United SEA

Dear Khalel

2009-09-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

"wash away my tears"

Dear Khalel,

Hold your breath and don't look down.
Just take it one story at a time.
It's really not so hard.

Sometimes screaming will help you keep the insides inside. There's no turning back, all you can do is hope they'll be there to catch at the bottom; but they won't, and it's never a soft landing. And after you hit the bottom, fracturing every bone, everyone expects you to just tough it up and walk away. But you can't even move your toe, let alone walk.

Everyone passes by so casually; barely even noticing your mangled body laying there. You almost want to laugh but your jaw is lying on the pavement beside you, which makes it a little difficult.

"Take the fall, it's worth the risk."

Just be thankful that you can't see yourself like this. The system is suspended in limbo, the power is on but there's no response. And all that's left is to shut it down and move on.

Khalel, be strong. Be very Strong.

I will be your strength,

CAIRO

IMAHE | KHALEL ZANTILLAN

2009-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

"But you see," said Roark quietly, "I have, let's say, sixty years to live. Most of that time will be spent working. I've chosen the work I want to do. If I find no joy in it, then I'm only condemning myself to sixty years of torture. And I can find the joy only if I do my work in the best way possible to me. But the best is a matter of standards--and I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand at the end of no tradition. I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one."

- ayn rand

NO ARROWS

2009-05-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

ive lost my concentration.
this outburst of emotions,
this uncontrolable surge of pain,
words seemed to be far away,
and im left here, silenced.

this feeling that wont subdue,
id really hate you if this is untrue.
you stare at me like im the only one.
we both know im not.
but why such pretention?
why such love?

is this cowardice we both manifest?
or is it only i that make matters worse?
you've got someone else beside you.
i've got no one.
love fills me when you speak.
but dried tears well up when the two of you meet.

my jealousy is void,
for you and i, there has never been US.

-khalel zantillan
May 29, 2009

DISCONTENTMENT

2009-05-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

The average; norm.
is there such a form?
Forlorn; torn between a sole journey
and the sojourn of the soul.

The final visionary,
overtaken by solemn undertakings
as serene reality, overshadowed by unreal premise
trickles down, abandoned by discontented minds.

Silenced murmurs echo unchecked,
obscured among lost footsteps of dissident spirits.
Lighten prospects through unenlightenment;
Quench the thirst for reality with tears of confusion.

Shaded nuance and veiled subtlety;
forsaken graces of humanity
when fear of individuality
overwrites morality.

-khalel zantillan
i forgotten how sweet the black tears taste.
rekindling the dying light, beckons: I am home.

We're Back!

2009-02-15T03:37:00.000-08:00

Bigger.
Better.
Gayer.

After 7 months of hiatus, we are back online! Now with a new link, but still with the same feel.

http://tdrs.mypodcast.com

Live, Love, and Unite with PRIDE. MARCH!

2008-11-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

Fairies and Pixies. Hansels and Gretels.

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Friends...

Fly to Malate on December 6, 2008, Saturday, and be part of the grandest Rainbow event in Philippine History!

1PM - Registration at Remedios Circle

3PM - Parade (Remedios Circle - Pedro Gil - Orosa)

6PM - Program and Pageant (Orosa)

10PM - Party at Orosa St.

Put on your best fairytale and fantasy costume and join the grandest Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) event of the year: the 2008 Manila Pride March.

For more details, visit the 2008 Manila Pride March Official Website!

(Feel free to copy and paste and re-blog or share via email this post! Click here to copy HTML code for easier reposting)

LGBT Bloggers for Manila Pride March 2008!

2008-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

I would like to personally thank Red Box for graciously sponsoring the LGBT Bloggers' Night last Sunday, November 16 at Red Box, Greenbelt 3.

Also, I would like to thank Joyce Pogoy and GeiserMaclang for helping us make this event happen.

And of course I'd like to thank all the LGBT Bloggers and their friends for coming and having fun with us!

For those who missed it, we know there was something else more important that you had to attend to, and we completely understand.

Congratulations to Yffar and Rainbow Bloggers Philippines for the launch of the group blog.

Congratulations also to the winners of Delifrance and Red Box GCs and domain names (courtesy of BaklaAko.com, of course hehe).

But the party and the fight is not yet over. The Manila Pride March 2008 is almost here and we still have a lot of things to accomplish!

It is in this light that we are inviting (once again), all LGBT bloggers (and supporters of LGBT causes) to join us as we represent our online community in this year's Pride March. We will be scheduling another get-together and meeting before the end of November so we can all discuss how we will represent our community at the Pride March. We already have a budget for the rental of the truck we will use for the float.

What we need now is commitment from everyone to join us on December 6 as we represent the LGBT Blogging Community at the Pride March. We need your help, support, and participation so we can tell not only the online world, but also the rest of the universe that we are here, we are queer, and we will stand up and fight for our rights!

The registration form for the LGBT Bloggers for the Pride March can be found below:

Loading...

You may also register via this link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pBMbzxkhfXMIuzVyY2lcDNg&hl=en

Please feel free to pass the message and/or copy-paste this entry and the form. We need all the participation and the help we can get! (If you are not out but want to join the march, we can certainly accommodate you and we already have some ideas as to how you can join us!)

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

Filipino LGBT Bloggers for Pride March!

2008-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

We are inviting all Filipino Gay and Lesbian Bloggers to take part in this year’s Pride March which will take place sometime in December! Yes, we know it may still be too early, but we’re inviting you all to join us as we celebrate Pride! The organizers of this year’s Pride March — Task Force Pride and Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) — are inviting us all to form a Bloggers Contingent for this year’s march.

There is no definite date yet, but we will post updates here soon.

Also, we can have an LGBT Bloggers Night slash meet-up sometime in October or November (I will work on getting sponsors for the venue and possibly food) for us to get to know each other more, unite our ranks, fight for our rights, and of course… party!

The world wide web has heard our voices online, why not let the rest of the offline world hear us too?

If you want to be part of this contingent, please send us the information below in an email to: gaybloggers@baklaako.com

Name: (Real or Psuedonym, it’s up to you)

Blog Url:

Blog Title:

E-mail Address:

If you have gay and lesbian friends who want to join the Pride March in December but do not have blogs, why not ask them to start one? There’s Livejournal, Wordpress.com, Multiply, Blogspot, Vox, and a whole lot more!

So come one, come all! In or out of the closet, come na!

http://baklaako.com/2008/filipino-gay-bloggers-for-the-pride-march/

Mga Importanteng Impormasyon Para Sa Buhay Natin

2008-07-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 26 July -- Ipagdiwang ang contract renewal ng mga badiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Tayo na't mag-party at pumartee! Hehehe! May beach party sa Lamma Island sa Sat night all through Sunday morning. Ang ferry naman papunta sa Lamma ay tumatakbo hanggang 1130. So pwede humabol. Kung ayaw nyo naman mag-Lamma, ok lang rin. Basta magsama-sama tayo at mag-celebrate! Tutal, bagong sweldo.. Aminin!!!!

Sunday, 27 July -- Birthday party ni Rabbi sa FINDS. Isa sa mga wishes nya ay pumunta tayo. Punta naman tayo. Birthday naman e.

At muli pong nananawagan sa mga di pa nakakapag-settle ng bayad sa mga pilandorang ininom natin nung June 21.. Naniningil na ung mga nag-abono. Pakibigay lang sa kin. Salamat!

See y'all, beckies!

--Ryeness

The Anti-Discrimination Bill: 10 Things You Need To Know

2008-06-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

Got this from the blog of gay activist extraordinaire Jonas Bagas:

Ten things you need to know about the Anti-Discrimination Bill:

Fight for equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs) by pushing for the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB 956) authored by AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Here’s what the bill is all about:

Equal rights, not special rights. The bill does not grant additional or special rights to LGBTs. What it does is criminalize violations to the human rights and freedoms on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill affirms and promotes human rights and freedoms that are enshrined in the Constitution.

Equality in schools. The bill prohibits discrimination against LGBT students, which usually takes place through unfair admission policies, unjust expulsion, and unreasonable disciplinary actions.

Equal opportunities in employment. By criminalizing unfair labor practices and policies on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, the bill promotes decent jobs for LGBT workers.

…..Click here to read more

An Open Letter of a Transgender Woman in the Philippines

2008-05-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Below is an open letter of Sass Rogando Sassot, a transgender woman, who experienced discrimination at one bar in Makati.

PEOPLE LIKE US
An Open Letter of a Transgender Woman in the Philippines
[25 May 2008 / Sunday / 6.04 AM to 6.45 AM]

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt

My friends and I have been made to feel inferior approximately five hours before I wrote this letter. I’d like to sweep this incident under the proverbial rug but there is no more space to accommodate it.

On the 24th of May 2008, my friends and I were celebrating the anniversary of our organization the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), the first transsexual women’s support group and transgender rights advocacy organization in the Philippines. We settled to celebrate it in Ice Vodka Bar, located in Greenbelt 3, 3rd level Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila. It was my first time in that bar. Two in our group have been there before and they had nothing bad to say about it.

There were five of us. I was leading the way. The bouncer stopped us. I asked why. His reason was we were dressed “inappropriately”. We were rather dressed decently, tastefully, and most importantly just like any other human being who lives her life as female 24 hours a day.

I asked for the manager. The bouncer was nice enough to let me in. The manager, Ms Belle Castro, accommodated me. I don’t know if I spelled her name right. I asked for a business card but she had none available. Her telling feature though was her braced teeth.

I complained. Ms Castro listened to me. I found her sympathetic, even respectful as she addressed me all throughout as ma’am. She told me the following:

1. (Referring to my friends, and obviously to me) That “people like them” aren’t allowed in our bar every Fridays & Saturdays;

2. That that was an agreement between all the bars in Greenbelt (she particularly mentioned their bar, Absinthe, and Café Havana) and Ayala Corporation, the company which owns the Greenbelt Complex;

3. That the reason for this policy is: “Marami kasing foreigner na nag-kocomplain at napepeke daw sila sa mga katulad nila.” Loosely translated in English: “There are lots of foreigners complaining because they mistake people like them as real women”; and

4. That they have a “choice” to implement the policy.

I felt terribly hurt and uncontrollably agitated. This transphobic act is not the first time that it happened to me, to my friends, to people like us. To say that this has become almost a routine is an understatement.

I have shouted at Ms Castro several times, asking her why I’m f***ing experiencing racism in my own country and what gave f***ing foreigners the right to demand to block people like us to enter bars in our very own country.

Ms Castro tried to hush me by pulling the “It’s our choice card” and asked me to talk decently. I am not proud at all of using the F-word as my intensifier and of letting my emotions ran raw and wild. My warm apologies to Ms Castro for losing my cool. Just like any of us, I know, she was just doing her job.

This may not be the proper forum to raise this concern. But is there any reliable legal forum to address this issue? Reality check: there is no antidiscrimination law in this country. And if you’re discriminated, there seems to be a notion that you’re supposed to blame yourself for bringing such an unfortunate event to yourself.

So, I’d just stand up through this open letter.

I am standing for myself. I am standing for people like us. I am standing up because I, am, very, tired of this incivility. We have long endured this kind of treatment for far too long. Enough.

I’ll not go as far as campaigning for a boycott as it is definitely the simple workers that would suffer from any loss in revenue such an act may cause.

People like us would like to be treated just like any other human being. Just like those foreigners who complained about our existence: With dignity.

You know the civilized and ethical thing to do: Stop discrimination in your establishments.

Bigotry is never ethical nor a sound business strategy.

Warmly,

Ms Sass Rogando Sasot
Sass is one of the founding members of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) [www.tsphilippines.com], an Associate Member of Transgender ASIA Research Centre, and a member of Ang Ladlad Party.

To have a dialogue with her regarding this incident, you may reach her at srsasot@gmail.com or through her mobile at +639276257010.

But the world is not all that bad and there are still good people out there who have even just a tinge of humanity in them. Thanks to formal and educated communication employed by Ms. Sassot, a lot of good developments regarding this case have taken place. And that’s all in a matter of less than a week.

Ms. Sassot shared the timeline and here is the long and short of it all: …..Click here to read more

HK Disney Gayday & Floatilla '08

2008-05-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

S3 Ep6 of TDRS, "The HK Gay Weekend", Out Now!

This is the sequel to Season 1's

Gayday & Floatilla Episode.

Did you think we were kidding

when we talked about them last year?

Here's proof we weren't. :-)

 On location: HK Disneyland for the Gayday Celebration

and

on board the Volume boat for Floatilla 08

http://thedanandryeshow.blogspot.com

Khalel: The Emancipation

2008-04-01T22:24:00.001-07:00

At this moment I am free.

At this moment I am free. I am utterly emancipated from all facets of obligation, mandates, or responsibilities. At this moment I exist as the reconciled chaos, as the believed dharma, and as the arid desert of an infinitely mundane consciousness. I’d relish the opportunity to insinuate my abhorrence for the situation, but that would apply it pertinence, and apply me emotion. And to fathom… this is a moment, an attribute of a perpetual fluctuating eternity, and the only thing keeping me in it is the tantalizing facets of the subconscious.

People, like parasites flourish inscrutably. Perpetually propagating lacking coherent logic as to what their putrid life is. And those who do ratify the intricate existence they possess, a dismissal system embedded in their mind alleviates it because its a "negative" thought. And this is due to its potent nature of ceasing people from their cycle. In fact there are those who seek to attain that resolution. They cherish the moment where they ignorantly infer they are irrelevant, and "life’s not worth living." I think the answer to that comment or in some situations question would be, "No, your not worth living life."

There is exuberance in deducing eternal nothingness, and redundancy it induces horror. This horror is then converted into an emotion to be unconsciously embraced and there you go. Back to the start, your putrid perpetual drone is once again manipulating all the insoluble facets of life to befit his emotion, to imbue him to complete his oblivious propagation now that he’s acquired an assisting emotion. We exist as momentary emotions. All associates ambient to you, all friends are merely attributes of your own emotional application. They are external phenomenon’s much like yourself, though they are subjectively interpreted to befit your emotional designation. For example, If Jane has a repugnant face, chances are she has a sincere propitious personality to you. If Joe is arrogantly hansom, then he has a repulsive attitude. Depending on the objective and temperament of the one discerning, the associates conform. Though the fundamental foundation they conform too, despite our subjective manipulated interpretations, is emotions.

One of the facets I use to validate my contempt for humanity as being a disease is that they require not the association with humanity beyond logic at a certain moment. As all creatures implemented on this earth they proceed through stages. Some are very obscure developing stages, like the crocodile. Some are almost parallel to our own, such as the lion. And thus the human exists in this process as well, but the befuddling aspect of the human is that certain moments of its development induce a state of satisfaction, thus it suffices not to ensue.

The human is bestowed the abstract mind, the immaculate logic, and the inscrutably succinct reason. Lacking these attributes the human is equivalent to the animals, simplistically responding to emotional responses that it is oblivious to. And its mandate to propagate the race to barbarically preserve a family and or race they are only correlated to by fear, or stupidity. This is the human lacking those fundamental aspects of abstract, logic and reason. And the repugnant, the so atrocious, the so bewilderingly disgruntling deduction I arrive at is these parasites intentionally reside at these states of underdevelopment. They unconsciously choose to remain primitive, rambunctious and barbaric. And so you say to your self, indeed remain ignorant with your imprudent emotions, and acrid unconscious burdensome desires. Though that itself ratifies the disease they are, capable of ascending though remaining primitive and mentally underdeveloped. And thus contentions ensue, caused by their emotional states of being, and inability to avert what shouldn’t exist. Just like the lion growing up and still-hunting with its decaying mother. The lion could only sustain its existence at this point by sacrificing its means to be better for the worse of both entities. Not only is the lion delaying the nature of its mothers demise, but also the lion now lacks the ability to thrive for its own being as well. And the only thing that keeps the human lacking its truth or reconciliation of existence by means of cognition or abstract mind is emotion.

And it is these emotions we praise. It is our merit sorrow and wrath. Our friends are attributes of this existence as momentary emotions. And how ironic is it that our life’s mandate is to ascertain just those emotions that allow us to infer “pointlessness of our lives” as the ignorant so much abhor. The emotion is a fluctuating aspect of ones inner conscious that parades itself so inconclusively and inexplicable that each parasite on this so bewildering earth latches onto for the security of there own impudence.

All conflict, all contention all future problem and whoa is fucking me, is the cause of our intentional degradation, and satisfaction with not knowing, even though we so simplistically could. These boisterous human creatures require that moment of liberating liability, they need to have that brief elated moment to surmise there lives are impertinent. Because that moment only empowers there putrid thrive to enforce their emotions to emancipate themselves from the “horror” that only exists for pity. Its comical just the utter truth we desire to dismay when reading articles such as this. As though humanities obliged to acquire some scientific consensus of some elaborate truth no one believes. The primitive humans even then secure themselves with a concept they still fail to grasp. “Ah yes, science can answer my disgusting existence!”

But nonetheless this is my subjective interpretation that pertains its existence only coincided with me. This is a concept and a perspective bequeathed out of the sheer will I have to exert, just to ratify my own freedom.

______________

I AM BACK. And It Feels So Fucking Good to be Back!

To EveryOne, please accept my apologies for my absences and lapses.

Petition to be launched over Saudi blogger arrest

2008-01-07T02:06:00.000-08:00

Reporters without Borders plans to launch a petition this week calling for the release Saudi blogger Ahmad Fouad Al-Farhan, the press freedom advocate group told on Sunday.

Clothilde Le Coz, head of the internet freedom desk at Reporters without Borders, said the group also planned to write to the minister of interior over Al-Farhans's imprisonment.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested the popular 32-year-old blogger on December 10 for violating “non-security regulations", but his detention was not made public until last Tuesday.
Al-Farhan’s blog - Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, shoura and all the rest of lost Islamic values - has posted a letter, allegedly from Al-Farhan, which states he believes he was arrested because he “wrote about political prisoners in Saudi Arabia”.

Reporters without Borders has condemned Al-Farhan detention, which is believed to be the first arrest of an online critic in the kingdom.

"The reforms and the opening announced by King Abdallah Ibn Al-Saud have yet to have any impact on the lives of Saudis, including those who openly express their disagreement with government policies,” the group said in a statement last week.

"After blocking the news website Elaph and the leading blog publishing service www.blogger.com, the authorities have now directly targeted a blogger for the first time.”

Saudi Arabia is on the Reporters without Borders list of '13 internet enemies' and was ranked 148th out of 169 countries in the Reporters without Borders world press freedom index that was published in October 2007.

Issues of National Concern for Filipinos Abroad

2008-01-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is a personal commentary I rceived thru email from Mr. Jayme Nava Cruz of Riyadh, which I find very informative to all Overseas Filipino Workers abroad.

Time and again, it's New Year (2008), and I want to take this privilege to share a few thoughts and comments about some topics that should be near to your hearts, and certainly, of tantamount interest to you, all.

In doing so, let me jumpstart by saying that "freedom of expression", or 'freedom of speech', as preferred to be called by many, is indeed, a great 'license', (though associated with consequences), for everyone in most cases. In saying so, the bold fact connotes that we are also entitled to 'freedom of criticism', as long it is within the perimeters of fairness and decency. And in view of this, I have 3-major-comment to make:

I. Appreciation of PPeso against the Green bucks!

It is noteworthy to highlight the claim of our government, which is regularly mentioned on the pages of local and international newspapers, citing that our present government presides a strong economic growth, "kahit sabihin pang nariyang ang milyong outcries nang milyon-milyong OFWs sa nararamdamang hirap nang buhay, especially taking into view the 'all-time-high' appreciation of PPeso against the Dollars, na tunay namang nakapekto sa 'purchasing power' nang lahat nang OFWs. Of course, having a "bullish economy", now and ahead on, is a very good sign of economic recovery. (Sino nga bang Pinoy ang hindi matutuwa?) Nevertheless, we could not deny the fact that unless the benefits of this so called, affluence, is filtered down to the poor, especially to the poorest component of our society, walang makakaramdam nang tutuong kaligayan sa sinasabing uptrend economic recovery. And although one may say that, "it will take sometime to feel and enjoy the positive results of this "economic growth", pero hanggang KAILAN nga ba ang gagawing paghihintay?

Personally, as an OFW, or a "FilExpat" (title nang short film narrative that I've recently wrapped-up), lalu kong nararamdam ang hirap nang pagpasan nang mga gastusin sa pang-araw araw na pangangailangan nang aking pamilya sa Pilipinas sa nagdaang taon. Sa pagbagsak nang dolyar against the PPeso sa merkado, na hindi tumutugma sa hindi natitinag na presyo nang mga bilihin sa Pilipinas, I note that it is now becoming very difficult to ''rehydrate' my bank accounts back home. Nagsimula ang ganitong kondisyon since the 3rd Quarter of 2007. Pretty sure, if this situation will go on "fully unattended", and 'no concrete counter strategies' will be considered and put in place, I won't doubt that in due time, my savings will soon be slowly "dehydrated", and even, bone-dry!

Frankly, the instant move of one of our community groups in Jeddah, na kaagad sumulat kay President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to quickly act on this issue, (consider the $ - PPeso exchange rate of 1$ = 50PPeso), is indeed heroic, at tunay na napapanahon. Yung ginawa nilang pangangalampag is one-perfect-way to show, "what and how to make an issue on, and not". At tunay namang issue ito! Imposible namang bumagsak na ang aming "purchasing power", and yet, we are expected na magawa pang mag cartwheels and dance the Macarena! The Big Q! is, paano nga ba tunay pang nakakatawid yung mga kababayan nating naghihirap din sa Pinas na walang permanenteng tarbaho at nagkakasya na lamang sa kanilang shoestring budget? OK sana yung pagbaba nang dolyar at yang "bullish economy" if it is coincided sa pagbaba nang prices of our basic commodities. The truth of the matter is, both sides, (kaming OFws at yung mga naghihirap na kababayan sa Pilipinas), ang tunay na nakakaramdam nang parusa at problema.

What I am confused of is: Many of our politicians are claiming that they are the best, if not, best of the bests (political and economic tacticians, etc.). Granted that we enjoy great collections of intellectual talents, PERO bakit hindi natin tunay na maramdaman ang tutuong pag-usad bilang isang isang bansa? Perhaps, our 'national guards' should do some moral inquests, i.e. on how they can serve most good the greater number of our populace especially the poor, (tulad nang karamihan naming OFWs) given the resources they have. Sabi nga ni Bill Gates during his 2006 commencement speech sa Harvard, "To whom much is given much is expected!".

I hope, as early as today, (January 1, 2008), our beloved President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, finally find ways and means to smoothen things up para sa aming mga OFWs na tunay namang nahihirapan sa extreme slided-value of US Dollars against the 'all-time-high-appreciation' of PPeso. (The Year 2007 was indeed an 'annus horribilis' sa mga OFWs.). I hope, too, that the concerned government agencies won't suffer of the "will-not-to-know-attitude" with respect to our predicaments on this issue of US$ - PPeso exchange trend. (Ok sana kung sa bawat pagbagsak nang dolyar ay tumataas din ang aming sulwedo.)

II. Importance of Cash Management, etc.

Given the issue as narrated in Item 1-above, I believe it is imperative and prudent that OFWs, (all of us), consider, observe and practice in truth the importance of "'CASH MANAGEMENT". In advocating so, I mean:

a. Yung excessive na paggastos nang wala namang katuturan. Let's face the fact na maraming kababayang Pinoy ang mahilig mag-purchase nang doble-dobleng equipment. Tatlong TV... may pang sala, pang bedroom at pang kitchen. Dalawang 'component'. The sad truth is, some of us are always forgetful of the saying: "Always differentiate what you want to what you only need". I hate to say this, but it is becoming part and parcel of our "Pinoy social attitude". Let's take note that "having the status of Sharon Cuneta" vis-a-vis having the attitude of "feeling Sharon Cuneta" are two different things.

b. Let's tighten our belt. (Maghigpit nang sinturon!) One way of doing so is, umiwas sa gastusin such as throwing 'parties' every now and then. Dito ko lamang nakita at naranasan sa Kingdom na mag-birthday lang, or mag-celebrate nang Valentine's Day kaya, "nagpapa social party na", and take note, imbitado ang halos buong barangay. Para bang laging mayroong 'meeting de avance. Dito ko din halos nakita na marami sa atin ang tunay na "branded conscious". Yun bang dapat naka Armani, Versace at D&G... (kahit sabihin pang hindi magawang bigkasin nang tama ang 'Dolce', idagdag pa ang 'Versace'). It is pretty okay kung can afford at kaya nang bulsa. Paano kung hindi? Though one may argue or make counter comments, albeit, marami sa atin ang may ganitong attitude. Masarap mabuhay sa epicenter of reality. At mas lalung masarap makita at madama na tanggapin ka nang mga kaibigan bilang ikaw..... maging mahirap ka man o mayaman. Matalino man o mayroong mga kakulangan.

In considering our present situation sa pagbagsak nang dolyar, lalu nating isipin ang ating truest and sincerest mission why we are working in here, or elsewhere overseas: Yung kumita nang Pera. Mag-save. (Isn't it that "money saved is money earned?"). Umunlad ang buhay at magkaroon nang comfortable retirement pagdating nang araw. Which in the long run, ay makakatulong sa pag-usad ang ating ekonomiya. In doing so, we will find out that we are helping ourselrves more than we ever know.

III. On a totally different subject: (Various Pinoy artists, art and cultural groups in the Kingdom).

It's a common knowledge, which we should realize, that no matter how much natural talent and ability we might have, we will never reach our full potential without getting a broad experience of our chosen field; that unless our talent comes into contact with an environment where it can develop and flourish, it might lie dormant forever.

The issue in here is: If and when possible, one should get guidelines and trainings from people who sincerely know the craft. Kung kayang pumunta sa mga schools of arts, do it; why not! In addition to our experience na nakukuha sa ibat-ibang undertakings tulad nang mga various cultural and artistic presentations nang bawat art groups, tunay na makakatulong at makakadagdag ang pagkuha nang formal schooling at trainings.

My personal observation is, again, though one may argue: Sa halip na tunay na "i-polish" ang natural talents nang ibang Pinoy artists, they opt na mag-compare at mamintas na lamang. Some are only satisfied sa "feeling-artist- attitude". The grain of truth is: tunay na maraming competent at well-disciplined Pinoy artists na OFWs sa Kingdom. For one, I know so many, pero marami rin yung mayroon lamang na "feeling popular" at may "know-all-attitude". I mean, makasayaw lamang nang modern jazz, feeling na nasa kategorya na nang dating "Ms. Liza Macua", or, Angel Reyes, or, David Pantoja. Nakatulong or na-assign lamang mag design nang stage for a certain cultural program, ayun at feeling "certified art director' na.

Perhaps, it is prudent to consider that our natural creative ability, if it is not honed (via experience and education), let alone, practiced (via various artistic and serious undertakings), is an obvious waste of human talent. And the concerned artist must know this fact.

Now, on the issue of those claiming they are great, well-disciplined artists: Why not share yur real talents and expertise to others? Certainly, knowing what we know, why we can't (share)? Isn't it iyan ang ilan sa mga dahilan kaya tayo binigyan nang nasa Itaas nang talino at opportunity for a full access sa edukasyon?

And finally, doon sa ating mga kababayan, who always find na laging "kabadingan": ang parameters and perimeters of SINING, Pinoy artist man (Pinilakang Tabing), Bollywood, Lollywood, Hollywood, ....... (GISING!).
Again, it has something to do with our mental factors and social attitude...... (yung social insensibilities and artistic bankruptcies) nang ilan regarding the whole matter. As for our Pinoy artists, professional and amateur, in the Kingdom, let us all remember that: "Artists ought to be judged by their artwork, not whether they are gays, lesbians or not!".

Filipinos in 100 Countries in 100 Years

2007-11-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

When 15 young men left the Philippines 100 years ago to work in the plantations in Hawaii, little did they know that what they did was to start the journey of the Global Filipino. Known as "sacadas" (migrant farm workers), all they wanted to do was to make a living and send home their earnings to support their families.

Prior to the arrival of the "sacadas," most of the farm workers in Hawaii were Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Portuguese. However, with the passage of the xenophobic Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the supply of farm workers dwindled. When the Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States for $20,000,000 in 1898, the plantation owners saw the former Las Islas Filipinas as a new source of farm workers.

Satisfied with the industriousness and traits of the 15 Ilocano "sacadas," the demand for Filipino farm workers increased. Ilocano and Visayan "sacadas" were recruited. By 1931, there were 115,000 "sacadas" in Hawaii. Today, the State of Hawaii boasts of 270,000 Filipinos comprising almost a quarter of the state's population.

Within a year of the arrival of the first batch of "sacadas" in Hawaii in 1906, the First Wave of Filipinos started to arrive in Hawaii and the US mainland, mostly in California. Filipinos also trekked to the canneries of Alaska. In addition to the farm workers, young Filipino students and scholars, supported by the Pensionado Act of 1903, studied in American universities. More than 14,000 "pensionados" graduated from prestigious American universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Cornell. Most of the "pensionados" -- many of which took up Law and Engineering -- went back to the Philippines after they earned their degrees and served in key positions in the Philippine Commonwealth government. They became the role models for local university graduates who were motivated to serve their government which at that time signified the epitome of their careers. Some of the "pensionados" even ran for political offices. They became the new "ilustrados" of the American "Hollywood" Era.

When World War II started, thousands of the migrant Filipinos in America -- then known as the "manongs" -- joined the US army and became part of the US liberation forces. Since most of the "manongs" were unmarried due to the scarcity of Filipinas in the US and the ban on interracial marriages by the anti-miscegenation laws of California and several other states, they took advantage of their "homecoming." They did not waste any time looking for brides to bring back with them to America.

After the Philippines gained its independence in 1946, immigration trickled down to 50 a year, a number imposed by US immigration reforms enacted to control the influx of immigrants from certain countries. However, a lot of Filipinos who served in the US armed forces were granted American citizenship. Thus, the Second Wave of Filipino immigrants began. In addition, the US Navy started recruiting Filipinos as stewards. A lot of them were assigned to the White House serving all the presidents from the time of President Truman. Today, the Chief Cook in the White House is a Filipina.

In 1965, the US Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1965 which increased the immigration quota to 20,000 per year per country. The new law gave preference to professionals and relatives of American citizens. The Third Wave of Filipino immigrants began to arrive.

In the 1970s, Middle Eastern countries with their "petrodollars," started recruiting skilled workers from other countries. Thus, the "Overseas Filipino Worker" (OFW) was born. Mostly equipped with a college degree or technical skill and the ability to communicate in English, thousands of OFWs sought employment in the oil fields of the Middle East.

Consequently, employment opportunities were found in other countries as well. The reputation of Filipinos as industrious, efficient, and literate in English became the OFWs' ticket to job opportunities in more than 100 countries. Today, 3,500 Filipinos leave each day for overseas job placements.

The economic impact of the 8.1 million OFWs is the bedrock of the Philippines' financial stability. Recently, the Philippine government announced that from January through October 2005, remittances from overseas Filipinos totaled $8.83 billion which included $5.32 billion from the US. This amount did not include money sent by other means outside of Philippine banks. It is estimated that the total amount of remittances is more than $21 billion per year.

A century after the "Filipino Diaspora" began, a global Filipino nation emerged. The Philippines' borders are now just imaginary lines demarcating the country's political boundaries. However, a borderless Global Filipino nation has superimposed itself on Earth. With the passage of the Philippines' Dual Citizenship Law, overseas Filipinos can now retain their Filipino citizenship.

With the advent of globalization, the Filipinos have become the most competitive labor group among nations. Other countries -- e.g., China and India -- are now preparing their citizens to compete in the global labor market by encouraging them to learn English as a second language. It is ironic, however, that the Philippines -- whose immersion in English has been its best advantage in the global labor market -- is heading towards changing its medium of instruction from English to the Tagalog-based Filipino.

There is even a small group of Filipinos who want to preserve the indigenous languages by using them as the medium of instruction in their respective regions. But what good would it be if Filipinos become proficient in their indigenous language and lose their ability to communicate in the global community? How could they compete in the global labor market without any knowledge of English, the universal lingua franca?

Filipinos should not lose sight of the fact that the 8.1 million overseas Filipinos in more than 100 countries in the world are the ones who are fueling the Philippine economy with their "Pinoydollars." The Philippine government should make all efforts to prepare its citizens for competitiveness and job placements not only within its territorial boundaries but in every country in the world. After all, the Number One beneficiary is our "Inang Bayan," Filipinas.

from Perryscope

this woman made me think

2007-11-08T00:17:00.000-08:00

I realized how tired I am when I saw this woman having a respite under the Dita tree at Virac downtown. At that moment, I want to sit beside her to get at least a brief interval of rest and be just an spectator of the hustle and bustle of the busy downtown. I did not. I was in a hurry.

Aren't we always in a hurry for something? We are constantly on the run, always wanting to be at pace with the pack, and sometimes wanting to be ahead in this marathon called life. We are always busy that we forget to pause for a moment and reflect if the things that keep us running all day give us a deeper sense of satisfaction and joy. Are we running towards the right direction?

I am glad I took this picture. This will be my constant reminder to give myself a timeout and rethink how I can move forward again without the pervading sense of urgency surrounding me. Maybe next time, you will see me sitting under that Dita tree.

From MUSINGS OF A FILIPINO LESBIAN

You Can Read!

2007-11-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

I never really realized how much a part I already am of the blogging world until I saw Empress Maruja's message on my cbox tonight.

My very-popular-blogger-friend-slash-college-theater-guild-batchmate is starting his own monthly blog awards which he billed as "Pinoy Blog Superstar".

And in its maiden voyage, Can't You Read has been chosen as one of the nominees.

It brings me (walang kiyeme) so much pride to be nominated alongside my blogging idols like Misterhubs and Mandaya Moore-Orlis --- two of the very few bloggers that inspire me to be dedicated to my blog and at the same time, make me feel insecure about it as well. Sometimes lang naman. And it's the positive kind of insecurity --- that which propels one to strive to be better at what he does.

The nomination in itself is an honor. But I'd be happier if I bag the award. So vote for me. I know my fellow contenders are better writers, funnier, and more opiniated than I am. But this is my first time, so please... ipagpaubaya nyo na sa kin ang beginner's luck!

(Dan, ito ba yung tinatawag mong "appeal to pity"?)

Again, thank you, Empresss Maruja for this. And thanks also to my few readers who never get tired of reading the not-so-very-extraordinary life that I have and blog about.

I love you all!

To vote, leave a comment on Empress Maruja's site.

Zeitgeist 8

2007-10-19T02:07:00.000-07:00

I chanced upon this the other night from a blog I don't remember anymore.

Whatever your political opinion is, or even if you don't have one, watch this video. It's worth knowing the truth, if in case it really IS the truth. And if it's not, at least you know that things could be worse.

A Penny For This Thought

2007-10-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

It's been weeks since a good friend, Steve, first heard of me being broke. It's nothing new to me, really --- being broke. I've always been reckless with my finances. And I'd have sporadic moments of guilt here and there but it never really bothered me. But on Saturday night, when everybody was out and having fun, I was at home, being punished for overspending AGAIN. that night, I knew I just had to admit: My recklessness is getting way out of control!

So this good friend once mentioned that he was willing to be my financial planner. But we were drinking that time and we were humoring my spending habits so I didn't think he was serious. And I would guess he didn't think I was serious about my problem either. I talk about it all the time that it has probably lost its "value". Almost short of saying, it's already become a joke.

To cut the long story short, Steve offered again tonight. And he seems to be serious about it. He seems to already know which of my expenses are unnecessary and how much I REALLY am capable of saving. I am impressed, really. It almost seems to me like he's reviewed my financial profile all those nights we were out getting hammered and trying to get a decent lay.

Immediately before I started writing this blog, we were chatting online about this. It got me quite excited and here's why---

He doesn't ask for anything unreasonable in return. Nothing unreasonable --- not even sexual favors from me or any of my friends *winks at Steve*. He knows his Math. He will educate me on Excel. He promised he will never ask to be the sgnatory of my bank account. He doesn't intimidate me with all those sickening financial jargon. He talks sense. And an observation based on friendship, he is rational. (Too rational in fact, that he overanalyzes even matters of the heart)

But come to think of it, all the basic principles that he's mentioned from the first time ever that we talked about money, I've already heard and read about. His offer is just more difficult to resist because of his scientific approach. Hello! Microsoft Excel! Well, that and the fact that I've come to a point that I know that I really have to start doing something about my finances.

Then he said it. What I knew was the ultimate solution but wished he'd be more scrupulous in telling me --- I'll have to be ready. More than anything, it's a complete change in lifestyle. That means cutting down on shopping, abstaining from too many night-outs, and less rendezvous with Collins. It's quite daunting, I must admit. But it's necessary.

The thing is, my willpower, valid reasoning and sound judgement don't always triumph over my impulsiveness. They rarely do, actually. Even with their powers combined. There's only one way that could possibly defeat my being a spendthrift. From the words of Dan, Julius and Chris, I have to be addicted to saving up.

How can I do that?

FREE BURMA

2007-10-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

Take part in this action for a Free Burma!

1. Publish a posting (Bulletin Board, Forum, Blog, Social Network, Static Website…) on the 4th of October with the header: “Free Burma!”

2. Tag it if you can with “Free Burma”

3. Choose a grafic from our Grafics page and

4. Link to www.free-burma.org there your readers will find some informations about the campaign and Burma and a participant list which you can join. Even if you're a webmaster of a bulletin board or social network you will find a special Group List to join.

5. Add our Petition Widget to your blog/website.

6. Feel free to write any additional text you want.

If you have no website or blog we need you even more: Please help us to spread the word across the internet, tell your neighbours, friends or kids and first of all: Sign our list of participants!
Spread the word

Please help to spread the word about the Free Burma! action.
Comment on blogs to promote our campaign, write website owners and forum admins to inform them, post on forums and guestbooks, tell your whole neighborhood about us.

- Digg!

- Technorati

- Facebook

- Slashdot
Spread the Graphics

Please use one of the these graphics for your blog/forum/website post or pick one from our Flickr group.

Pls. Visit SUGARKURLS

[Philippines] About the Desperate Housewives Debacle

2007-10-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

This post originally appeared on The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything.

Just when we had a positive citation of Filipinos in the international media scene, this nasty issue popped up:

#20 - Teri Hatcher insults Filipinos

So now of course the country is up in arms and an online petition has been started against both ABC and the producers of Desperate Housewives for the racial slur. The local blogosphere is pretty miffed about it as well - just check out some of the Filipino blogs you might already read and you can expect this to be mentioned within the week.

Why do we always get into these things? Before it was about being a country known for our maids - now they're claiming we have hack doctors too? Geez.

rOckY, Philippines

The Disintegrating Filipino Society

2007-09-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Filipino society have never been so divided as before. Left, Right, Muslims, Anti and Pros factions, rich and the poor, having their own agendas and interests are hindering the country's development and the creation of the long missing national identity.

Way back before the colonial times, the Philippines have never been under a single flag. Different islands, valleys or plateaus have their own groups and governments. When the Spaniards came, they used these divisions to rule us for 3 centuries. Even now, you could see those divisions. Ilocanos, Kapampangans, Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Muslims, Bisaya... From past til the present people are more identified with their ethnic groups more than their identity as Filipinos. Only when we move out of our country could we identify ourselves.

This divisiveness, caused mainly by the geographic feature of our country, causes problems to our society today. We can't move forward because somehow we don't trust each other. Only in few historical events seemed that Filipinos could unite, and after these moments, we disintengrate again.

I'm not sure if we could correct this, for these divisions run very deep. With the current political and economic situation, these rifts grow more --- further dividing our already divided society.
As compared to our ASEAN neighbors, most of them have attained prosperity after unification or at least minimizing divisions. That's what this country lacks, the sense of unity under a single identity as Filipinos.

Sure, we could blame corruption, graft and endless wars as the problem. But if we as a people stood up against these, will these problems prevail? No one can challenge the will of a united 80 million Filipinos.

Think about it. If a person's hands, feet, mouth, and eyes have their own will and cannot act as one, can he do something?
The same is what happening to our society ever since.

__________________
*** thanks for adding me at United SEA. more power to you guys.

JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL...

2007-09-25T07:44:00.001-07:00

The world doesn't need whiners...
There's no point in letting the whole world know what's going in my own lil world. Im losing my sense of privacy.

I got a card from a friend from way back says there " You are a beautiful person, come out of your shell. Let your love be felt by everybody."

See I used to be a private person, I don't talk much about what I feel. I goof up, play around but I don't talk about "me". My friends can attest to that.

But 2006 was a year of revelation, a year of maturity in many ways.

I've done so many stupid things. I lost and I gained.

I lost control of my emotions, I lost a friend and so on and so forth.

All along I thought that I'm 22 so I must, should, could, release my inhibitions, live my life to the fullest.

No regrets. It made me who I am today gained me anew set of friends.

But now that I'm 23 there are some things that I must change and things that I need to bring back to my life.

One of them is privacy. I realized that it really helps to talk about what you feel, what's going on with your life.

But it's not healthy to talk about it 24/7.

I apologize to those ears I have busted... Appreciate it guys.

The past few months has been very challenging for me. I went through a series of contemplation, soul searching. 'Guess its what they called the phase of "trying twenties".

I have been trying to understand myself, what I feel and what's going on with my life. Why can't my life be the way I wanted it to be or the way I planned it.

Why can't I have the people I want to be in my life? Why cant I do the things I've been dying to do?.. and etc.

It was mind boggling, heart crushing and my only outlet was to talk about it with my friends.. I talk about every little thing and it felt good. Talking about "me" is really something new.

I enjoyed the feeling of being free to speak up, letting everybody know what I have in mind, what my plans are in the future.

But today I realized there's still something missing, I was so busy talking about "me" that I forgot about "me". That might be confusing to some but to me it's crystal clear.

Im always searching, whining, wishing. Frustrated and desperate to find the answer I look inside myself what is it that I really want to do with my life?

and why cant fate agree with me...And the answer is simple Heavenly Father wants me to listen.

Simply listen to what he has to say. I now finally admit that I can't handle all these trials by myself so now I'm saying "JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL"

- and what's that exactly got to do with me bringing back privacy.

My friends won't hear me whining, or talk about my "bandido-soulmate', my future plans will be between me and God.

I've talked to my friends, my family but nothing beats pouring your heart out to your Father in Heaven.

Cheers to me getting in control with my life again. Looking forward to a better "me".

join my journey visit http://sugarkurls.blogspot.com

The Wish

2007-09-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

An elderly man was sitting alone on a dark path. He wasn't certain of which direction to go, and he'd forgotten both where he was traveling to and who he was. He'd sat down a moment to rest his weary legs, and suddenly looked up to see an elderly woman before him. She grinned toothlessly and with a cackle, spoke:

"Now for your *third* wish, what will it be?"

"Third wish?" The man was baffled

"How can it be a third wish if I haven't had a first and second wish?"

"You've had two wishes already," the hag said

"but your second wish was for me to return everything to the way it was before you had made your first wish. That's why you remember nothing; because everything is the way it was before you made any wishes."
She cackled at the poor man, "so it is that you have one with left."

"All right," said the man

" I don't believe this; but there's no harm in wishing. I wish to know who I am"

"Funny," said the old woman as she granted his wish and disapeared forever,

"That was your first wish."

- Planescape Torment

What Are We Teaching Our Kids?

2007-08-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, Ellen*, one of my fellow dancers came rushing out of the stage after our final pose, pissed by a Chinese kid sitting with his mom in the audience. The kid was around 8. During the part where we, the dancers go up the bleachers to interact with the spectators, he reached for Ellen's hand and had her touch his stiff dick while he stared amusingly at Ellen's boobs.

=====

On Sunday, as I was on the train going home from work, I bumped into a Filipina domestic helper, Donna*, who spent a day at the park with the daughter of her boss. The kid was probably 6, and was playing with Donna's celfone. Donna asked for her fone back. The kid refused to hand it back. Then Donna raised her voice a bit to intimidate the little girl and said, "That's not a toy. Stop playing with it."

The girl started to cry and screamed at her, "No! Fuck you!"

=====

Every afternoon, a pack of little boys from my provincial neighborhood, their ages ranging from 5-9, gather together at the footbridge and collect big stones. Then they disperse strategically, almost like a SWAT team, around the vacant lot where dogs flock around 5pm. At their leader's signal, they throw stones at the dogs and scream "Tiu!" (shortened cantonese curse word which in English means "I will fuck your mother.") to their heart's content. The elders who see them just laugh it off.

=====

My generation grew up on morning TV shows like Sesame Street, Batibot, Flying House, Rainbow Brite and Mga Kwento Ni Lola Basyang. At 10am every morning, we were glued to the tv with shows that carried the Worry-Free Kid TV logo. There was no cable tv or the internet to "corrupt" our innocence. And yet, we grew up rebellious and with values & morals that the generations born before us think of as intolerable and worthy of censure.

What, then, will become of those after us?

*not her real name

--Rye

can't you read?

THE TWO AND A HALF HOUR TRAGEDY

2007-08-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

If Southeast Asia is an office that opens at 7am, Burma would be 30 minutes too early. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam would just be on time but Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines would be an hour late. An office with half of its staff coming in late wouldn’t do the job efficiently, would it?

Our region is in 4 Time Zones (UTC+6.30, +7, +8 and +9). Indonesia is the only country that uses 3 time zones from +7 to +9 and Burma is the only country that uses +6.30. If you would look closely at the map; Singapore and Kuala Lumpur is in line with Bangkok and Jakarta is in line with Hanoi at +7 -- but they are on a different time zone (+8). They share it with Manila, which is hundreds of miles east of Thailand. Have you ever wondered why?

In 1981, Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohammad changed their time zone to +8 to unify East and West Malaysia. And for economic cooperation, the great Lee Kwan Yew followed suit for Singapore because they will be in an awkward position. Meaning technically, the Philippines and Brunei should be the only countries in the +8 time zone.

If Southeast Asia is a hospital and baby Burma came in at 6:30 with an asthma attack, she has to wait 30 minutes to see if Dr. Thailand or Nurse Vietnam got a Ventolin inhaler. But when they came in at 7.00-- they don’t have any. Meanwhile, old Mrs. Laos and baby Cambodia came in with an asthma attack too! Now all of them -- panicked and all -- have to wait another hour to see if Dr. Singapore, Dr. Malaysia or Nurse Philippines have the inhaler. Unfortunately, when they came in at 8.00, it turned out that Dr. Indonesia got the inhaler but he’ll come in at 9.00! Now the hospital is in one BIG 2 ½ hour mess! An utter tragedy!

The ASEAN Common Time is an idea by the ASEAN to adapt a standard time for all member countries. The initiative will unify our great region – economic wise, for efficiency and mutual benefits.

If we can come to the office all at the same time, we can finish more work. And if we can come to the hospital altogether, we can relieve more patients and efficiently solve the problems.

Should the whole of Southeast Asia be in one single common time?

What do you think?

****

-- Pisanu, Thailand
As posted on BISEAN

How To: Behave Inside the Elevator 2

2007-08-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

(Part 2 of 2)

Before going on to the rest of the guidelines, check out Part 1 first.

Converse As Quietly As You Can. Whenever you are joined by your friends inside the elevator, it is inevitable that a conversation will float up. Since you are not the only ones inside, it would be nicer if you don’t talk that loud and limit your discussions on things that bear nothing about personal affairs and gossips. That could help you protect your privacy as well – a stalker might just be around, who knows.

Play Safe. Especially when you’re up for a quickie, always check if there are cameras installed in the elevator. Don’t be stupid, they are not installed there for nothing. Spare yourself from humiliation by simply keeping the “urge” to yourself.

Those are just simple rules but often neglected. There are actually just a handful of Filipinos who act according to acceptable standards and yet again, culture has something to do with it. I sometimes find myself wondering how our educational institutions, and the system itself, respond to this idiosyncrasy. I can see that together with the government and the media, our schools have greater control in shaping up a person’s ethical behavior.

As you can see, the simple things that we do affect our overall image as a person, as part of the society and as a nation. To those who are working as part of the corporate world, you may have observed that blue-collar workers pay a special respect to white-collar employees. At the age of 20, I feel privileged each time our security guard and maintenance people call me Sir (sometimes followed by my first name). At first, I thought that’s only because they don’t know my name but I realized that it’s actually because they look up to me as a fitting example of an educated man.

That’s more than just boosting one’s ego; I feel that everybody should set an example to others as well. Just keep in mind that wherever and whenever we face a crowd, even inside the elevator, we should never give them a reason to frown.

- Reyville of Simply Manila, Philippines

Was Jaclyn Victor Robbed off Ikon Asean?

2007-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

The issue about the "not-the-best singer in the Philippines" Vina Morales defeating the "best singer in Malaysia" Jaclyn Victor at the recently-concluded Ikon Asean competition continues to be discussed, almost violently, by fans of both singers.

Some Jac fans claimed that she was robbed of the title, while others say that she wasn't at here element. Meanwhile, some Pinoys even criticized Vina as below par, that the likes of Regine Velasquez should have been in Ikon (Asia's Songbird didn't join). Others even joked that Jaclyn wouldn't even win "Tanghalan ng Kampeon" (Championship Stage, our version of "Star Search" back in the day). We Pinoys never seem to run out of naysayers, ano?

And I don't wanna even delve on the "ad hominems" on how we Pinoys are being "teased" by our Malaysian neighbors as their maids and prostitutes. That's another story.

Here are the performance clips of the two singers and we shall analyze it one by one. Now don't get me wrong, I adore Jac and I used to call Vina the lone female member of "The Maskulados." That makes the analysis even.

Let's start with Jaclyn's first song choice, a medley of three songs composed by P. Ramlee.

They say that she was pitchy in places, but I barely noticed them. The problem is that even though she sang three different songs, it sounds monotonous to me. Oh, did you notice how she handled the mic? I'll talk about that later.

Then we go to Vina's first song, "Pangako Sa Iyo" (A Promise to You).

It was not surprising that she would sing this in Ikon Asean. It's the theme song of the soap opera of the same title, which was very popular in Malaysia. It was a great choice for Vina because it definitely connected her to the dominantly Malay audience, and it also has a lot of high and long notes giving Vina a lot of chances for her to show her vocal range without having to ad lib like in Jac's case.

Now here are the second performance videos. We go back to Jaclyn and her winning song back in Malaysian Idol, Gemilang.

At least Jac rebounded here. She hit the notes almost right and she made good use of her really powerful voice. However, I'm really bothered by the way she handles the microphone. You know, once she sings the high notes she puts the mic on her forehead. I know that's called style, but where I come from, putting the mic away from your mouth when singing the high notes means you're cheating. Jac made it appear that she couldn't reach the high notes so she would put the mic away from her mouth and it wouldn't sound too obvious.

You would never see that being done by Filipino singers. In fact, if you watch Vina's Pangako Sa Iyo video, she would even put the mic closer to her mouth when she sang the high notes.

Anyway, back to Vina. She performs a dance track "Feels So Nice."

I understand that she chose this so she would show off her dance skills. Catch is, singing and dancing at the same time is pretty tiring, and you would hear Vina catching her breath in some instances. But overall, she performed well in this song, and by that time her fate was sealed anyway.

That's why, I think, Vina won.

Oh by way, can I just say that the female host in Ikon Asean was so inconsiderate. Can't she explain her lines in English for the benefit of non-Malay speakers...like us? Buti pa si Angela Chow kada koda niya ng Chinese sa Miss World may-I-explain agad sa Inggles.

Hong Kong, How Ready Are You?

2007-08-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

created and posted on August 10, 2007 on Can't You Read?

Typhoon signal no. 8 was hoisted today at around 1:30pm in HK, as the strong winds of Tropical Storm Pabuk's speed exceeded 62 kph.

After receiving the announcement that our afternoon shows were already cancelled and that we were to leave work pronto, Dan and I decided to go on an impromptu shopping in Mongkok. In took us less than a minute after getting out of the train station to realize that even business establishments closed down and that everybody (probably except us) was rushing home. We headed towards the ladies' market anyway, which looks like this on a regular day:

This is what we found instead:

Ghost town. Well, not really. There were a few people on the street --- half-naked, hunky chinese and middle-eastern men running back and forth, trying to save their merchandise from getting wet. Quite a sight, I should say!

We decided to head to Langham Place. It's a mall, for crying out loud! It's made of concrete and the engineering is quite advanced. We were sure it wasn't threatened by the scare of a typhoon. In Manila, in our younger years, and even until now, as soon as the teacher announced suspension of classes, everybody heads to the mall. We were wrong. That's not the case in HK.

It seemed like there was no other option but to go home and just spend the afternoon sleeping. We got in at around 6pm and started to make sotanghon for dinner. A few minutes later, I got an sms from Joseph, the manager of Volume which read:

Typhoon party tonight at Volume! 2-4-1 drinks
extended until 12!

Ok, I must admit, that was quite enticing. But because of what I had witnessed earlier on, I was just scared to go out. So I didn't. And I was thankful I didn't go, despite Chris's eager invitation to go with him. A few minutes later, we got news that the train service has stopped because of the inclement weather. Lawrence, a friend of mine, was in Central station and took this video:

It's a bit of a bore how HK welcomes tropical disturbances. I grew up in Manila where typhoons flooding were nothing extraordinary. I grew up seeing roofs flying in the air with the strong wind and trees just collapsing in the streets. I remember watching the news one stormy afternoon when I was a kid, where the field correspondent had herself tied to a post while reporting on-cam so as not to be blown away by the wind. The university I went to was on the street that flooded after just an hour of continuous downpour. I have walked more than 2 kilometers going home from the university, half of my body submerged in dirty, murky, smelly flood --- along with a host of other people: fellow students, faculty, robbers, snatchers, employees, etc. (and along with other elements as well. i.e., a dead rat, a swimming dog, and a drowning cat). It was gross! But it was fun.

My french ex-boyfriend witnessed this once and he said nothing but: "It's like Disneyland!"

ryeness

How To: Behave Inside the Elevator

2007-08-12T00:41:00.000-07:00

(Part 1 of 2)

Some of you ride the elevator as a daily routine that even if you just need to go two floors up or down, the initial desire is to look for a vacant pulley. Why not? It is the most comfortable option next to nothing. In fact, we feel so comfortable that we tend to forget that even inside the elevator, we need to practice etiquette.

The elevator is where people with different orientations flock together. So whether you are the most popular person in your neighborhood, a member of a royal family in the United Kingdom of Tondo, or Gretchen Barretto, you can make this world a better place if you can act in such a way that other people would feel respected or valued as a divine creation or at least as human beings.

Be Generous. We all know that you’re in a hurry and needs to Bundy as soon as possible, but you have to stretch your patience a bit longer by pressing the open-the-door button if you see somebody approaching the elevator. Don’t embarrass the poor soul to everybody else around by letting the door closed itself when he is just a few seconds late.

Always Face The Door. No matter how crowded it is inside the elevator, make sure that you’re facing its doors while it is taking you to your ultimate destination. Never face the rest of the crowd unless you want them to discover a new planet next to Planet Zit in the universe disguised as your face.

Don't Fart. If you feel that something odd is gaining power inside your tummy, you can save yourself from embarrassment by letting that fart out before going in for the ride. Or if you’re inside the elevator already, try to hold on for a second. Please be considerate to others as this is undeniably gross.

(To be continued…)

(This article was originally posted by Reyville for Simply Manila. Can I be the "How To" guy for this blog? HaHa. Just kidding, seriously kidding.)

- Reyville of Simply Manila, Philippines

What is a World without Filipinos?

2007-08-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

Let's imagine the entire world waking up one day to discover Filipinos have disappeared. I'm talking here about the six or seven million Filipinos currently working overseas in countries with names that run the entire alphabet, from Angola to Zimbabwe .

Let's not worry first about why or how the Filipinos disappeared; in fact, it becomes academic whether it's a day or a week. Just imagine a world without Filipinos.

Think of the homes that are dependent on Filipino housekeepers, nannies, caregivers. The homes would be chaotic as kids cry out for their nannies. Arabs, Hong Kong and Singaporean and Taiwanese yuppie couples are now forced to stay home and realizing, goodness, there's so much of housework that has to be handled and how demanding their kids can be and hey, what's this strange language they're babbling in?

It's not just the children that are affected. The problems are even more serious with the elderly in homes and nursing institutions, because Filipino caregivers have provided so much of the critical services they need. When temporary contractual workers are brought in from among non-Filipinos, the elderly complain. They want their Filipino caregivers back because they have that special touch, that extra patience and willingness to stay an hour more when needed.

Hospitals, too, are adversely affected because so many of the disappeared Filipinos were physicians, nurses and other health professionals. All appointments for rehabilitation services, from children with speech problems to stroke survivors, are indefinitely postponed because of disappeared speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists!

Eventually, the hospital administrators announce they won't take in any more patients unless the conditions are serious. Patients are told to follow their doctors' written orders and, if they have questions, to seek advice on several Internet medical sites. But within two days, the hospitals are swamped with new complaints. The web sites aren't working because of missing Filipino web designers and web site managers.

Service establishments throughout the world -- restaurants, supermarkets, hotels -- all close down because of their missing key staff involved in management and maintenance. In Asia , hotels complain about the missing bands and singers.

In the United States , many commercial establishments have to close shop, not just because of the missing Filipino sales staff but because their suppliers have all been sending in notices about delays in shipments. Yup, the shipping industry has gone into a crisis because of missing Filipino seafarers.

The shipping firms begin to look into the emergency recruitment of non-Filipino seafarers but then declare another crisis: They're running out of supplies of oil for their ships because the Middle Eastern countries have come to a standstill without their Filipino workers, including quite a few working for the oil industry.

Frantic presidents and prime ministers call on the United Nations to convene a special session of the Security Council but Ban Ki-Moon says he can't do that because the UN system itself is on the edge, with so many of their secretarial and clerical staff, as well as translators, having disappeared from their main headquarters in New York and Geneva, as well as their regional offices throughout the world. Quite a number of UN services, especially refugee camps, are also in danger of closing down because of missing Filipino health professionals and teachers.

Ban Ki-Moon also explains that he can't convene UN meetings because the airports in New York , Washington and other major US cities have been shut down. The reason? The disappeared Filipinos included quite a few airport security personnel who used to check passengers and their baggage.

Ban Ki-Moon calls on the World Bank and international private foundations for assistance but they're crippled, too, because their Filipino consultants and staff are nowhere to be seen. Funds can't be remitted and projects can't run without the technical assistance provided for by Filipinos.

An exasperated Ban Ki-Moon calls on religious leaders to pray, and pray hard. But when he phones the Pope, he is told the Catholic Church, too, is in crisis because the disappeared include the many Filipino priests and nuns in Rome who help run day-to-day activities, as well as missionaries in the front lines of remote posts, often the only ones providing basic social services.

As they converse, Ban Ki-Moon and the Pope agree on one thing: the world has become a quieter place since the Filipinos disappeared. It isn't just the silencing of work and office equipment formerly handled by Filipinos; no, it seems there's much less laughter now that the Filipinos aren't around, both the laughter of the Filipinos and those they served.

SOUTHEAST ASIA'S TOP 20 UNIVERSITIES

2007-08-07T02:14:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Mid-Year Edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities was released last Wednesday (01 August). This lists the Top 500 Universities of the World and here is the list of the Top Universities in Southeast Asia.

1. National University of Singapore
2. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
3. Kasetsart University, Thailand
4. Chulalongkorn University, Thailand *Yipeeee!*
5. Prince of Songkla University, Thailand

6. Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
7. Chiang Mai University, Thailand
8. Thammasat University, Thailand
9. Assumption University of Thailand
10. Khon Khaen University, Thailand

Is your school on the Top 20?
And here are the remaining 10:

11. Mahidol University, Thailand
12. Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
13. Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia
14. Universiti Sains Malaysia
15. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

16. Multimedia University, Malaysia
17. University of the Philippines-Diliman
18. Universiti Putra Malaysia
19. University Malaya, Malaysia
20. King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand

Still not there? -- oh well.

On the list of the Top 100 Universities in Southeast Asia; Thailand has 41, Malaysia has 18, Indonesia has 14, the Philippines has 13 and Singapore and Vietnam got 7 each.

Is your school on the Top 100 at least?

****

--Pisanu for BISEAN, Thailand

Gulf may ban SOUTHEAST ASIAN domestic workers

2007-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

The GCC Committee for Importing Foreign Workers unanimously agreed to stop importing some Southeast Asian migrant workers until their government's labour laws have been clarified.

Regulation of the Labour laws had been passed by Southeast Asian countries aimed at improving the standard of living for its citizens working in the region.

The new Philippine government regulations, passed in December last year, require GCC employers to pay a minimum salary of $400 a month to any Filipino working as domestic help – double the previous minimum salary of $200.

Employers are also required to sign a declaration stipulating that they will pay a daily fine of around $13 if they do not pay workers on time.

While Indonesian authorities have ruled to increase the wages of its citizens working as maids in Saudi Arabia from $160 to $213 a month from August 1, 2007

The said minimum salary regulations are not binding on any of the GCC’s six member states.

GCC Committee for Importing Foreign Workers agreed to lobby authorities to stop importing Filipinos while Saudi recruitment agencies have threatened to petition the government to stop issuing work visas to Indonesians after the Southeast Asian country’s decision to raise the minimum wage for Indonesian maids working in Saudi Arabia.

I worked in the Gulf States for almost five years and I think it is about time someone took a stand on this, I've seen workers (not necessarily domestic helpers and not only Filipino) basically treated like slaves. They have to pay their sponsor, tickets to and from home country and then spend up to three years without a break, often in debt so they cannot afford to leave of their own free will.

There's nothing bad protecting your own people. Giving better compensation to employees, most especially house assistants/housemaids, will benefit the employers/sponsors the most. Filipino workers (or other nationalities), will of course display efficient / excellent performance, will often give satisfying results, if they are paid and treated well. Always remember, since the topic is Filipino Housemaids - employers MUST extend full and humanely support to these workers, because these Filipino housemaids are the ones taking care of simple to royal families, children and olds alike are entrusted to them, your food and even the utmost confidential issues and things at your home front. And yet, the Philippine Govt. is aggressively finding solutions to improve the works and the welfare of the Filipino workers, which, then and again will have an optimistic effect to their superiors wherever they maybe.

On the other hand, the GCC have the right to govern themselves as they see fit. It's the GCC residents' decision to hire and pay who and what they want. It's the simple economic principle of Supply and Demand. If the Philippines make the supply more expensive the demand will drop and the GCC consumers will look elsewhere. The GCC doesn't owe the Filipino's anything further than that.

Games Children Play

2007-08-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

After the post about what makes us proud about our country (click here for the article), thoughts of the games I used to play when I was young came flooding back into my mind.

Langit-Lupa
There were the different kinds of tag-and-you're-it games. It took me two days to actually remember the chant for Langit-Lupa.

Langit, lupa, impyerno
Im-im-impyerno
Saksak puso, tulo ang dugo
Patay, buhay
Maalis ka na diyaan.

All players make a circle and say the chant in a singsong manner while pointing at each player for every syllable. Whoever gets the last syllable will be that first taya ("it") of the game. Everybody then scrams around looking for places that are higher than the ground to reach langit (heaven) where they cannot be tagged. You can only be tagged if you are standing on lupa (earth) or a place that's level with the ground. It's usually agreed upon before the game begins that when you're taya and you tag someone else to be the new taya, then he or she cannot tag you back. The game ends when almost everyone is tired or most of the players are called home (usually by one of their parents shouting their names from their homes).

Kompyang
Kompyang is another way to determine who will be taya in a given game. everyone puts out their hand palms down and shouts "maiba taya!" After shouting the seemingly necessary sentence, everyone raises their hands ever so slightly and puts it down again either palms-down or palms-up. Whoever has the different hand will become taya. If there nobody has a different hand, then the players who have the hand that showed up fewest are taken out of the kompyang round. So if there are five players who have their palms up and the other three have their palms down, then the three are exempt from becoming the first taya. The remaining five players will do the kompyang again until a taya is chosen.

Prikidam 1-2-3
There's also prikidam 1-2-3. I don't even know why it's called that. Some of my friends tell me the game's name is really "piggy-down." But we agreed that it's also called agawan-base. This is a tag game that uses more strategy than langit-lupa. Everybody gathers round and puts one of their hands. Everyone does the kompyang, but instead of choosing one player to become taya, two players will become team leaders. Then they get to choose their teammates from the remaining players. Each team chooses a base (usually a big gate or a tree). There are two ways to win this game: by taking over the opposing team's base or by holding all opponents hostage.

To take over the opposing team's base, the whole team must touch the opponent's base without getting tagged and shout "prikidam." Again, I am boggled by how this word came to be.

When a player is tagged or caught by an opponent, he or she becomes a hostage and is trapped in the opposing team's base and must keep one hand in contact with that base. Usually a member of the team who caught the hostage will keep an eye on the base to make sure that the hostage does not escape. When another hostage is taken, they hold hands and stretch their hands as far as possible to that they can be rescued easily. Only the first hostage is required to physically stay in contact with the opponent's base. All hostages are rescued when someone from the hostage's team taps them.

(to be continued in another post)

Out in the Open

2007-08-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

I am a human
I am a mother
I am a father
I am a daughter
I am a son
I am a sister
I am a brother
I am a neighbor
I am a friend
I am a teacher
I am a librarian
I am a firefighter
I am an officer
I am a clerk
I am a writer
I am an artist
I am a doctor
I am a council member
I am a judge
I am a mayor
I am a town trustee
I am a broker
I am a customer representative
I am a governor
I am a telemarketer
I am a television celebrity
I am a religious person
I am straight
I am bisexual
I am transgendered
I am gay
I am lesbian
I am judged

Each of these are things a person can identify with in their own lives. some may not seem to have any connection to others and yet, they have a single similarity. Each one could be someone we see every day, perhaps someone we know and care about. We take an immediate glance at the one statement that we hope is not true of the people in our lives, dreading the possibility.

Doing so makes the final statement true. We begin imagining how this possibility will change relationships and the perceived betrayal of not knowing before. We already place doubts upon the one person who is most likely to fit the stereotype. We cast the thought aside, telling ourselves that we have only been paranoid about the idea of the possibility.

Yet we neglect to cast aside the doubt. It gnaws at the back of our minds, causes us to seek out our perceived truth. Our judgement has been cast until we find the proof that we are wrong.

There are but few who can read these statements without experiencing the paranoia, accepting each without doubt as they are read. These are the open-minded people from which to learn.

How open minded are we?

Take the statements that speak of who we are, pass it on to those we trust, and seek wisdom in truth.

Who am I?

I am a human
I am a son
I am a brother
I am a neighbor
I am a friend
I am a teacher
I am a clerk
I am a writer
I am a religious person
I am bisexual

and yes,

I am judged.

khalel, Philippines

[ASEAN] An End to the Silence?

2007-08-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

This post originally appeared on The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything.

I've been tagged as a contributor for the United SEA blog for some time now. I admit I've been trying to get a feel for what direction the entries should be geared towards before getting into serious posting. I guess that time is more than up, eh?

The discussions centered around the 12th ASEAN summit seem a prime choice for discussion here, more so this year's summit given the controversies around the formation of a Human Rights body.

One of the biggest failings of the ASEAN, in my opinion, has been the standing policy of "non-interference" in the vaguely termed "internal affairs" of member countries. The policy seems so Asian in itself that we would rather allow whatever travesties to happen in fellow nations out of some sense of courtesy to the other. Under the banner of non-inteference we've seen the cases of the likes of Anwar Ibrahmim move along unchallenged or the continued imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from Myanmar prison.

The consensus to create a human rights body is a tremendous move for the group and a very large step that will require a lot of changes, especially related to the non-interference policy that has so long protected the practice of human rights violations within the region.

The discussions came along in line with current discussions to revise the ASEAN charter before November of this year to redefine the organization and make it more akin to the European Union, which the group is now trying to emulate. This makes perfect sense given the mixed progress over the years with the ASEAN unable to really promote meaningful changes amongst the member nations as much as it would like to.

The debates around the formation of a human rights body were largely opposed, of course, by Myanmar given their own shady practices at times that have often been met with international outrage if not suspicion. Also affected are Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are all run by either authoritarian or single-party governments who may have some difficulty with dealing with a regional human rights body with its accompanying rules and regulations.

I'm in full support of this move by the Association - human rights should be protected regardless of nationality or personal beliefs since these are fundamental rights entitled to everyone. These should not be subject to the petty internal politics or the opinions of any one government. However in order for this body to be meaningful within the region, this will mean completely turning their backs on the older policy of non-interference. In place of this would be a greater sense of regional social responsibility driven by the need to care and be concerned about what is going on beyond one's own borders.

It's time we stop being silent about the abuses going on just next door - if we truly believe in human rights and how fundamental rights, then we defintely need to strike harder to get all thius one. Through this, I expect we'll benefit from having a stronger regional voice in the form of the ASEAN and its human rights body along wtih greater interdependence among member nations.

It's time we stepped up to the plate and really show everyone what this region is truly capable of and that it's not just about the US or the EU anymore. The ASEAN wants to sit at the big adults table now as a true global power to be respected and dealt with equitably as opposed to being a loose association of nations that gets little done if only in an effort not to offend one another.

It's a bold move and one that's long overdue. Let's hope that we get through the many changes involved leading to this next evoutionary step in the organization's path towards becoming much more than it is now.

References:

rOckY, Philippines

[Blogosphere] You Got Blogged Contest

2007-08-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

This post originally appeared on The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything.

My friend Blogie has asked my help in promoting the You Got Blogged! Review-a-Blog contest hosted by DigitalFilipino.com and his own MindanaoBloggers.com.

The contest is pretty straight forward - write a review about any of the blogs found on the Mindanao Bloggers Directory in line with the standards documented in this post and you're eligible to win as much as $150! Seriously!

And while we're on the subject, stay tuned as well for the 1st Mindanano Bloggers Summit to be held in Davao City on October 27, 2007. This is a pretty tremendous undertaking for our friends in the south so if you're in the area or planning to be come October, we'd greatly appreciate if you extended your full support for making this event a success!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BAD LUCK DISAPPEAR FOR EVER

2007-07-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

We all blog with lots of positive energy – these energies; when pulled together, would create a powerful force to diffuse bad luck.

Posting one of these lucky icons on your blog would not only banish bad luck -- but it would also guarantee, beyond reasonable doubt, that all your wildest dreams would come true (and not to mention that your blog design would significantly improve as well). :-)

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s pull our positive energies together by supporting United SEA blog and watch our bad luck disappear!

If you are a contributor to this blog; copy-paste the codes below to add this picture link to your blog and start changing your fortune.

If you’re not a member but would like to see your dreams come true; copy-paste the codes below to add this picture link to your blog/website.

Or if you would like a simpler lucky icon; copy-paste the codes below to get this picture link.

On behalf of my co-authors on this blog; we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

****

-- Pisanu for B I S E A N
Thailand

Deciphering the Filipino Gay Lingo

2007-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Gay men in the Philippines, especially those who are out, speak to each other using a colorful language that they invented, mixing English, Tagalog, Visayan, and sometimes even Japanese. Those who would hear (or read) Filipino gay slang for the first time feel like they are deciphering a Da Vinci Code.

For instance, let me tell you a story about a group of gays going to Starbucks:

Tom Jones ang mga bekla kaya gora ever sa mall para lumafang. Una nilang jonta ang nyudkort, kaya lang maraming utaw. Go naman sa Nyorbaks, kaya lang can't afford pala ang drama ng iba. Sey nga ni Kimberly, Mahalia Mendez daw ng kape, juwi na lang siya later para mag-Nescafe. Warla ngayon si Georgette, ang Rica Boom Boom ng federasyon. Tom Cruise na talaga siya't wai na patience, kaya shuwag ever siya sa kanyang chimini ah ah. "Yaya, dalhin mo ditech ang anda," sey ng bakla.

Just like any slang, Filipino gay lingo started out with replacing certain words with another term. For example, we say "award" instead of "embarrassed." We say "bet" instead of "boy crush." Eventually, gays learn to speak with a colorful vocabulary, using certain key rules:

* The J Law - Replacing the first letter of a word with "J."

Example:
Jowa - Asawa (husband, boyfriend)
Jonta - Punta (to go to a place)
Jubis - Obese

* The KY/ NY Law - Replacing the first letter with "Ky" or "Ny."

Example:
Kyota - Bata (Children)
Nyorts - A pair of shorts

* The Name Game - Replacing a word with a name (usually that of a celebrity) that sounds like it.

Example:
Julie Yap-Daza - Huli (to get caught)
Gelli de Belen - Jealous
Carmi Martin - Karma

* Plus - Adding an extra syllable, extra letters, or extra words to create a different word.

Example:
Crayola - Cry
Thunder Cats - Tanda (an old person; the slang is often called to an old gay man)
Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion - Pagod (tired)

The use of gay lingo was firstly because to avoid having other people hear what you are talking about, especially when it comes to sex. This is also a means of defying the cultural norms and creating an identity of their own.

Gay speak evolves really fast, with obsolete words and phrases being rewritten and replaced especially when non-gays learn what it means. Saying "Ano'ng happening" (What are your plans for tonight) would make you associated with the 1980s.

This language define the Philippine gay culture, and it would probably stay that way for quite a while.

Baboo!

Empress Maruja, Philippines

SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD

2007-07-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

We fearlessly praise our own country on the internet. We are proud of ourselves. We show the world how beautiful our country and how rich our culture is. We tell them we are the best; we are achievers, talented, intelligent, beautiful people. We even declare an all out war on the Internet when somebody disagrees.

All of it, of course, is already known to the world…we just keep repeating ourselves and sound like a broken record.

Although we are living in the age of information, I'm sure there are still many great things that are untold and you take pride of...

WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU ARE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF; THAT THE WORLD DOESN’T KNOW YET?

****

-- Pisanu for B I S E A N
Thailand

One Carnival Experience

2007-07-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

the following entry was written and published on April 8, 2007 and came out in the "letters" section of HK Magazine on April 13.

In terms of Carnival Culture, our generation can well be defined by one of our favorite rides --- the bumper cars.

I’ve just recently been to the AIA World Carnival and, true enough, the bumper cars were one of the favorites because the attraction catered to almost everybody. It was neither too daring for the frail-hearted who couldn’t do the near-death-experience rides nor too boring for the thrill-seekers.

After a little over an hour of waiting, I found myself immersed in the chaos, that was one of the bumper cars’ most inviting features. Everyone was just having a blast slamming his car into other people’s and it seemed that the bumping arena was the only place in the carnival where solidarity was present. Strangers just kept screaming and laughing at each other to add fun to what may seem to be a bit of danger. It was amazing how much of a ball people could get from free-for-all chaos.

Having witnessed and experienced all this, I just couldn’t help but ask myself: “Are we a generation of closet anarchists?”

Rye

Hong Kong

under the weather

2007-07-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

Conformity. A grip that holds many of us here. Follow, tow the line. Listen and shut the fuck up. Conformity. Shaped by traditions, manipulated by the ones in the seats. Justified for keeping the status quo, weak as tea diluted by time. We watch, with envy at the imperfections of our neighbors from around the world and wish we had their problems. We look into their gardens and say, yeah at least they can put up signs that say, “We will walk on the damn grass if we so wish.” Conformity. The death grip that does not allow for any slack. Conformity that promotes fear, be afraid that your choice of walking on the grass could get you into deep shit. Fear that manifests into allegorical tales and ramblings like this one. Sad, but true. Nothing motivates better than the threat of harm and trouble. We list the goodness of our ways and hide the flaws behind gags. Decent is never on the menu. It makes for a really bad side dish. And so we eat up what is served. Choke it down even if it kills you. Indigestion is, after all, not deadly.

kit, asianxhibit

Once there was A Boy

2007-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Once there was a boy
Who gave his love freely
Loved everyone equal
Saw no one different

He though that the most precious gift
That he could give another
Was love and affection
Man, woman, friend or lover

So he lived in innocence and bliss
Happiness and contentment
Until that one day
That one fateful day

As he walked down the street
On the arm of his lover
And saw a man leaning up against a wall
Who looked like he could be having trouble
And walked over to the man
And dared to ask if something was wrong

He began to speak, and then he looked up
Looked at the boy and the young man with him
And his eyes grew dark and angry
Moved too fast for either of them

There was a flash of bright steel
A splash of crimson blood
And a torrent of horrible names
And the boy fell silently at the foot of his love
While the man ran, ran quickly away

And as the world grew soft and fuzzy 'round the edges
As he felt the shadows creeping in
He lay his trembling fingers on his lover's cheek
And said "Tell them you love them again
And again
And again
And again"

And his love didn't have to ask who he was talking about
He knew exactly who he meant
Not one person, but the entire world
So full of hate and resentment

And then the darkness closed in on the free spirit
The shadows bore him off to a place
Where saying "I love you" is never a fear
Where there's no pain or hurt or hate

His lover bore the small form away
The light of life gone from its eyes
It was no longer the youth he loved
But an empty shell his disguise
But he did as he asked
He never forgot
He spread his cheer and joy and frame
Of mind to others, trying to drive away the hate
And the whole time he felt the free spirit
Wrap his arms around him again and again and
Again and again and...

Hate brings nothing but pain and remorse
Bitter, red-stained tears
Intolerance a rough-edged sword
Stained with the blood of many years
And it cleaves through souls that otherwise
Have naught but love to give
It turns the world unlivable
Keeps alive all our fears

So if we open our eyes to others
If we see things from their side
If we can only be what we're meant to be
And never have to hide
When we're free to say "I Love You"
To whoever where we please
Then we'll know that this is paradise
Every spirit will be free

khalel, Philippines

The Rules

2007-07-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

The South East Asian Bloggers Blog is created for a sole purpose: To Unify All SEA Bloggers in one umbrella with a vision of encouraging budding and emerging new bloggers to actually ticking their keyboards to write about something that may prove to be vital for everyone to read and to know.

Thus with this vision, We are giving freedom to all members of this Bloc to write about anything under the sun as long as it would not go against the principle and vision of this Blog. If a post is deem inappropriate, it shall be deliberated and be acted upon properly. So I hope everyone can follow this simply rule.

We would like also to encourage, readers who have no personal blogs to join in. After All this is for you guys, we cannot be contented just letting you read our writings, we definitely want to read your ideas.

So, lets all enjoy this Blog.

Cheers to the SEA Bloggers!

____________

Note:

those who have been initially received an invitation and take it in their good heart to accept it. You can now star posting.

khalel

hush and listen

“WHY WOULD I EVEN CARE?!!”

2007-07-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

FACT: Our region is too diverse -- But should we let it stop us to unite? Should it stop us exchange ideas for our own good? Should we go far and westward to literally “beg” them to come and help our economies instead of helping each other out? We have a combined GDP of $900 billion and $2.8 trillion purchasing power parity. We are relatively rich!

FACT: Our region is of world importance – Aside from the points mentioned above, our region is closely monitored and befriended by the world’s “alleged” super countries – there’s ASEAN + 3 which includes Japan, Korea and China, the ASEAN-Russia, the ARF, the East Asia Summit. All of them acknowledges the fact, that we are a region with a future.

FACT: We are connected with each other – when the Thai economy collapsed in 1997, who fell next? When Vietnam was devastated with SARS and Bird Flu, who fell sick next? When Indonesia shakes an earthquake, where did the tsunami hit? When our ancestors are still trying to figure out how to plant rice, the Philippines came to the rescue. When the Burmese and the Viets fled their country, who welcomed them with open arms? When Laos asked for investment assistance, who came out to help?

It’s all us. The proud people of Southeast Asia.

We are 568 million strong. We are China’s “lady in waiting”. We are America’s brain contributors by pirating our professionals. We are the work force of the Middle East. We control the rice production of the world. We clean the world's households by producing coconut oil, we control this industry – what will happen to the world without soap?

We are a threat to India, Venezuela and Puerto Rico in any beauty pageant! For christssake!

You don’t have to go very far.

Everything you could possibly need, are here.

****

-- Pisanu for B I S E A N
Thailand

Sound the Bells!

2007-07-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

"BLOGGING HAS BECOME A NETWORKING SHIT AS FRIENDSTER AND MYSPACE."

-River Pisanu, Bisean

As i was doing my daily [b]reads and tagging fellow bloggers and friends via comment page. I came across the line above from River Pisanu of the Bisean. It is indeed quite alarming for me. As a blogger and as writer it has been my primordial goal to extend to my readers a piece of my mind on various issues and concerns plaguing society as whole through my poems, stories, essays, anecdotes etc. etc. etc.

And as much as i dont want to, I am nodding my head to what river said: Blogging has indeed is embracing a new shit! Proliferation of scam bloggers has become more and more noticeable and getting less substantial everyday.

Dont get me wrong, I am all for the freedom of expression but let us all be reminded that with "Freedom comes with great Responsibility."

Thus, I am dedicating a blog for the South East Asian Nation bloggers where we can join hands into taking blogging into a new level. To inspire new budding and emerging bloggers to actually tick their keyboards into actually writing about something that will actually be useful for the society.

It will be temporarily called United SEA [until somebody came up with a better name] so here is the link. Dont expect anything grand yet, it will be a blank space. Let us all start from Scratch.

So if you from the South East Asian Region, Join Us.

Leave your intention in the comment pagen and Leave a valid email where we can send an invite for you to join Us.