BP: Bankrupt Petroleum

British Petroleum,, BP as is now popularly known, may soon become Bankrupt Petroleum.

Now that the top kill method used by BP to stem the gush of oil in the Gulf of Mexico has proven to be a failure, the Petroleum giant is running out of options and pretty soon might be running out of resources too.  Already, the Obama administration has expressed support to lift the liability cap for the disaster which is currently pegged at US$75 Million.  The media is also abuzz with news of Congress possibly enacting a bill which would have a retroactive effect to get BP to pick up the tab for the expenses caused by the oilspill beyond the current cap.

Review: Pond's 'Apple' Commercial

I am not a big fan of watching TV, in days I do watch TV I'm usually more excited with the commercials. It could be my attention deficit or instant gratification but I enjoy commercials more.

Back in college I took an advertising course and was since hooked. Of all types of commercials the most I hate are celebrity endorsements -- they often lack any creativity and just banks on the fame (or infamy eventually) of the celebrity endorser.  Filipinos love celebrities, it is not surprising, therefore; that A LOT of the commercials running on our local TV stations are celebrity endorsements.

Sagada: Defying my Limits

Nike said 'Let's do it' and Adidas said that 'Nothing is Impossible'.

I have never been, maybe never will be, athletic and sporty. I love eating healthy and has an extremely low sugar tolerance so I am not really at risk - Black Swans aside - of obesity or any health related disease. Running has been my only sport lately with my fitness regimen chronicled by nike plus.  So when I got the itinerary for an action packed weekend in Sagada, I knew I would be so tired.

Indeed, I wasn't wrong, not only did I get so tired but I was also able to do things which I thought I would never be able to do.

Review: Barre3 at The Spa is Barred from my List

Ballet + Yoga + Pilates = the ultimate workout experience. I have such high expectations for this workout so when I had a blah experience t I was doubly disappointed.

After seeing the huge tarpaulin of the free trial on Barre3 offered by The Spa I made a mental note to try it out. When I called the number posted on their website the lady who answered the phone couldn’t really give me a responsive answer, she then told me that I should talk instead to the information desk at Barre3 studio and she gave me a number. I asked if it would be possible for her to just transfer me to the Barre3 studio but she said it’s not possible. So I had to dial again and call the number she gave. While I know it is not such a tedious task to call again another number but individuals who are in sales and/or marketing know that the key is not to let the customer wait on the phone i.e. if you can, do use a trunk line and make it possible to transfer a call within your building, surely that can’t be expensive and well worth the investment . Nevertheless, I called again and the receptionist got my name, contact number and confirmed my appointment. Before putting down the phone I asked her if I need to bring anything like yoga mat etc. she said ‘no’, however; she said they require students who will attend to use ‘sticky socks’. I was like what are sticky socks…and she can’t even give me a straight answer nor a suggestion of where I can get it. So anyway, I had to google again and use my powers of deduction to conclude that sticky socks meant those non-slip socks. Now the next task: where to find it?

Product Review: Human Nature Cleanser & Makeup Remover

I am a self-confessed makeup junkie. It probably started when I was three years old and discovered the power of lipstick in a little pink candy called lips. Twenty one years later, I still totally love makeup albeit with more sophistication now that a 1 peso candy laced with pink food color.

Everyone who pretty much loves makeup is always in search of the Holy Grail – the ultimate makeup remover. It doesn’t matter if you’re makeup is super-expensive, super hypoallergenic or super pure, at the end of the day – this is the first commandment of makeup junkies – you still have to remove it!

The best makeup remover I have found in the market so far is Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil. It’s the perfect makeup remover it removes even the most stubborn specie of the whole MAC kingdom: the waterproof mascara. One problem though is that it is a bit too expensive. At 3500 per 450 ml I usually just use it when I had to pile on several layers – from primer, to base to finishing powder – of makeup. Sometimes, I don’t use it when all I’ve used for the day is just some loose powder and bronzer it just doesn’t seem practical. I, however; feel guilty sometimes that I might have been unable to remove all traces of color pigment. So I tried other makeup removers – but it just doesn’t seem to come close to Shu’s cleansing power. So I am back to the traditional facial foam and toner. I want to be less dramatic and not say it like this but what the hell…Until last night.

Last night, after dining at healthy kitchen we went to this Echo Store in Serendra. The store sells environmental friendly toiletries which are locally made and most importantly CHEAP! Cheap, of course, usually equate to not good but since the labels clearly indicate the ingredients I figure well it’s worth trying. Since we already have pretty much what we need – shampoo, soap, massage oils, lotion, moisturizers etc. – we just bought some stuff which may be readily used (like that same night!). So final purchase for the night: cleanser/makeup remover and a non-toxic powdered insecticide called Exterminator. Since I cannot empathize with the ants, I will only do a review of the cleanser/makeup remover.

The cleanser/makeup remover is made from honey, and at 100 pesos it couldn’t be bad. After using it, it is not so bad at all. In fact, it’s super good! I didn’t have mascara at that time but I had on some cheek tint which pretty much stuck to my skin after sweating it out at Barre3. After emulsifying the cleanser, it cleaned out all traces of makeup and foundation on. The ultimate test that I had to subject it to that night was to use it as a cold cream too i.e. whether in using it with cotton I can still get some dirt or makeup residue. I didn’t get any! The best thing too is that not only do you get a clean face, but the cleanser left my skin nicely dewy and supple – bye bye to those moisture stripping facial cleanser that leaves you feeling like you just had botox.

Verdict: it’s not a replacement for Shu but it definitely works to replace your regular facial foam and perfect for light makeup days. I love it!

Another bonus thing too is that they don't wrap your purchases in a plastic bag, rather they put it in this recycled glossy magazines that was made into 'bags'. Of course, they could have instead asked us if we want our purchase our purchases wrapped to begin with.

Echo Store is located at G/F Serendra, across Market Market

It's Time, It's Time

The end of season sales, the coats now dominating the stores windows, the back to school sales, they all herald one thing: summer is (almost) over and the rainy season is about to begin.

It's time to bring those coats out from the back of the closet, dust of my plueys and start humming 'I'm singing in the rain'. Oh how I wish facing the challenge of the rainy season is that easy! Not on this side of the (third) world.  Aside from the erratic weather, there is one thing that we people of the Philippines need to worry about: floods, traffic (a much worse one!), typhoons, dengue outbreak, clogged drainage, and floating trash.

Cerebrating

"...things like these are matters which should come naturally, and the fact that you have to think about it makes it pathetic, makes YOU pathetic."

September, 2009 at past 1:00am post bar-operations duty on the way back to Quezon City while traversing the deserted roads of Manila, a commitment phobic friend blurted this out.

Fast forward to May 2010, after much debating rationalizing and negotiating, right in the middle of the scenic beaches of Zambales the same friend is now in a relationship. Still fast forward to several hours after, facebook status updated: In a relationship.

I was the 11th person to comment, FINALLY!

When a cerebral commitment friend finally commits - in his own definition of commit at least - it is a moment worth cerebrating!

A (little) Tougher Than It Is

It's May and summer is almost over, with it goes out of town trips, beach, and other laziness inspired endeavors.  Here comes June, and with it the  start of my last - crossfingers, cross toes, and everything that can be crossed - year in law school.

One. Last. Year.

So before exhaustion, and foreseeable rantings ensue I'm posting this song to remind myself  'Why?'



 

RH, DH and the PH

The changes brought about by the automated election was just astounding that even the most cynical of critics admit it is a resounding success.  Now, that the counting of votes is almost finished, and the winners - except for the VP race which is still a tight one as of this posting - can already be fairly ascertained one question comes to mind: What now of the RH Bill?

Noynoy Aquino, the Philippines next president, has previously announced his support for the RH Bill. However, as the Presidential race got more heated and the battle for endorsement from religious leaders became more intense and crucial, he changed his position. As more and more election results were transmitted has also become obvious that the pro-RH senatoriables - Lisa Masa, Risa Hontiveros, and Satur Ocampo - wouldn't get a seat in the senate. So what now of the RH Bill?

Before the election fever even caught on I remember seeing this tarpaulin at green meadows saying:

Yes to Life, No to RH bill.
 

Yes to life! Indeed, yes to life...but what is life?

The answer escapes me. Hence, i want to ask this questions to the church:

For a child

A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes, this is according to a popular song sung by Cinderella. Obviously, I am no Cinderella and my dreams are not what my heart makes; it is simply a product of random firing of my synapses which, in the end, makes for a rather entertaining and unbelievable plot.

I have been told by a few people that my dreams are often so detailed and elaborate it can make be made into one - sloppy, disorganized and at the very best a B - movie.

Insomnia hit again last night, and I ended up sleeping late and waking up too close to REM, hence remembering my dream in vivid detail.


In my dream I was in some University which looks like UP but doesn't seem exactly so and I was with a friend I haven't seen nor talked to in ages. In my dream, we went out for coffee and while talking about his leather jacket, he suddenly remembered he had a concert that he had to go to -- it was NSYNC's reunion concert. He asked me if I wanted to go and said we can still get tickets. A ticket for upper box A cost a whoppingly cheap 2500 pesos! So it is exceedingly cheap and of course I giddily wanted to watch. So, off we went to the ticket counter. When I was about to pay, I filched two 500 peso bill, 1 200 peso bill and a bunch of EUROS...WTF?! The comedy doesn't end there, not only do I not have enough pesos in my wallet but has enough Euros but my friend, volunteering to help me, said: 'Do you accept bank notes instead?' Okay, so maybe I had too much residual knowledge from my Negotiable Instruments class but seriously I think they stopped accepting bank notes ever since Central Banking has evolved. Unfazed by our lack of pesos, a friend said wait he has some friends coming who will be watching the concert too and for us to wait for them. So we waited, after an hour or so they arrived: A bunch of early 40s Indians straight from the airport still carrying their luggage. So okay, third option of paying FAIL.

And I woke up.

So I didn't see Justin Timberlake do his 'Bye, Bye, Bye' dance (which we danced in High School!haha). But thankfully, I woke up never to be haunted again by Bank notes.

Good Morning Sunshine and Bye bye bye. Mind you, I think this will be in my running playlist tonight...I just hope I don't end up dancing instead of running.

Enjoy watching. :)

Facebook and Heartbook

FB relationship status is a Milestone! It's one of the things - in a checklist of all other things - that makes one say 'hey, we're a couple'.

I tried to change my relationship status to "In a Relationship with (ME)" and facebook allowed it and a relationship request was sent to whoelse but ME! I approved it twice, waiting for my profile page to change to In a Relationship with Est Vanguardia, but alas nothing changed I was only listed as in a relationship and the relationship request kept on popping and remained pending...It may be just some quirk in the facebook codes that allow you in the first place to add yourself to 'in a relationship to yourself' or maybe facebook just didn't realize someone would actually send a request to his/herself. Nonetheless, I did but alas I COULDN'T.

After the third attempt, I still couldn't...to vent out the frustration I have somehow to pretend like some introvert waxing poetic about something as mundane as this.

Hence, realization number 1: You can't be in a relationship with yourself. Straightforward eh?! Unfortunately, not beyond the virtual life. Everyone, even the most introvert one, is a social being...As a social being, we crave intimacy - in all its most tender and passionate manifestations - and even with vibrators and other sex toys the realization is one can't be intimate with oneself.

Realization number 2: Loving Yourself is the Greatest Love of All. This is true, but no matter how you love yourself, if you cannot channel this and give back to others, there may come a point when you'll start thinking you can't love yourself more. Indeed, you can max out your card, shop till you drop, be present in every sample sale but really material things will just pile up and in the end - as opponent process theory predicts - you'll just start wanting more and repeating the cycle over and over again.

Realization number 3: It's just facebook. Don't let it get to you... :)

Here's a video of a couple updating their facebook status during their wedding. I wonder if with foursquare, the instance of the groom/bride finding out if he will be jilted in the altar will be substantially lessened.

The Longest (or Shortest) 5 Minutes

They say when you die - or have a near death experience - your life flashes in front of you. If my life flashes in front of me the subtitles (yes i want subtitles!) would probably be in this format:

- Whether or not I should have said no/yes...
- Whether or not I should have done more/less...
- Whether or not I should have turned back/move forward...

Whether or not...Two choices. One abbreviation. Just like I always write it. I'd like it to end with one word and one accronym: WON. Whether or Not.

So what got me to write this, this Video.

Majority Should not Always Rule

'It is because we have a majority that we don't need to (really) hear the minority, but it is also precisely because we have a majority that we should be respectful of the minority'

I always tell myself this every time I find myself reasoning on the basis of majority. It is funny that the very people who espouses democracy are the very people who are so intolerant of dissent. As Alanis Morisette said: Isn't it ironic, don't you think?'

Arroyo Appoints new SC Justice

I don't have the words. I can't think of any clear consequence. GMA appointing the next Chief Justice is a most unbelievable and despicable act that GMA has done. It is not enough that she deemed herself entitled to dominate congress, that she deemed it proper to appropriate public funds for her own personal benefit, that she deemed it OK to dine in Le Cirque while millions of Filipinos starve, it is not enough that she sees positions in GOCCs as some raffle prize to be given to those who serve her (and her purpose). It is not enough...she sees it proper as well to push our constitution and our institution to it's lowest limit.

To Justice Corona, I hope you serve well and will not be indebted to GMA. To Noynoy, i wouldn't know what to do as well if i were you...

 To date, GMA is the only President who not only appointed all 15 of the sitting Supreme Court Justices but was also the only President who has appointed a Chief Justice beyond the 60 day prohibition through the the courts decision in De Castro v. JBC.

Automation, Exit Polls and That Ubiquitous Dirty Finger

In Freakonomics it was said that voting is inefficient i.e. the amount of time, money, and effort you put in voting is not commensurate to the actual effect your voting will have as to the result of the election. Voting,therefore; is an inefficient exercise. Be that as it may, I still braved the NLEX traffic and traveled 4 hours of traffic to go home - via the SCTEX no less - to my hometown Alaminos, Pangasinan.

Alarm clock rang at 6:30am...way too early to wake up on a holiday. Of course it's not just any holiday but election day - the day I am finally going to meet the talk of the town Mr. PCOS machine. At 8am we were already at the polling place, techno-savvy that I am I already wrote the precinct number which I got on comelec.gov's website Precinct 0022A. Armed with my written list of names of candidates I am going to vote for and our precinct number committed to memory my mom and I looked for precinct 22A. After one round of searching for precinct 22A we still couldn't find it -- only precincts 1-9 exists. I know I am bad at math, hence I went to law, but 22 and 9 is way too far even if there's some mysterious odd, even, prime numbers only scheme going on! So, we swallowed our pride, and approached those PPCRV volunteers. We gave our precinct number 0022A and voila we got the answer - no algorithms required - apparently the one posted online is our OLD precinct number before the clustering happened, and we are now on precinct/cluster no. 6! Wow, thank you Comelec for wasting our time and for getting us to sweat a tub of water! So precinct found, next goal -- find your number. Okay, thank you so much for another goal to hurdle. So going back again to the PPCRV people, who searched in the excel sheet our number 123, and 124. So all set...

 Five minutes after we found our precinct, the next step getting a number to vote and queuing for what seemed like an audition lane to wowowee! My mom, though a senior citizen in denial, opted to take advantage of the senior citizen lane so okay, i just had to pep talk myself and sing Britney Spears 'Stronger' while waiting. After like an hour of waiting I finally was able to vote. Finally!


Secretly, i was humming 'may bilog, may bilog na hugis itlog...' lest I over or undershade. So after being handed down what looks like a 3 feet of paper (yes, we have that many candidates!) and handed the smartmatic marker I took one of the seat. Since we were voting in an elementary school, the seats were of course for the size of elementary students. So hurdle number five: how to fit a 3 feet paper, cover it with a 12 inch folder while all the time trying hard to fit yourself on a desk that was a nice fit when you were 1 foot shorter and 30 lbs lighter. I somehow managed to do this, however; so on to hurdle number 6: making sure not to over or undershade.

Shading is difficult, hands-down. Maybe I am just obsessive-compulsive but trying to be within the oval - the bilog na hugis itlog - is one hard feat! Since I voted early, the marker was still full and some of my shadings went through at the back of the paper. I was for a while, nervous that the PCOS machine would not accept it. Fortunately it did! What I thought would be the clincher round - getting the machine to accept it - proved to be a breeze. One go and the machine said: Congratulations Your Vote has now been registered.



Now, on to putting your thumbmark and getting the dirty finger i.e. the indelible ink. So voting finally done, time for some Halo-Halo! So while my mom and I were having snacks in the canteen near the school, I saw this two ladies wearing SWS exit poll IDs. I immediately called them for me to be surveyed. They only asked for who we voted for from President to Senatorial race, no question was asked on party lists which is OK.

I finally proved that this exit polls exists. Now on to the questions. After being asked who we voted for - I voted for Gordon while my mom voted for Gibo - some follow up questions we're asked. Some of the questions asked were:
1) Your choice for president is based on:
- platform (plataporma)
- pagkatao (personality?)

I answered, plataporma. When it was my mom's turn she asked, can i answer both? The interviewer said that she can only choose one, so she chose pagkatao. Now looking back, in choosing a president it's difficult to say you're just basing your decision on his/her platform after all you also look at that presidentiables personality, that is, his capacity to actually implement his platform. Thus, it's not clearcut and to box a respondent's answer in an either or choice would not be reflective of his/her motivation for choosing such candidate.

2) What do you think will be the future of the Philippine Economy (not so sure if it was worded as such)?
- bubuti (better)
- pareho pa din (same)
- sasama (will worsen).

This is very vague and ambiguous, so I had to clarify if my answer will be based on my perception what the economy will be on the basis of who I think will win or on the basis of who I voted for, or on the basis simply of ALL market factors. The interviewer said its the former -- based on who I think will win. I said, it will worsen*.

One day post election, and the clear winner is emerging...i stick with my answer. June 30, we're on to the final and longest round.


*this is my perception, and I don't wish to explain it. I call it positive pessimism - you don't frustrate yourself when you didn't expect much to begin with.


According to this article SWS won't accept voters who volunteered to be interviewed...Oooopppsss. :)

Do We Filipinos Really love Our freedom So Much?

"Some ppl saying life ws better during the Marcos dictatorship. Sige, lumipat kayo sa North Korea*. Dont like freedom? Get the f*** out of RP". This was a tweet from Pepe Diokno this morning. He is the grandson of the nationalist senator and lawyer Jose W. Diokno.

I responded on his tweeter but I feel that the 180 characters, or even the 360 supposed limit on this blog, is not enough to communicate how I feel and what I want to say. Hence, i wrote this blog entry.

I was born post-martial law hence I wasn't able to experience first hand how it was like during the hey days of the Marcos dictatorship. I was also too young, fortunately or unfortunately, to experience the 1986 People Power.

I was indeed to young to experience the yellow fever. I am, however, old enough to appreciate what it was like to traverse NLEX without paying such a high toll fee. I was also old enough to still see the Marcos bust in the Marcos highway, one which Marcos built when Kennon road was becoming unreliable. I was also old enough (at preschool) to see unbranded condoms being distributed to families in accordance with Marcos' population control program. I was also old enough to remember that as a kid I use to throw tantrums almost everyday because I can't watch TV and it's soo hot because yet again we have a 9-5 power outage. I was also old enough to remember the dashing Gringo Honasan attempting several coups. I was old enough...maybe a little too old.

The comment of Pepe Diokno that those who lament that life was better during the Marcos dictatorship better move to North Korea is uncalled for and without any basis whatsoever. What is wrong with wanting a better life? Should being free be equated to being poor? The sad state of people power, and the fact that we have to clarify which people power sequel it is, shows that as freedom fighters we haven't really changed nor achieved much.

We say, we as the Filipino people would rather be poor rather than live under a dictatorship. Do we really? Isn't it already telling that the sheer number of people who migrate, work, and aspire to work in middle east - with Saudi Arabia still being the top destination - countries and destinations who are as restrictive as Singapore already answers that question. It is no longer theoretical, Filipinos would rather give up a little (if not a lot!) of their freedom in order to have a better life. We hail them as the new breed of heroes, but has it not occurred to us that in the process of buoying up the economy with their remittances they too have sacrificed their freedom!

My professor in Private International Law Dean Merlin Magallona, former Dean of the UP College of Law and USec.of the DFA, once said to us in class, we say we don't want to give up our freedom but we only have to look at the number of our OFWs to say that we already have.

Close to a hundred thousand people marched to the streets during Edsa 1 whereas in 2008 1.2 million Filipinos, based on POEA statistics, left the country. Yes, we already have and we even sought - aspire to, hope, dream - of giving it up...over and over again.

*Go on and move to South Korea.

The Curious Case of Erap Para sa Mahirap

I have always been curious about who taxi drivers will be voting for, and being the curious former statistics obsessed student that I was I always make it a point to ask drivers who they will vote for. In about two months that I have done this, the clear answer is Joseph Estrada a.k.a ERAP.

It has always been common talk with some of my friends that to reelect Erap would just prove to the International Community that we never learn from our mistakes. To pardon a 73 year old convicted plunderer was probably compassionate or humanitarian, to let him run again for the same position we rid him off would probably count as fair, after all he does not possess any of the disqualifications for running, by Comelec Division 2 standards at least, but to re-elect him AGAIN for the same position is unacceptable, it is LUNACY to the most exponential level!
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As a disgruntled voter who is rooting and voting for an unpopular but very capable Presidentiable, I have reached a point where I believe wholeheartedly and without a single ounce of skepticism that we are, or maybe have become, a country of stupid voters. An hour ago, I was thinking that IF ONLY ours is a population of thinking voters then there is probably still hope. Still hope that the poor will not always be poor, the oligarchs won't always control the government, and we the hopeful generation would one day not contemplate - hope, wish, pray, or die for - a chance to go and work abroad and leave the country for good. It seems though that I am living in a different dreamland with the white rabbit never appearing to say 'it's time, it's time!'.

If only ours is indeed a population of thinking voters. Wishful thinking, indeed. The educated, the elitist, the thinkers always blame the masses for electing incompetents like movie stars, singers, etc. and I am one of them. I admit to being snobbish and downright dismissive of candidates who lure and wow the masses with all the posters, promises, entertainment, and all that she-bang without offering a concrete platform. The strategist in me, however; admit that the only way to win an election is to sway the vote of the masses. After all, we are the only country in Southeast Asia where the absolute number of poor people has increased since 1990. This is according to an ADB report.

Resentful as I was for the irrational choices that the masses have for electing a President, I would have to admit that probably in their perspective too they were making the right choice. To better understand their perspective, and the masses seemingly fanatic and unconditional support for Erap I had one pro-Erap taxi driver convince me to vote for Erap. His reasoning was very simple, he didn't have all the statistical reports etc, and he never denied that Erap didn't steal his only argument is that Erap has genuine concern for the poor. Never mind that that concern didn't seem to be manifest in a concrete platform to actually alleviate poverty. Never mind that Erap's pro-poor program seemed to be concerned only with giving them 'food for the day etc.' he is as adamant as any hardcore supporter that Erap is pro-poor. If you think about it, what difference is an Erap supporter to a Noynoy one -- the other one promises that hindi ako magnanakaw (i will not steal) while the other promises (not directly of course!haha) that he will only steal jueteng money.

Rational is in the perception of the voter. The manong was unsuccessful in convincing me to vote for Erap, but one thing is for sure, i'd rather have an irrational - in my perspective- popular mandate for Erap than another 'people power' elected candidate.

Note: i am going beyond 360 today, because this is just too complicated to be contained in 360 characters.

Facebook Space is Personal Space

The concept of space has now fully extended into the cyber world. Not only do you hear people complain about their personal i.e. physical spaces violated but their facebook space violated. Facebook has become so much of an extension of ourselves that one posting an unwanted ad, candidate, or link violates our facebook space as much as our personal space.

Failure (of Elections) is NOT an Option.

Applauds the teachers serving as Board of Election Inspectors, not only are they taking on the very difficult of implementing the very first automated election but most notably that they appear to be genuinely concerned that there will be a failure of election. Failure of election equals GMA’s extension, thus UNACCEPTABLE.

The Problem with Intellectual Endorsers

Just saw the all star Villar ad with Dolphy, Willie, and Manny. I have to applaud Villar for his use of non ‘intellectual celebrities’, after all the thinking ones don’t really pull the vote. Intellectuals influence only other intellectuals who argue, comment, dissent etc. That’s why Gibo and Gordon will never win – they have intellectuals as endorsers.