Food for the mind TV

Thanks to cable, the tv can not be called an idiot box anymore. Cable tv not only increased  the quantity of viewing choices of tv viewers but it also brought in many foreign tv channels that offer very interesting and informative programs.

Apart from the BBC and Al Jazeera, I particularly like NHK World from Japan and Tele5 Monde from France. These stations do not only offer insights into their respective countries' culture but there are also many great ideas Filipinos can pick up from the shows of these two channels which can be adapted locally.

In order to make the programs of these stations more accessible to local people, I wonder if it would be possible to select some of the better shows from these stations and translate them into the local language.

A monument to ugliness

 At first I wondered what this structure in the picture was. To me it looked like a globe structure that was badly made and so it collapsed. Every time I pass by it, I look for signs that it was being worked on and I waited for it to be finally finished. Only recently did I learn that it was actually already finished and it cost the people of its host city several millions for this work of crap,,,,err art!

Public art should be something that a people can be proud of and not be ashamed of.

I don't know if there is a name for this structure. It is a masterpiece of ugliness and a reminder of how authorities waste public money on senseless undertakings.

This structure should be named after the highest public figure that approved its construction.

Good Buys at the Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair 2013 (Oct 23-28)

1. Biscocho (Liza's) and carabao milk pastillas (Marissa's) - Bulacan
2  Tempura like fried crispy mushrooms (Mom's Haus of Mushroom)- Bulacan
3. Sesame seed candy (Sonia's Sweets)- Zambales
4. Greaseless peanuts (Edelyn's)- Pampanga

At least these are the items I will gladly buy again if I see them again in the future.

There were other items that I bought like the smoked mullet (banak) from Bataan, mango leather and bamboo shoot pickles from Zambales and spiced cane vinegar from Tarlac. They were not bad but not specially good either. What I forgot to buy was the chili sauce made in Nueva Ecija which was reasonably good and well packaged.

In the crafts and furniture section, except for the molave root mortar and pestle from Aurora, I did not remember seeing anything remarkable.  There were craft animals made from rice straws being sold at the Munoz City (Nueva Ecija) booth but the craftsmanship was shoddy. As for the wood furniture I saw, I wished that government will give them greater design and technical assistance to help participants come up with more attractive items.

For health reasons, I passed up the chance to buy a kind of pork chicharon from Nueva Ecija which was called inantala. It was the first time I saw this food item but I assumed its name was derived from the procedure of interrupting (antala) the cooking process so that the chicharon can be cooked to finish whenever by the end consumer..

Government sponsored trade fairs are a great way for the entrepreneurs to get exposure for their products. But for many of the products I saw,  I hope the government can also help the entrepreneurs package and develop their products better. For the food products, I hope government can also come up with standards of quality to guide manufacturers and consumers alike.

Central Luzon or Region III is made up of the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. I hope I remember my geography right and did not miss a province.

pagbitiw sa isang blog

Dahil matagal na rin naman natutulog ang isang blog na sinimulan ko noong nag-aaral pa ako ng wikang pranses, naisip ko na lang na permanente na itong patulugin.

May tatlong pakay sana ako para sa blog na iyon. Una ay maging daan sana ito para sa mas madaling pag-aaral ng pranses. Pangalawa ay alamin kung sa ano anong paraan makikita ang impluwensya ng kulturang pranses sa mga Pinoy at sa Pilipinas. Pangatlo, subuking makuha ang magaganda at kapaki-pakinabang ng idea mula sa France.

Nakakahinayang rin dahil pinag aksayahan ko rin naman ng panahon at pag-iisip yon. At may mga souvenir pictures din doon kasama ng mga kaibigan. Sana kung magkakaroon ako ng pagkakataon para buhayin ito kasama pa ng ibang interesado sa relasyong Pilipinas at Pransya, ay muli kong mabuhay ang blog na ito.

(Ang mga nakaibigan ko sa klase. Kahit tumigil na rin ako sa pag-aaral ng pranses, minsan hinahanap hanap ko rin ang naging masayang samahan namin. )

Manipesto ng Botanteng Pilipino

Ako ay botanteng Pilipino.

Batid ko na sa aking boto ay nakasalalay ang kinabukasan ng aking bayan.

Ano man ang antas ko sa buhay, ang aking boto ay kasing halaga sa boto ng iba, maging sila man ay dukha o naka-aangat.

Pagkat sa batas at halalan ng aking bayan, ang lahat ay pantay pantay.

Isang tao. Isang boto.

Bilang Pilipino, pangangalagaan ko ang dangal at linis ng aking boto.

Pag-aaralan at pag-iisipan ko ng maigi kung ang aking mga ihahalal ay may sapat na kakayanan upang mamuno sa bayan at kung sila ay matapat at mapagkakatiwalaan.

Malaya akong boboto ayon lamang sa aking konsyensya

Lalabanan ko ang sinumang susubok na dungisan ang aking boto o magtatangka na nakawin ito.

Tututulan ko ang sinumang mangangahas na bilihin ang boto ko o magdikta sa akin kung sino ang dapat kong piliin.

Sila ay mga kaaway ng bayan at kalayaan. Ipagtatanggol ko ang aking boto laban sa kanila.

Ako ay botanteng Pilipino.

Malaya. Matuwid. Marangal

Holy-dap: Bagong modus ng mga kriminal

  ("Crime and Punishment" - Mula sa collage series People and Power: 16 Views of Malacanang ni VFG)


May bagong modus ngayon ang mga taong nanghihingi ng pera sa mga pasahero ng jeep. Dati mamimigay lang sila ng sobre at susundan kunyari ng dasal, caroling o kaya ay pangaral mula sa bibliya.

Pero kailan lang, sa sinasakyan kong jeep, yong nagbigay ng sobre ay maangas na tinawag ang pansin ng mga pasaherong hindi siya pinapansin at sinabing pakinggan ang sasabihin niya.

Kunwari ay nangangaral siya pero ang kanyang sinasabi ay may kahalong pananakot tungkol sa masamang nangyayari daw sa mga taong mas pinapahalagahan ang pera ng higit pa sa salita ng diyos. Matagal siyang nagsalita tungkol sa mga pasaherong nasasaksak ng holdupper at napapatay dahil sa pagpapahalaga nila sa mga materyal na bagay, Paulit ulit nyang binabanggit ito at malinaw na ang pakay niya ay manakot. Ewan kung may kasabwat sya na maglalabas ng panaksak o baril kapag wala pa rin pumansin sa kanya. Nang makakita kasi ako ng pagkakataon na bumaba ng sasakyan, bumaba na ako.

Gusto ko sana isumbong sa pulis ang nagaganap sa jeep pero wala naman akong makita sa oras na kailangan ko lumapit sa kanila.

Dapat kasi ay hindi na pinabayaan ang ganitong aktibidad kahit noong pa aral aral pa lang sila kunyari. Halata namang panloloko ito. Ngayon tuloy ay nag level up na sila at nanakot na ng mga masasamang bagay sa mga pasahero.

Nahold up na ako minsan sa loob ng jeep at natutukan ng baril. Para sa akin, bago pa man makapanakit ng mga inosenteng tao ang mga ito at maisakatotohanan ang kanilang pananakot. dapat unahan na sila ng ating mga alagad ng batas.

A Park will rise here

It has been a while since I passed by the south end of the C6 road but when I happened to bike there recently, I was glad to learn that the local government of Taguig City is turning the south end portion of that place into a park. The C6 area which is on the edge of the Laguna de Bai  offers a wonderful view of the lake and has a great potential for becoming a tourist draw. I wish that eventually, the entire seven kilometer stretch of the dike area along C6 will be turned into a park. I was concerned before that the government was not doing anything to conserve or preserve the place which seemed to be degrading due to encroachment of informal settlers and unplanned development.

My hope for this park however is to become a world class national park that can compete in beauty with other famous parks in the world. This can even be a legacy of the Aquino Government to the people and I would not mind if we call this the "Matuwid na Daan" Park.

Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur

People want to be fooled, so let them be fooled. (translation for the title)

                               (photo taken from internet)

This is what I can say to people who came to the Ayala Million People March that was attended by less than three thousand people.

If there was a message that can be gleaned from that rally, it was the rejection by the people of mercenary activism and the career activists who led the rally. People did not just stay away from it, they watched with hostility and contempt, wary and suspicious of the organizers true intent.

One of the organizers even withdrew her support for  the rally at the last minute calling some of her fellow organizers users.

For so long and in the spirit of freedom of expression and free speech, people have tolerated the noisy disruptive antics of the professional militants mostly from the left. Now however, people seem to be more discerning and refused to be used or fooled by them.

There was one strange thing at the rally though. The golden pig that was supposed to symbolize the hated pork barrel had lost its nose and so did not really look like a pig. What happened? Instead of symbolizing the pork barrel, this animal aptly portrayed the militants who simply want people to conform to their version of  reality.