my sweetie, patrick gabutina, opened his first one-man show at cagayan de oro last friday.
i was so sad that i couldn't make it. but of course, i shared in his apprehension... and in the success of his opening, albeit from afar.
pat is my best guy friend. he's gay. when we first started going out together (yes, we had our own dates.), we got to the habit of calling each other "sweetie", and that pet name stuck. he is a politician's politician, a leader's leader, a friend, an artist (writer, photographer and painter!) and all-around buddy.
one of his friends who also couldn't make it to the opening of his exhibit instead wrote a lifestyle piece on him, in time for his opening last friday. read the article here.
so if any of you find yourselves in cagayan de oro and have time to spare, do drop by the cobalt gallery and check out "Into the Dark."
congrats sweetie!!! so proud of you!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
falling in love...
... with work again.
after six years, i'm doing something new. i'm reading new laws (not "new" new, but new to my line of work). i write, and i am acknowledged for what i write. i speak, and my words aren't attributed to blood-sucking, attention-grabbing "acting superiors."
no one grabs the limelight now. my new boss doesn't take credit for my work.
vindication is sweet. being appreciated is even better.
Monday, September 17, 2007
movie re-review and re-classification
my artist friends in the film industry will probably kill me for what i am about to do.
this week, cy and i will be ensconced in the comfort of our own homes for two whole days, watching some local and foreign films that our boss has shortlisted for us. our mission: to nitpick on the "correctness" of the ratings given by the board. (don't worry, bebs. no indie films included)
i admit it will be difficult. i love films, i'd like to believe i am an artist at heart, and i am all for freedom of expression. this time, though, i have to view the films not as a film buff, or as an artist, or as a mere critic, but as a 'watchdog.' after years of watching movies as a hobby, i now need to check on the language, content, violence, nudity, etc., etc., etc...
tonight, i will be immersing myself in the provisions of the law & the rules of the MTRCB.
tomorrow, i will be a movie reviewer.
totally cool, spending two days watching movies as part of my job.
totally uncool, that i need to be technical and critical about something i love doing as a pastime.
this week, cy and i will be ensconced in the comfort of our own homes for two whole days, watching some local and foreign films that our boss has shortlisted for us. our mission: to nitpick on the "correctness" of the ratings given by the board. (don't worry, bebs. no indie films included)
i admit it will be difficult. i love films, i'd like to believe i am an artist at heart, and i am all for freedom of expression. this time, though, i have to view the films not as a film buff, or as an artist, or as a mere critic, but as a 'watchdog.' after years of watching movies as a hobby, i now need to check on the language, content, violence, nudity, etc., etc., etc...
tonight, i will be immersing myself in the provisions of the law & the rules of the MTRCB.
tomorrow, i will be a movie reviewer.
totally cool, spending two days watching movies as part of my job.
totally uncool, that i need to be technical and critical about something i love doing as a pastime.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
of guilt and closure
GUILTY.
the sandiganbayan finds erap guilty of plunder.
-----
CLOSURE.
i used to hate erap on a purely personal level: i considered him as the proximate cause for my one-year hiatus from law school, which led me to graduate a year later than my original batch.
as political staff of minority leader sonny belmonte from 1999 to 2001, we were at the forefront of (staff) action during the initiation of the erap impeachment proceedings in 2000.
at the house of representatives, then cong. sonny alvarez had endorsed the first impeachment complaint. we had to help gather at least 73 more signatures to make sure that the complaint would be elevated to the senate, who would then try the impeachment case. the spice boys (migz zubiri, mike defensor, nani braganza) and the old spice (sonny b, oca moreno, joker arroyo, recom echiverri) were tasked to hound their party-mates and other congressman friends and beseech them to add their endorsements to the complaint. when they had prospects, we (the staff) would in turn add a little pressure on the staff of these prospects, so that it was a two-pronged kulitan event. the main headquarters and operations center was the minority leader's office, where coffee, food and microwave popcorn were constantly available.
i'm sure nad would agree: those months were the most tiring work-months, but they were also the most exciting.
we had a lot of work to do. suddenly, we had multiple bosses, with different requests and demands, most of which included sleuthing trips, undercover research, phone calls made under pseudonyms (well, we had to confirm the presence of certain personalities in their declared places of residence!) and a lot more which i obviously cannot divulge. we would hear clicks and whispers of mysterious persons over the line, while talking with someone over the phone. it got to a point where we had to put small post-its on all our phone units which read: "warning: this line is bugged." then PNP chief ping lacson saw these post-its on one of his visits to our office, and could only shake his head and smile wanly.
i will never forget the time when we got into an argument with some of our co-workers from the engineering department. i think it was just a week before the deadline and we were all scrambling to get the numbers. we were on "happy, expectant mode" because manny villar and his group had already sent feelers that they were ready to endorse the complaint. we were ready to work overtime as usual, then we heard the rumble of fogging and pesticide machines mar the silence of the congress environs. apparently, there was a scheduled fumigation and we all had to vacate the office premises. we fought tooth & nail with the engineer on duty, telling him to stop the fumigation for the whole main building. (if they had spared our office alone, it would have been useless since the main building of congress has centralized airconditioning.) unfortunately, mr. engineer had an office memo from the sec.gen. allowing the fumigation. they spared our office and those beside it (what used to be 2 more conference rooms, the appropriations committee office and the internal audit office). until now, i have never acknowledged the smiles or greetings from mr. engineer when we cross paths. hehe.
as the books of history will show, we got our numbers. i was at the session hall when manny villar directly sent the complaint to the senate and banged his gavel, to the dismay of the other members of the house. and i was there when he was unseated as speaker, and noli fuentebella was elected to take his place.
our office was again in chaos, this time in the middle of the impeachment proceedings. boss sonny b was the head of the prosecution panel (and the house contingent). we did not personally participate in the case at that point, since the prosecution panel had hired their own secretariat staff, though we were left in congress to monitor EVERYTHING happening around, and that included watching the impeachment proceedings everyday.
then the senators did not allow the opening of the second envelope. that night, by 8pm, i found myself at the EDSA shrine where a few people had started to gather. my co-worker, markk, was at a barkada dinner when he got the news. knowing in his heart that he had to go to EDSA, he started walking along timog towards EDSA to catch a bus. there was an ongoing noise barrage (car horns were blaring everywhere!), and suddenly a car slowed down beside him. the occupants of the car asked him if he wanted to go to EDSA shrine with them. in the spirit of solidarity (and without considerations of safety), he got on the car with those strangers. hehe.
i also had my version of "riding with a stranger" on those days at EDSA. i think it was the second day, and there was a downpour. i had to get to school by 6pm for class, and traffic was at a standstill. we decided to walk north from galleria and just hoped to catch any kind of transport somewhere along the way. by the time we reached the EDSA monument, we were dog tired. i got this crazy idea of trying to hitch a ride to UP. i made a sign that said "TO UP OR KATIPS DIRECTION. PLEASE.
" after 30 minutes, a car driver took pity on us. he was a UP alumnus and he told us that his conscience couldn't take not giving a ride to his "schoolmates."
it's funny to note that i was present on all those EDSA 2 days... all days EXCEPT the day when GMA took her oath and was booed by the crowd. ha. i could only gloat at the sight (and turn green with envy at not being able to "boo" at her myself), in the comforts of my anonas apartment.
the next session day, with GMA now assuming the presidency, we knew that there would be corresponding changes to the congress leadership. at first they wanted manny villar re-elected, but the original minority group (sans SB) had some apprehensions. eventually, manny villar expressed his desire not to be elected as speaker, since he was also planning to run for the senate.
i was at the session hall when my boss was elected the third Speaker of the 11th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. from the basement of the main building, we moved to the most coveted office of the batasan complex.
and since the speakership is an all-around office, both political and administrative, it meant a lot more work and greater responsibility for us, the original staff, who suddenly had to supervise our own staff.
everything took its toll on my studies, especially my attendance (rather, non-attendance) at classes. eventually i decided to go on leave, if only to save my grades and not put my academic standing at risk.
this is how it came to be that because of erap, i had to give up a year and prolong my law school life.
but i'm a lawyer now, so i think it's time to let go of the hatred. it was pure circumstance, and the accidents that consequently happened have provided me with numerous opportunities that i think have been worth the one year hiatus. as i said to myself on the day that i filed my LOA, "que sera sera."
the past six years have been good. nah. i think they've been great. and i can only thank erap for being the proximate cause of everything that has led me to this day, to who i am now, to what i have, and to everything else that lies ahead.
the sandiganbayan finds erap guilty of plunder.
-----
CLOSURE.
i used to hate erap on a purely personal level: i considered him as the proximate cause for my one-year hiatus from law school, which led me to graduate a year later than my original batch.
as political staff of minority leader sonny belmonte from 1999 to 2001, we were at the forefront of (staff) action during the initiation of the erap impeachment proceedings in 2000.
at the house of representatives, then cong. sonny alvarez had endorsed the first impeachment complaint. we had to help gather at least 73 more signatures to make sure that the complaint would be elevated to the senate, who would then try the impeachment case. the spice boys (migz zubiri, mike defensor, nani braganza) and the old spice (sonny b, oca moreno, joker arroyo, recom echiverri) were tasked to hound their party-mates and other congressman friends and beseech them to add their endorsements to the complaint. when they had prospects, we (the staff) would in turn add a little pressure on the staff of these prospects, so that it was a two-pronged kulitan event. the main headquarters and operations center was the minority leader's office, where coffee, food and microwave popcorn were constantly available.
i'm sure nad would agree: those months were the most tiring work-months, but they were also the most exciting.
we had a lot of work to do. suddenly, we had multiple bosses, with different requests and demands, most of which included sleuthing trips, undercover research, phone calls made under pseudonyms (well, we had to confirm the presence of certain personalities in their declared places of residence!) and a lot more which i obviously cannot divulge. we would hear clicks and whispers of mysterious persons over the line, while talking with someone over the phone. it got to a point where we had to put small post-its on all our phone units which read: "warning: this line is bugged." then PNP chief ping lacson saw these post-its on one of his visits to our office, and could only shake his head and smile wanly.
i will never forget the time when we got into an argument with some of our co-workers from the engineering department. i think it was just a week before the deadline and we were all scrambling to get the numbers. we were on "happy, expectant mode" because manny villar and his group had already sent feelers that they were ready to endorse the complaint. we were ready to work overtime as usual, then we heard the rumble of fogging and pesticide machines mar the silence of the congress environs. apparently, there was a scheduled fumigation and we all had to vacate the office premises. we fought tooth & nail with the engineer on duty, telling him to stop the fumigation for the whole main building. (if they had spared our office alone, it would have been useless since the main building of congress has centralized airconditioning.) unfortunately, mr. engineer had an office memo from the sec.gen. allowing the fumigation. they spared our office and those beside it (what used to be 2 more conference rooms, the appropriations committee office and the internal audit office). until now, i have never acknowledged the smiles or greetings from mr. engineer when we cross paths. hehe.
as the books of history will show, we got our numbers. i was at the session hall when manny villar directly sent the complaint to the senate and banged his gavel, to the dismay of the other members of the house. and i was there when he was unseated as speaker, and noli fuentebella was elected to take his place.
our office was again in chaos, this time in the middle of the impeachment proceedings. boss sonny b was the head of the prosecution panel (and the house contingent). we did not personally participate in the case at that point, since the prosecution panel had hired their own secretariat staff, though we were left in congress to monitor EVERYTHING happening around, and that included watching the impeachment proceedings everyday.
then the senators did not allow the opening of the second envelope. that night, by 8pm, i found myself at the EDSA shrine where a few people had started to gather. my co-worker, markk, was at a barkada dinner when he got the news. knowing in his heart that he had to go to EDSA, he started walking along timog towards EDSA to catch a bus. there was an ongoing noise barrage (car horns were blaring everywhere!), and suddenly a car slowed down beside him. the occupants of the car asked him if he wanted to go to EDSA shrine with them. in the spirit of solidarity (and without considerations of safety), he got on the car with those strangers. hehe.
i also had my version of "riding with a stranger" on those days at EDSA. i think it was the second day, and there was a downpour. i had to get to school by 6pm for class, and traffic was at a standstill. we decided to walk north from galleria and just hoped to catch any kind of transport somewhere along the way. by the time we reached the EDSA monument, we were dog tired. i got this crazy idea of trying to hitch a ride to UP. i made a sign that said "TO UP OR KATIPS DIRECTION. PLEASE.
" after 30 minutes, a car driver took pity on us. he was a UP alumnus and he told us that his conscience couldn't take not giving a ride to his "schoolmates." it's funny to note that i was present on all those EDSA 2 days... all days EXCEPT the day when GMA took her oath and was booed by the crowd. ha. i could only gloat at the sight (and turn green with envy at not being able to "boo" at her myself), in the comforts of my anonas apartment.
the next session day, with GMA now assuming the presidency, we knew that there would be corresponding changes to the congress leadership. at first they wanted manny villar re-elected, but the original minority group (sans SB) had some apprehensions. eventually, manny villar expressed his desire not to be elected as speaker, since he was also planning to run for the senate.
i was at the session hall when my boss was elected the third Speaker of the 11th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. from the basement of the main building, we moved to the most coveted office of the batasan complex.
and since the speakership is an all-around office, both political and administrative, it meant a lot more work and greater responsibility for us, the original staff, who suddenly had to supervise our own staff.
everything took its toll on my studies, especially my attendance (rather, non-attendance) at classes. eventually i decided to go on leave, if only to save my grades and not put my academic standing at risk.
this is how it came to be that because of erap, i had to give up a year and prolong my law school life.
but i'm a lawyer now, so i think it's time to let go of the hatred. it was pure circumstance, and the accidents that consequently happened have provided me with numerous opportunities that i think have been worth the one year hiatus. as i said to myself on the day that i filed my LOA, "que sera sera."
the past six years have been good. nah. i think they've been great. and i can only thank erap for being the proximate cause of everything that has led me to this day, to who i am now, to what i have, and to everything else that lies ahead.
tech distraction
i am not wallowing in agony anymore over my lost files. i am positive that given a few months, i will be able to retrace and retrieve most of my files from the PCs and files of other friends, and my pics from the CDs of my brother. i hope.
in the interest of updating you on why i am in such a chirpy, happier mood: i got my dual-sim cellphone yesterday!
made in china.
both sims active at the same time.
mp3/mp4 player.
2 megapixel camera.
touch-screen, with stylus.
very very good sound quality.
will keep you updated on its performance
Sunday, September 9, 2007
negligence & injustice
my laptop, storm, crashed last weekend. i don't know why it happened. my brother was watching musicals on youtube, and bang, glowing black screen.
i told him to switch the power off & remove the battery. basically, leave the laptop alone. maybe it was just making tampo or something. (obviously, i am not a techie.)
2 hours later he switched it back on. after the initial windows boot-up, black screen.
glowing black screen. glowing black screen. glowing black screen.
when i got back from barops, i switched storm on and the same thing happened. glowing black screen. i was getting really scared, because i had no back-up of my files. nothing for the last 6 months. and that's a lot, like 80% of my work, lawyering, academic and raket life.
why now, when i was busy with a lot of things?
why now, when i hadn't backed-up my files in a looong time?
why now, when i had just "cleaned" my flash disk & had just removed files AND PICS which i thought were just 'clutter?'
why? why? why?
after tinkling with storm, my brother successfully restored everything. everything EXCEPT MY FILES. the documents, folders & programs of all users of storm, including all shared documents were successfully retrieved. all THEIR files are there. EXCEPT MINE. i have a folder in the sytem back-up, but it's empty.
my files, pictures, demand letters, pleadings, students' grades... GONE. GONE. GONE.
my heart bleeds at the injustice of it all. sniff. sniff. :(
i told him to switch the power off & remove the battery. basically, leave the laptop alone. maybe it was just making tampo or something. (obviously, i am not a techie.)
2 hours later he switched it back on. after the initial windows boot-up, black screen.
glowing black screen. glowing black screen. glowing black screen.
when i got back from barops, i switched storm on and the same thing happened. glowing black screen. i was getting really scared, because i had no back-up of my files. nothing for the last 6 months. and that's a lot, like 80% of my work, lawyering, academic and raket life.
why now, when i was busy with a lot of things?
why now, when i hadn't backed-up my files in a looong time?
why now, when i had just "cleaned" my flash disk & had just removed files AND PICS which i thought were just 'clutter?'
why? why? why?
after tinkling with storm, my brother successfully restored everything. everything EXCEPT MY FILES. the documents, folders & programs of all users of storm, including all shared documents were successfully retrieved. all THEIR files are there. EXCEPT MINE. i have a folder in the sytem back-up, but it's empty.
my files, pictures, demand letters, pleadings, students' grades... GONE. GONE. GONE.
my heart bleeds at the injustice of it all. sniff. sniff. :(
Friday, September 7, 2007
the brotherhood of boys
i entered UP in 1994. i graduated in 1998. i went back for law school in 1999, and finally left my beloved diliman campus in 2005. in almost a decade, i have experienced, seen, felt and heard of a myriad of unfortunate events on fraternity violence. i cannot remember all of them, given how many there are, but i remember those which left a mark.
these snippets that follow are purely personal and brutally real. a number of incidents of frat-related violence happen at the diliman campus every year, and every year it seems that these BOYS will never, ever learn.
1994. freshman year, 2nd sem. dennis venturina is killed. i did not know dennis, but i knew two of those charged for his death. one is still in bilibid, who i vow to myself i will visit sometime this year, and is awaiting the outcome of their appeal. the other one, who i became good friends with in law school, was acquitted and is now a lawyer.
1995. freshman year, 2nd sem. i was seated by the window, daydreaming in the middle of comm2 class. suddenly i hear shouts, and gunshots. another fraternity rumble. no one gets hurt or killed, but i become very disturbed seeing a friend holding a pistol while running away from a policeman.
1995. sophomore year, 1st sem. mark roland martin dies while undergoing initiation rites. i get a call at dawn from some guy i didn't know that i had to rush to los banos to help two of my friends. gail & i went to los banos, straight to the municipal jail. i had to process the leave of absence of j, who couldn't show his face in UP, while r's mom took care of her son's leave. j moves to cebu. r is now a very successful engineer. they are both active with volunteer work.
1996. sophomore year, 2nd sem. i see the name of a high school schoolmate on the pages of the collegian. the UP diliman police gave his name as a suspect in a rumble that had happened. i don't know if that guy ever graduated.
1997. junior year, 2nd sem. there is shouting and running in the corridors of BA, and suddenly we hear what sounds like a gunshot. i tell my barkada that i have to go check, since i was the only one who had friends in almost all the frats. i go out and see two groups of boys running away from each other and dashing into separate waiting cars. the UP diliman police, who apparently had released the warning shot, looked on and let them go.
1998. first job. alex icasiano dies of hazing. the name of my college roommate's best friend, a sophomore at law school, is 2nd on the list of suspects. he is found guilty for a lighter offense. he applies for parole, goes back to law school, and becomes a good friend and inuman buddy. he is now a lawyer.
2000. freshman law, 2nd sem. i arrive at UP for class and find the law center area swarming with police. i see yellow ticker tape, and i know there has been another death, most probably from a rumble. i walk slowly to malcolm, and i see smears and drops of blood on the walkway and steps between the law center and the library. i get to class, and some of the boys are conspicuously absent. later we get confirmation that it was indeed a rumble, and den reyes had died.
2004. september, last day of bar exams. my friend who was acquitted in the 1994 case just finished taking the bar. he is one of the first of the UP grads to go out of dlsu. i watch him like a hawk, because i know that ever since the acquittal, the rival frat had the hots on (and for) him. suddenly, UP boys with broken bottles were rushing into my friend's frat's tent and destroying everything in sight. they beat to a pulp another boy who couldn't get away fast enough. they see my friend and try to go after him. my friend didn't want to hurt the UP crowd, so he walked away from the group. suddenly, one of the more-infamous hot-headed alumnus of the rival frat approaches my friend and points a gun on him from 3 feet away. malen and i rush to cover our friend, not thinking of the danger to our own lives. after what seemed like eternity, "manila's finest" police arrive and arrest the gun-toting boy and his boy-cohorts.
now, the life of cris mendez has been cut short after he succumbed to injuries from hazing almost two weeks ago. a number of the suspects are currently in law school, and i heard that most of them have already filed their leaves of absence from the college. the case is undergoing investigation.
i will not venture into an analysis behind-my-lines and beyond these senseless incidents and killings. i have seen my friends grow from the boys that they were to the men that they are now. my brothers are safe. not one of them has joined a frat, despite the numerous invitations they get every semester. from my viewpoint, that's as personal as i can go.
the rebel in me will always scream for these frats to stop and just be normal orgs, for crying out loud. instead of mauling and killing each other, they can do more productive things for the community and the nation.
how to get to them to realize that is beyond me. i have tried, and it was useless talk.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
the world uncovered
have money. will travel.
no money. have connections. will travel.
the rest of the world awaits...
create your own visited country map
i'm not a bad pinay...
My Lakbayan grade is B!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.---------------------
when i first joined multiply, i saw this on a number of my friends' blogs... i was too shy to ask how to paste my results. thanks to northwolf & freeradicalgreg for the tips :)
now where can i get a "where i've been" world map that's compatible with multiply... i have one on facebook and i don't know how to copy it here. (is that possible?)
Globe Broadband
| Rating: | ★ |
| Category: | Computers & Electronics |
| Product Type: | Other |
| Manufacturer: | Innove Communications |
my dad and my siblings should write this review, given that i am rarely at home. but i can't take it anymore. the few times that i have hogged our internet connection, 8 times out of 10, i have failed to utilize my stolen internet time efficiently and effectively.
our law office uses smartbro, and definitely, globe broadband pales in comparison to smartbro. smartbro has faster service, better technical back-up, with almost the same rates. and it works even when there's a typhoon.
instead of globe bombarding the Filipino citizenry with TV, radio and print ads, i suggest they invest on their technical backbone first. they should make sure their subscribers get the kind of service they promise to give.
my sister has informed the customer service hotline about this feedback for N number of times, but the operators keep on telling her one thing: "just look at the white box. if the data light isn't flashing, just wait for it to flash. then try logging in again." huh? again, again...
one more week of bad service, and i swear i am going to spur a congressional inquiry into this matter. yes, we secretariat employees have clout of our own... (evil laugh...) just joking.
Globe Broadband!!! fair warning. do something about your broadband connection soon, else you anger harrowing Miriam who, god forbid, might actually spur a senate inquiry into your inefficiency.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
for the twins
i haven't seen you both in a loooong time. i think the last time was when you were about to leave for the states. but i really can't remember. :(
i always found it funny that after being almost inseparable in grade school (we did a lot of crazy stuff then!!! haha.), and sending each other snail mail throughout high school, we never got to really spend time together anymore even when we were just a few kilometers apart in college. and it continued on even when we were all working.
i don't know if it was just me, or the fact that we had different friends already. but then again, the good thing about the friendship was that we really didn't have to meet face to face. we kept in touch, and still do sometimes. though now, i wonder why we have never done it oftener. (keeping in touch, i mean...)
i was excited to meet up with you when i went there early this year. but Fate had other plans too. maybe, just maybe, Fate and the Gods have a big plan ahead: like us meeting by chance while strolling the ruins of the roman empire in turkey, or the pyramids in giza, or snorkeling in palau. haha...
you are the only good friends i've had whose weddings i missed, and i feel bad about it. i'm sorry for not making it to your weddings... i hope to be there for the christening of your youngest kids, though.
i know life is treating you well, and you have the greatest loves you can ever hope for. and for that i am thankful.
happy birthday, chary and christy...
FINALLY!!!
House solon sworn in finally 3 months after polls
MANILA, Philippines -- Nearly three months after the elections, An Waray Representative Florencio “Bem” Noel has finally been proclaimed as the newest member of the House of Representatives.
Noel’s entry has brought the number of members in the House to 238.
The House stopped its session momentarily Tuesday to allow the re-elected partylist lawmaker to take his oath at the Speaker’s podium. He was joined by colleagues in the opposition, led by Minority Floor Leader Ronaldo Zamora.
Maila AgerA BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO VOTED FOR & BELIEVE IN AN WARAY & WHAT WE STAND FOR!!!
The fight goes on...
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