Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Blogging category.
Jun, The Dreamer
…took a test from mypersonality.info, and the result shows that I’m the INFP type - Introverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Perceiving.
“INFPs are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal. “
Should I be happy about it? Maybe, as I’m in good, laudable company. Other INFPs are the late JFK, Jr. and Diana, princess of Wales, Shakespeare, A. A. Milne, JRR Tolkien, Virgil, Audrey Hepburn, John (disciple of Jesus), Luke (who wrote one of the gospels), and even the Virgin Mother.
Do I agree with what it says? Let’s just say La Gioconda took the test before she sat for Da Vinci.
The Anniversary Post
…can I tell you a story about a young couple who were celebrating a wedding anniversary?They were poor in terms of material wealth and possessions, but were rich in love. On that special day, they both wanted to give each other gifts.Desperate for cash, the husband pawned his old cherished wristwatch so he could buy his wife a nice hairbrush. The wife, without telling her husband, had her long silky black hair cut, which she then sold to a wig maker, to buy her man a nice watch strap.Imagine the surprise when each of them realized how much the other had SELFLESSLY sacrificed something he/she holds dear just to make the other happy.
Haaaayyy… Pilipinas!
The worst consequence yet I know from not attending to this blog for awhile, is to get a ridiculous amount of unwanted comments and spam, and email notifications about some awaiting moderation. A few safe comments from blogger friends have been mistaken as potential threat by Akismet too, and I hope none of these have been summarily dismissed as spam. It takes time to sieve them through, eating up my time for writing decent entries instead. I hope it can’t get any worse.
So much trash online. As much trash as on the news, and on the Philippine political scene. And just as foul and gross as trash can get. I just hope it doesn’t spoil Kenkay’s vacation.
As much as many Filipino expats may want to come back, yearning to bask in the familiar comforts of home, and with eager anticipation of change and hope, there always seem to be reasons to offset, say upset, these and make coming back unpalatable, if not unwise.
But then they may always opt to see the other side of the coin.
Kenkay, here’s your song.
Continue reading this entry »
Something Old, Something New…
No, this isn’t about somebody hearing wedding bells. Though I had very recently been part of two wedding entourages, in the former as ninong(!) (sponsor) and the latter as abay(groomsman). But far from it.
Until my next proper post, I’d like to leave a HAPPY NEW YEAR greeting for all. Much like everybody else, I am grateful for all the goodness that came with the previous year, and I wish for better things to come in the new. And most of all, I pray that LOVE, unconditional and pure, will reign in our hearts. The way our children love.
Here is something old, from 1980 in fact. From the 3rd Metro Pop Festival (whatever happened to it?) . As kids, we used to sing this song by heart. Listen and enjoy. Continue reading this entry »
Happy Holidays, Everyone!!!

” … faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is love. ”
- 1 Corinthians 13: 13
May we remember and live the true meaning and spirit of Christmas… love: for our fellow men, for our country, and for God.
Let us greet the New Year filled with hope and faith in what we can do, as we face the challenges of our time.
Have a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!!!
What Did You Just Say, Teri Hatcher?
Here’s part of the dialogue:
MD: Susan, I know for a lot of women the word menopause has negative connotations. They hear aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire…
Susan: Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas? I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines…
thanks to migs for the excerpt.
I am sure this episode of Desperate Housewives was alluding to the Nursing Boards brouhaha in the country, but to say it like the entire show (Meaning producers, writers, directors, and yes, actors(Teri Hatcher). And whoever has anything to do with it) means to undermine the capabilities of Filipino and Philippine-trained medical professionals is more revolting than Susan/Teri’s harassment by the idea of menopause.
Even for satire.
For a show with an international following, including desperate housewives in the Philippines and such who feel like they can actually empathize with the show’s femme fatales, I believe they have an obligation to take into account the cultural sensitivities of their audience. I’m not being balat sibuyas (onion-skinned; overly sensitive). As much as I can, I try to comprehend nuances of American culture, too. Or any foreign culture, for that matter. If only to survive watching what they convey as true and universal, and modern.
I am offended, because I learned my profession in the Philippines, and I refuse to be told that all my hard work and sacrifice amounts to nothing more than mediocre, if not questionable. Specially if these impressions come from those who fail to see from my end, or at least check, and don’t know what they are talking about. My textbooks came from the US of A, if saying so will be of help to the Desperate Housewives’ understanding.
I can’t even speak for the millions of Filipino medical workers in America and all over the world, whose professionalism and skill have made them prime catch. And what of the thousands of foreign students who come in droves to train in the Philippines?
So mind rephrasing what you have just said, Teri Hatcher?
Or you can say sorry.
Pahabol: I had this as a comment somewhere in Multiply, I’d like to repost here
i am just disappointed at some who easily dismiss the issue as something common and expected out of a comedy show, that it’s alright. some even argue that we deserve it, being biased ourselves. some find it OA and immature for reacting to a line taken out of context, that it was wrong to see it as a generalization by the show.
well, if one is only to read it as it is, ” some med school in the Philippines“, it does seem harmless, legit even. in the sense that it only alluded to “some” (such as perhaps the diploma mills). it also doesn’t hit us Filipinos as a race, referring only to medical schools. and because that line came from a distressed character.
HOWEVER, viewing and listening to the clip gives one another picture. the same line could take another meaning. and it did. i reviewed the clip several times, and that’s how it came across… it was a sweeping generalization about those trained in Philippine schools… Filipino or not, doctors, nurses, or any other allied health professions. even if it came from a distressed Susan.
Better Late Than Never
I’ve long been tagged by bluep, to show my desktop to the rest of the blogosphere (or to the very few who patiently see this blog every once in a while). Would you believe, I got to learn (finally!) how to properly do a screen capture through it? I was aware of the Print Screen key and what it’s supposed to do, but I am used to the right-click and choose a function from the drop-down menu system, and I couldn’t find one telling me to copy and paste to a graphics program. I even tried on different keyboards, thinking mine wasn’t working, and hoping it will do the trick. Oh, I feel so old and tech challenged!
So here is…
Nothing much to see really, just a few icons of my most used programs and files (organized in folders), and a picture of Palawan’s pristine water. Who’d want to clutter up and spoil the view anyway? I change screensavers often, but I’m almost always drawn to water scenes such as this.
Back to the game. Here’s how it’s supposed to work:
A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.
You can do a screen capture by:
[1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).
[2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).
[3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.
For MAC users: Press [ Apple] [ Ctrl ] [ Shift ] and [ 3 ]
B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.
C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.
D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants. Continue reading this entry »
Let’s Play Tag
I’ve been tagged by Chuck, and before I run out of bloggies to pass it to, I better do this STAT. I’ve got a few more pending. There’s one that I had promised to do by Independence Day, but other things got in the way. And then I only noticed recently (through my Incoming Links section) that Jim and Jonas had tagged me as well. I’ve answered a similar tag earlier though. There are more, but those have passed their time, I guess.
The supposed title to this is “Ten Things I Hate“, but I find the term hate too strong. Let’s just say things I don’t agree with, or least like.
FOOD: Most fresh water fish. They stink, and I don’t know why but the smell makes me feel like I’m eating either dirt or rust. Not that I’ve eaten those before. And I specially don’t like it when fish is stewed/ in broth. What’s the point? Take a fish out of the water, kill it and put it back to float? And have you tried ostrich meat? It was like eating cardboard. Curiosity got me trying carabeef before, it’s pungent. (parang hindi nag deodorant si Enteng Kalabaw)
FRUITS: Tiesa. The color, the texture, smell, the taste…. everything is wrong about it. Marang. It makes me nauseous. It is sweet, but it smells like overripe… well, fruit. While most people abhor durian, I don’t. I don’t even find the odor offensive.
VEGGIES: I used to skip the veggies, but since I had to go on a diet I’ve learned to like them. It’s an acquired taste, I suppose, but only if they’re steamed, and stir-fried. My father is Ilocano but I can never understand his appetite for dinengdeng. The soup base looks like someone washed his dirty laundry with it. I know I’m missing something when I see him savor what he makes, enough to feed six, in one sitting. I can only name a few vegetables that I haven’t learned to like… alugbati and saluyot come to mind. And that gourd they make into loofahs? (
I have forgotten the local name.Patola, it is, says Antuken) The mere mention of these makes me shudder.PEOPLE: Backstabbers. Fair weather friends. People who only think of benefiting from a relationship. A few incompetent slowpokes at city hall/ in civil service. Social climbers who have no clue over where they’re at and what they’re doing. People who disturb/invade my peace and privacy. I am not a loner, just
autisticself-contained, and I value my personal space. But I’m friendly.EVENT/SITUATION/INCIDENT: When I’m made to do things and I’m not prepared. I like to take my time looking into details. But it seems that many achievements I’m most proud of came about when I’m rushed to beat a deadline. I don’t know why.
TV SHOWS/MOVIES: I’m quoting Azrael on this, “Wowowee, just coz of the host. I firmly believe he’s a dick.” Then there’s Kokey. He/it looks like a moving piece of sh**. Deal or No Deal, because of Kris Aquino. She’s irritating when she wants the attention all to herself. I don’t know why she is hosting? Just look at the big difference between her and Edu Manzano in Pilipinas, Game KNB? Not much talent there. She just thrives on intriga, either about her or her unwilling and helpless contestants.
She and Ruffa must like dinengdeng. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, because of the Oompah Loompah. I wanted to puke.MUSIC: The cursing and profanity in rap. Country music, except for LeeAnn Rhymes (she’s cute, and I love her songs). It makes me feel like I’m in a pub, alone. So alone.
HOUSEHOLD CHORES: Everything.
THINGS AROUND THE WORLD: War, and all acts of violence. In this day and age, when man should have already learned the lessons of wars past, we’re still at it. Because some still feel supreme, as others feel threatened. Because even as the world becomes smaller, we fail to recognize that our differences should make life enriched, rather than conflicted. All forms of abuse. Drug trafficking. Third world woes.
And then there are the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Be afraid. Be very afraid for our children.
THINGS ABOUT MYSELF: I procrastinate. I can get over-confident with myself, of what I can do. And then expect too much, so that when I don’t measure up, I get extremely disappointed and frustrated, losing interest altogether. That should explain why I have a lot of unfinished business in my to-do list. Also, my temper flares up when I’m overwhelmed. When I’m in such a mood, beware… I lash out if people talk to me, if not give them the look.
Now, the fun part. Since lately I’ve been bloghopping (and made friends with) over fellow Bisaya bloggers’ pages, I’m spreading it to them…
Tinuod nga Botbot, Geda, Radueriel, Doc Norwin, Nep, Michael, GirlfromDipolog, Chase , Carlota and Jerry. Do as you please, guys… write as is, or in Bisaya. That would be interesting.
The Revenge of the Domestics
“Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction. Show me a person who has never made a mistake, and I’ll show you somebody who has never achieved much.”- sagot ni Inday nung sumabog ang microwave na ginamit nya.
And so the sosyalera, ingglesera maid has become the latest phenomenon in Philippine textdom. A Textus Addictus friend sends me daily doses of these Inday witticism, alibis and lessons in etiquette and social graces enough to embarrass and abase social climbing pseudo-journalists.
But then it isn’t just us Pinoys who are turning our fancy on the know-it-all, handymaids with the accent. Type french maid on Youtube, and voila! You get videos like this…
Who wants to volunteer for a demo, s’il vous plaît?
