. She is 4 years old today, pero dalagita na.


Happy Birthday Kacey Faye!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Wedding Updates

1 month and 1 week to go, wedding na ni Evot and Charisse. Ready na ba kayo? May damit na? Nag-practice ng maglakad ang members ng entourage?

Hindi ko mapagana yung link sa kanan. Huwag nyo muna gamitin, inaayos pa.

Evot, Charisse may announcement ba kayo?

Message in a Bottle

(CNN) -- A few days after Meagan Bilodeau dropped a bottled message into the Atlantic Ocean during a cruise near Bermuda, the girl was home in Massachusetts.

A month after that, the bottle nearly came home, too.

The 8-year-old recently learned the message she dropped from a cruise ship roughly 600 miles off North Carolina's coast on June 18 was found in late July by a girl whose family was boating in Massachusetts' Vineyard Sound, Meagan's family says.

The spot was perhaps 15 to 20 miles from Meagan's home near Falmouth. See map of U.S. East Coast, Vineyard Sound »

"It was almost as if the bottle had been equipped with a homing device," Meagan's mother, Denise Acquaviva, said in a telephone interview this week.

The family was on a cruise to Bermuda when Meagan's father persuaded her to write the message, which included Meagan's name and address, Acquaviva said.

"I always wished someone would find my bottle if I sent one. If found, would you kindly write back to me? Please? Please? Please?" the letter read.

The message was put in a water bottle, and Meagan tossed it into the Atlantic Ocean not long after their two-and-a-half-day return cruise to Massachusetts began, Acquaviva said.
Meagan's father told her the currents could take the bottle to Europe. Meagan said she wondered who would find it and couldn't wait to correspond with whoever did.

"I hoped that it would end up somewhere far away," she said by phone this week.
On July 28, hundreds of miles from Bermuda, 11-year-old Teddy Herrick was boating with her family between Massachusetts' Martha's Vineyard and Cuttyhunk Island when the vacationing group spotted the bottle in the water. Teddy fished it out with a net, and she read the message.
Teddy, who lives in Telluride, Colorado, was excited to find it. She had just read a book whose characters became pen pals after one found the other's bottled message.

"I was very surprised. I thought it was a cool thing to do, and it was cool that the current would take it close to her home," Teddy said by telephone this week.

Teddy wrote to Meagan late last month, letting her know where the bottle was found.
The most likely path for the bottle would have been to or near the United Kingdom, but an eddy could have broken it away from the Gulf Stream, allowing it to float to Massachusetts, said Jenifer Clark, a satellite oceanographer who works for her own company in Maryland after years of employment with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Meagan said she looked forward to exchanging letters with Teddy. She said she thought it was cool that she found it, and that the bottle ended up so close to where she lives.
"I thought that it followed me home," Meagan said

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Today is 09/09/09

Have special plans this 09/09/09?

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.

In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date.

Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th.
Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.
Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09. For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.Math magic

Modern numerologists believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.

As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.

Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times.

"Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties. Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Happy Birthday Anton!

Hoy Rap anong klase kang Pinsan di mo man lang sinabi na bday ni Anton today. Hoy Denniel anong klase kang kuya, tinama mo na nga ang bday mo, di mo pa sinabi na bday ni Anton today. Haha, magsermon ba dito?!

Happy Happy Birthday Anton. Sana lagi kang naka-smile, at laging close sa mama mo. Di katulad nila... hehe.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Birthday Pia

Kasabay ng birthday ni Mama Mary ay birthday ni Sophia. Sa aking palagay, si Pia ang isa sa pinakamatalinong 3G girl.

Happy Happy Birthday Pia!

Cellphone

Last year, 2008 ay isang milestone sa Global telecommunications. Kasi, lagpas 50% ng tao sa buong mundo nung 2008, meron ng cellphones. Ibig sabihin, maski kalahati ng mundo ang nabubuhay below party line, marami sa kanila meron pa ring cellphones.

Ayon sa pag-aaral ng Synovate, totoong ang Pilipinas ang text capital of the world. Pero, hindi rin ganun kagandang balita ito. Ang ibig sabihin kasi nito, malayo pa ang discrepancy ng presyo ng text sa calls. Sa ibang bansa kasi, hindi na ganun kamahal ang mga call charges, so bihira na silang mag-text puro calls na lang.

Ang Singapore ang merong taong pinakamaraming phones (per population density) - halos 100% ng mga Singaporeans merong cellphones. At marami sa kanila ang merong more than 2 cellphones (parang si Karen). Singapore din ang merong pinakamadalas na gamit sa cellphones, kasi dahil advanced ang technology nila, sa phone na sila nag-fa-facebook, YM, emails at kung anupang social networking at gaming.

Nakakagulat na ang Russia ang bansang may pinakamaraming cellphones.

Ayon din sa pag-aaral, majority ng mga taga-Singapore di na raw mabubuhay pag walang cellphone. Maiwan na ang wallet sa bahay huwag lang ang cellphone.

Friday, September 4, 2009

WANTED

Sa ating PB Poll for the Top 3 qualities of our next Philippine President. Eto ang results:
1) Strategist
2) Makatao
3) May Integrity

Syempre ang next step ay tignan ang mga potential candidates against these 3 criteria. Hmmm. sino kaya ang papasa?

Noli de Castro
- strategist? hmm. actually hanggang ngayon di ko pa alam kung ano ang nagawa niya sa 6 years as VP. actually di ko rin alam kung ano ginagawa niya ngayon. I know DSWD siya, pero umunlad ba ang Social Work sa Pilipinas? hmmm.
- makatao? puwede. or baka naman, malapit sa tao, popular kung baga.
- may integrity? wala! haha. kapartido mo si GMA e.

Bayani Fernando
- strategist? yes!!!! I personally give him high marks for changing the traffic landscape. Good or bad. at least may ginagawa.
- makatao? hmmm, pag tinanong natin ang nakararaming sidewalk at market vendors. malamang walang wala.
- may integrity? di ko sure. wala naman akong alam about corruption charges. one can argue about his wife running (and winning) as mayor of marikina. pero i thought she is doing a really good job also. so I don't know. palagay nyo?

Erap
- strategist? hindi ata.
- makatao? daw. i am not sure. iba talaga ang popular sa tao at iba ang makatao. pero in fairness to him - maka common tao ang priorities nung siya ang presidente - agriculture, small scale business etc.
- may integrity? where do we start - from the midnight cabinet to atong ang to chavit and the jueteng money to the dacer/mancao case...

Obviously, wala naman magiging perfect dito, at wala rin akong nakikitang magkakaroon ng 3 overwhelming 'checks' among the candidates. pero let's see. abangan ang part 2.

Mahiyain

Ang nanalo sa ating pinakamahiyain 3G poll ay walang iba kundi si Joshua. 2nd place si Alex at 3rd naman si Carl. Actually hindi ko alam kung talagang mahiyain si Joshua. Kasi Best Child Performer at Best Actor nominee siya dati. Posible rin kasing hindi lang sya kilala ng mabuti ng mga nakararami. Madalas din kasi siyang absent sa mga PB gathering. Hehe.

Mahiyain ba talaga si Joshua?

Bago umalis si Alex papuntang Canada, medyo mahiyain nga siya. Paano ba naman kumalat ang tsismis dati na pag-almusal, 5 hotdog ang kinakain niya (haha binisto ko pa). So baka kaya siya nahiya. Pero I doubt kung mahiyain si Alex. Iba kasi ang schooling sa West (US or Europe or Canada), medyo liberal, mas outgoing. Feeling ko magugulat tayo kay Alex pag bisita nya sa atin next year.

Mahiyain pa rin ba si Alex?

Nag-bowling, nag-Pancake House at nag-Pinoy Henyo kami nila Carl nung Monday. Tinatanong ko nga siya, kung kelan siya unang sasayaw sa isang PB happening. Tahimik lang siya at di sumasagot. Sabi ko sa kanya hula ko 2011. Natawa lang siya. Medyo mahiyain nga si Carl, pero bata pa kasi siya e. So siguro magbabago din iyon pagtagal.

Mahiyain ba talaga si Carl?

Mga bali-balita

1) Efren Reyes and Django Bustamante are in the Top 8 of the World Cup of Pool. Dito lang yun sa SM City NOrth Annex, so mag may chance puwede manuod.

2) Hayden Kho is suspended by the Doctor's Group - Philippine Medical Association.

3) Senior Supt Cezar Mancao named deposed president Joseph Estrada, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former Senior Supt. Michael Ray Aquino as among those behind “Operation Delta,” the purported plan to kill publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer.

Weekend and Tsismis

So nabasa ninyo ang very juicy tsismis? Reaction please...

Mukhang wala namang mag-bday sa September sa PB. Hehe. Oks lang naman, mahirap talaga ang buhay. Pero kung meron man, sorry nagplano na ako ng mga weekend gigs for September (walang nagsabi e =).

Out of Town sa weekend ng Sep 12-13. Yehey.

At Mega Out-of-Town sa Sep 20-21. Holiday man sa 21 o hindi. Holiday nga ba? Naku di kami makaka-poker. Unless Sept 19 yun hehe.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Ber Ber Na

Since Ber month na, nagsusulputan na ang mga Bazaars at Christmas Sales. Pag September medyo OK pa ang presyo, habang papalapit sa Dec siyempre nagmamahal na.

Eto ang listahan ng mga bazaars na puwedeng puntahan.

------------ --
• 24th Negros Trade Fair September 11-16 at The Rockwell Tent, Makati City. www.bestofnegrosisl and. com.• American bazaar September 14 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.
• BAZAAR AT AYALA permanent at G/F, 6797 Ayala Ave. cor Rufino St. 563-9470/408- 9778/(0927) 4566991. http://www.bazaarat ayala. com.
• Bazaar for all Seasons November 5, 2009 12:00AM at UP Bahay ng Alumni, Quezon City. 655-2816.
• Boom weekend night market November 13-15; 20-22; 27-29 at CCP Complex, Corner Buendia and Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. 832-5422.
• Christmas Bazaar Oct 4 9AM-7PM at Grand Ballroom, Hotel Intercontinental Manila, Ayala Ave., Makati City. 843-9507/815- 0669.
• Christmas Wish Bazaar & Outlet Sale 2009 Nov 28-29 9:00 AM-8:00 PM at Makati Sports Club Ballroom. 480-5667/(0926) 6941700 .
• ELITE CLIQUE BAZAAR 09 Sept 24-26 10am-12mn at Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. (0908) 8859368/(0917) 9020806.
• Fab Finds Bazaar Sept 18-20 10:00 AM-12MN at Central Plaza, Eastwood City. 710-3711/(0917) 5408697/(0922) 8821075.
• FASHION PALOOZA: FITNESS AND STYLE EXPO Oct 8-10 at A.Venue Hall, Makati City. (0917) 5366832/ (0926) 6461097.
• Flea market and christmas bazaar sept 27-Dec 23 at YMCA Compound, San Antonio Village, makati City. 439-6396/(0926) 7448047.
• Grand Bazaar 2009 @ The Big Tent Sept. 5-6, 19-20 / Oct 2-4, 16-18 Nov 13-15, 28-30 / Dec 4-6, 11-13, 18-23 10:00 AM-9:00 PM at The Holy Spirit Drive, Don Antonio, Quezon City. 384-3609/(0917) 4404690.
• St. Vincent Seminary Bazaar September 27, 2009 at St. Vincent Seminary’s compound, Tandang Sora Ave., near Visayas Ave. Market. 984-7595.
• The Big Bang Bazaar Nov. 6-8,2009 at A.Venue Hall, Makati Ave. 211-5009/211- 5015/(0917) 8841588.
• The Yuletide Souk: A Big Red Bazaar Nov 7-8 at The Rockwell Tent, Makati. 994-0818/(0916) 5915252.• VALLEY VERDE 5 bazaar November 21-22, Dec 19-21. 531-6583/557- 7751.
• VGCOM Bazaar on Sept 15-19, 2009 at the Glorietta Park Tent. 706-3147/706- 1933/ (0919) 6007567.
• Woodrose Family Bazaar September 26-27, 2009 at Cuenca Community Center, Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City. e-mail: woodrose.bazaar @gmail.com. 850-6380 loc 128.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

How to Lose $3 Million in Six Years

Stop us if this sounds familiar: A very lucky person wins the lottery and expects life to change for the better, but instead, things go horribly wrong. It's a story as old as the hills, but each time it happens, it causes a huge commotion in Search. The latest "victim" of sudden wealth is a young woman from the U.K. who won millions of bucks several years ago, only to lose the vast majority of it shortly thereafter.

Callie Rogers was just 16 when she won a whopping $3 million in the lottery. Six years later, she reports that she blew untold sums on drugs, partying, exotic cars, and breast implants. A staggering $730,000 went to designer clothes alone, Ms. Rogers explains in an article from AOL. Says Rogers: "I honestly wish I'd never won the lottery money — and knowing what I know now I should have just given it all back to them." She's currently left with around $32,000.

In these trying economic times, Ms. Rogers will likely find little sympathy. Still, it's worth noting that she's hardly the first big winner who wished she'd never bought a ticket. There is such a thing as the lottery curse: As mentioned in a previous Buzz Log, there are numerous cases of lotto winners getting divorced due to stress and losing everything from poor investments. A few have even died at the hands of greedy relatives. A 2007 article from ABC will fill you in on a few more examples.

Knowing she's not the first jackpot winner to suffer hardship won't make her life any easier. But perhaps Ms. Rogers can take some comfort from the fact that there are others out there with eerily similar stories: They won big then lost big, and often wish they'd never even played.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Nakikiramay

Nakikiramay din tayo sa pagpanaw ni Ka Erdy Manalo, isa sa mga iginagalang na lider ng Iglesia ni Kristo.

Mar Makes a Move

Wow! in a drastic turn of events - Mar Roxas supports Noynoy's Presidential Candidacy. It is not clear though if he will to run as Vice President.

I think a Noynoy-Mar tandem is really tough to beat now.

Si Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (born May 13, 1957) ay Senador at apo ng dating Pangulong Manuel Roxas (yung asa 100 pesos). Siya rin ay anak ni dating senador Gerry Roxas. So Tito Egay, dapat pala nating iboto si Mar bilang utang na loob =). Di ba pinaaral tayo ng Tatay niya sa High School =).

Ang tanong...hmmm, would it be
Noynoy-Mar?
Noynoy-Kiko Pangilinan
Noynoy-Chiz?

POsibleng mangyari ay Noynoy-Mar vs. Villar-Kiko vs. Erap-Chiz vs. Noli-Loren. Interesting

Sari-Sari

Andami nga palang may bday sa PB ng September ano. Every week meron, at sabay-sabay pa ang iba. Iyong mga maghahanda dapat na sigurong mag-announce, kasi for sure meron diyan nagpla-plano ng mga weekend na labas. Idea lang naman hehe. Kung walang handa, e puwede ring wag na mag-announce. hehe. Babatiin pa rin namin kayo dito.

1) Nung Aug 30, e marami akong nasagap na mga kuwento at chika. Ang daming kuwento ni Tiyong grabe, tungkol sa Saudi, sa pagmemekaniko, sa sweldo nya, sa mga airports, at kay Hudas. Na-chika rin nya na 75th bday na nga raw niya sa Feb 25, 2010. At sinabi rin niya sa amin, na meron na raw sumagot sa handa niya. Eto usapan namin:

darwinstheory: Tiyong, ano po mas gusto ninyo handa o pera?

Tiyong: Handa na lang ang isasagot ko, kasi nakakahiya naman sa magpapa-birthday sa akin.

darwinstheory (ipinagsigawan): Hoy, huwag nyo na raw bigyan ng pera si Tiyong, pumunta na lang kayo sa bday niya, OK na iyon

Tiyong pinagbubugbog si darwinstheory at binabawalan magsalita.

2) Alam nyo bang nag-po-poker din sila Popoy at sila Tetes? Kinuwento nga ni POpoy sa amin nung Sunday. Kaya pagbisita ni Tita Tetes, maghanda ng mabuti.

3) Si Kriza pala ay nag-oath taking na. COngratulations ulit. Sana makahanap ka na rin ng trabaho. At wala ka ng dahilan ngayon.

4) Meron akong nasagap na isang very juicy tsismis. Kakaiba itong chismis na ito, dahil first time in the history. So para sa regular bloggers, ilalagay natin ang chismis na ito for 1 hour lang either on Wednesday or Thursday. Kapag nahuli nyo, e di "in" kayo sa latest chika. Kapag di kayo nag-log-in, e di hindi nyo alam ang tsismis. Hehe.