rapture

pa-rapture raptyur prediksyon pa kasi... wala ngang makapagsasabi kung kailan magaganap ito...

Six o'clock and all is well

By Alan Boyle

If you're reading this, the Rapture still hasn't happened yet.

The preacher behind the Saturday Rapture prediction, Family Radio's Harold Camping, has said that a great earthquake would herald the beginning of the end-time tribulation around suppertime — that is, around 6 p.m. That tick of the clock has come and gone in parts of the Pacific, including Kiribati and New Zealand.

The precise timing of doomsday can be a squishy concept: Some accounts claim that the big quake has been predicted for 6 p.m. Pacific time, which is still more than 18 hours away. But I think most of us already suspect it won't make much of a difference whether we're talking about Kiribati time or California time, don't we? In any case, if you want to keep track of seismic activity around the world, you can check in with Earthquake.USGS.gov.

This whole exercise serves as a good reminder to keep your disaster preparedness kit up to date. Rapture aside, you never know when the next big earthquake, power outage or zombie apocalypse will come along.

sitting

Sitting is killing you!

Though our great shift towards computer-based work has done great things for productivity, it has, unfortunately, done terrible things for our health. From increased risk of heart disease and obesity in the long term, to sharply hampered cholesterol maintenance in the short term, the negative health effects of sitting are starting to weigh heavily against the benefits. As we can see, something has to change.

RH

debate on the controversial and according to some, divisive, reproductive health (RH) bill rages on. even the people's champ, manny pacquiao is more than willing to become the church's poster boy to oppose this bill. i admire pacquiao's sporting achievements but he should just do a lito lapid and avoid dabbling on issues he clearly doesn't understand and stop making pronouncements like, "Go out to the world and multiply". while he's in congress, that doesn't necessarily mean he needs to engage in intelligent discourse. he just needs to listen and vote according to his conscience... exactly what lito lapid does.

as senator miriam santiago pointed out: "Pacquiao was said to be quoting the Bible saying, ‘Go out to the world and multiply.’ First, may I just, since he is just a legislator, make a point of information, may I just make a point of grammar please? The Bible does not say, ‘Go out to the world.’ It sounds very much like God is encouraging us to go out and copulate in public. God said in the Bible, ‘Go forth and multiply." some key points below.

PRO

The Philippines's population growth rate is 2.04 (2007 Census), 1.957% (2010 est. by CIA World Fact Book), or 1.85% (2005-2010 high variant estimate by the UN Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision) coming from 3.1 in 1960. The 2010 total fertility rate (TFR) is 3.23 births per woman, from a TFR of 7 in 1960.[36] In addition, the total fertility rate for the richest quintile of the population is 2.0, which is about one third the TFR of the poorest quintile (5.9 children per woman). The TFR for women with college education is 2.3, about half that of women with only an elementary education (4.5 children per woman).

Congressman Lagman states that the bill "recognizes the verifiable link between a huge population and poverty. Unbridled population growth stunts socioeconomic development and aggravates poverty."

The University of the Philippines' School of Economics presented two papers in support of the bill: Population and Poverty: the Real Score (2004), and Population, Poverty, Politics and the Reproductive Health Bill (2008). According to these economists, which include Solita Monsod, Gerardo Sicat, Cayetano Paderanga, Ernesto M. Pernia, and Stella Alabastro-Quimbo, "rapid population growth and high fertility rates, especially among the poor, do exacerbate poverty and make it harder for the government to address it," while at the same time clarifying that it would be "extreme" to view "population growth as the principal cause of poverty that would justify the government resorting to draconian and coercive measures to deal with the problem (e.g., denial of basic services and subsidies to families with more than two children)." They illustrate the connection between rapid population growth and poverty by comparing the economic growth and population growth rates of Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, wherein the first two grew more rapidly than the Philippines due to lower population growth rates. They stressed that "the experience from across Asia indicates that a population policy cum government-funded [family planning] program has been a critical complement to sound economic policy and poverty reduction."

In Population and Poverty, Aniceto Orbeta, Jr, showed that poverty incidence is higher among big families: 57.3% of Filipino families with seven children are in poverty while only 23.8% of families who have two children live below the poverty threshold.

Percentage of population living below poverty line (2003). Darker areas mean more poverty.Proponents argue that smaller families and wider birth intervals resulting from the use of contraceptives allow families to invest more in each child’s education, health, nutrition and eventually reduce poverty and hunger at the household level.[9] At the national level, fertility reduction cuts the cost of social services with fewer people attending school or seeking medical care and as demand eases for housing, transportation, jobs, water, food and other natural resources. The Asian Development Bank in 2004 also listed a large population as one of the major causes of poverty in the country, together with weak macroeconomic management, employment issues, an underperforming agricultural sector and an unfinished land reform agenda, governance issues including corruption.

ANTI
Opposing the bill, Former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo wrote that it is "truly disingenuous for anyone to proceed on the premise that the poor are to blame for the nation’s poverty." He emphasized that the government should apply the principle of first things first and focus on the root causes of the poverty (e.g. poor governance, corruption) and apply many other alternatives to solve the problem (e.g. giving up pork barrel, raising tax collection efficiency). They also point to the five factors for high economic growth and reduction of poverty shown by the 2008 Commission on Growth and Development headed by Nobel prize winner Michael Spence, which does not include population control.

Opponents also refer to a 2003 Rand Corporation study which concluded that "there is little cross-country evidence that population growth impedes or promotes economic growth...population neutralism has in fact been the predominant school in thinking among academics about population growth for the last half-century." In his Primer which critiques the bill, Economist Roberto de Vera refers to Nobel prize winner Simon Kuznets's study which concludes that “no clear association appears to exist in the present sample of countries, or is likely to exist in other developed countries, between rates of growth of population and of product per capita." Julian Simon compared parallel countries such as North and South Korea, East and West Germany whose birthrates were practically the same but whose economic growth was entirely different due to different governance factors. De Vera says that "similar conclusions have been arrived at by the US National Research Council in 1986 and in the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Consultative Meeting of Economists in 1992" and the studies of Hanushek and Wommann (2007), Doppelhoffer, Miller, Sala-I-Martin (2004), Ahlburg (1996), etc. The other Nobel Prize winner who expressed the same view is Gary Becker.

De Vera also states that from 1961–2000, as Philippine population increased almost three times, poverty decreased from 59% to 34%. He stressed that the more probable cause of poor families is not family size but the limited schooling of the household head: 78% to 90% of the poor households had heads with no high school diploma, preventing them from getting good paying jobs. He refers to studies which show that 90% of the time the poor want the children they have: as helpers in the farm and investment for a secure old age.

Instead of aiming at population decrease, De Vera stressed that the country should focus through education on cashing in on a possible “demographic dividend,” a period of rapid economic growth that can happens when the labor force is growing faster than the dependents (children and elderly), thus reducing poverty significantly.

beautiful

Strong is beautiful... Drawing upon athleticism and grace - a unique combination that has turned the stars of the WTA into the most recognizable and followed female athletes on the planet - the campaign places the personal stories, pressures and dreams of the players front of stage. The creative is designed to support the WTA's efforts to establish a deeper engagement with fans around the world and to promote both the sport's next generation of players along with current established names.

testi

while this entry was all about the testimonials i got from my friends, these are the ones i wrote about my friendster friends! happy reading!

ANABELLE: anabelle is one the reasons why high school life was such a blast... she's a gifted blabber of jokes and hirits, and would almost always find something funny in a lot of things, even in somewhat safe names like "robert", which went on to become "robert shoe"!! she's also one of the "hip hoppers" of our batch. fun-loving person, always on the go, and a whole lot of sunny personality... perfect for gimiks and get-together! now, you owe me a testi! (",)

AIENE: aiene is one of the most animated persons i know... kuwento to the max, complete with live demonstration! simple kuwentuhan will definitely turn into ultra-saya chikahan when she's around. our barkada days date back to high school times, with her as one of our crushes ng bayan! i won't forget her doing hawaiian dance for her talent portion during the ms. alma mater quest! she's also a devoted sister and daughter! gimik na tayo... now you owe me one testi! take care. (",)

POPS: my ate pops-y! my college life would have not been complete, if i haven't met this person. galing makisama! ganda pa... kaya naman dead na dead si jake! hehehe! only person that i knew who doesn't go to the moviehouse, except if the film stars kevin costner. 6 years ko nang friend si pops, pero once ko pa lang nakasama manood ng sine... paraiso ni efren pa ang movie, for our com res 165 quali paper! i won't forget the time when she sung "isang linggong pag-ibig" with new lyrics discussing marxism/socialism sa soc sci 2! ganun sya ka-talented! she's always ready to help, lalo na nung palpak na yung pc ko when i was doing my thesis... she was the one who outlined my framework! suwerte ko kasi friend ko si pops... pero higit na masuwerte ang lalaking makasisilo sa kanyang puso! (",)

ANDRES: best behaved student of our high school class! together with the rest of the tropa, we became extra closer due to our "quest" to watch the movie jumanji. we've seen a lot of movies, but up to this day, we've not yet seen that particular movie... hehehe! best behaved, but he's 1 of our batch's certified babaero coz he was linked to a handful of girls! grabe! he's such a nice person! (",)

CHERYL: co-foreigner! fun kasama. pinakamagaling na interpreter, from chinese to filipino... that's why nagkakaintindihan sila ng mga biomen sa AP! chief librarian din nga mga secondary materials... sipag mag-compile ng mga print outs at mag-organize ng mga soft copies. and most of all, bilib ako sa entrepreneurial skills nito, from grocery items to beadworks, gleng! (",)

CHRISTIAN: hi christian! when did you add "blue" to your name?! i'd always remember him as one of the very few english speakers way back in elementary days. and his GFs were always a little younger than us, remember joanne (glenda c.'s cousin)... hehehe! i'd love to organize a reunion for our grade 6 class. saya yun, di ba?!

CHRISTINE ARANAS: leader ko sa physics group! she provided every answer to our quizzes, manuals, and even periodical tests! grabe... talino 'to kaya tuwa si teacher becky sa kanya. she also has a contagious laughter, making every gimik with her so much enjoyable! actually, she's supposed to be our ms. alma mater... but she declined to give way to our title-less classmates. that's how big her heart is! (",)

CHRISTINE BOTE: one of the nicest persons i know. during high school, she was one of the most quoted persons... like "shame" and "maawa na kami"!! she's one of the trusted leaders of our batch coz she's dependable. saya din nito, full of life, very giving and accommodating, as almost all of our practices for class pres'n were done in their place. certified heartthrob, daming guys na nagsipagsuntukan just to get her "oo"!!! family-oriented, sobrang close ng pamilya nila! saya ng gimik natin sa bataan! punta na tayo ulit sa beach! (",)

DET: si det ang pinagpipitaganang puno ng mga punks sa bahagi ng daigdig na ito. walang sinuman ang nangangahas na kantiin ang babaing ito dahil sa kanyang kanyang mga tauhan na handang tumambang anumang panahon. naging ganap ang kanyang pagkatao, pagkatapos ng kanyang tipan sa bangkok! maliit ngunit isang higante pagdating sa pagtatanggol sa mga kaibigan at sa kanyang paniniwala. walang lakad na nakatatamad pag kasama si det, dahil hindi rin siya nauubusan ng istorya at pananaw sa buhay-buhay! walang sawa kung magbasa't magsuri ng mga dokumento! at tinuturuan pang mag-ingles ang mga australyano! sa anumang sakit ng katawan, palaging handa ang sangkatutak niyang mga droga! det, droga na tayo! (",)

FARRAH AMODIA: farrah is one the more famous IV-4 students in nova high batch '96, not only because she's really nice but also due to her ever-likeable presence! one of the members of the alto (tama ba?!) group of our glee club... galing kumanta nito! "what a journey it has been... and the end is not in sight...!" take care, friend! (",)

FELISA: ateeee! my ateee... jake's ateee, pops' ateee... our ateee! she's a big sister to us, why? during out first meeting (way back in june '96... spanish class) she was always telling everybody to tone down their voices! hehehe! she has tons of talent... she sang during freshmen orientation and welcome party for our block. though she was always in a hurry coz "she has to go to the market pa"... she's so enjoyable to be with. she loves wendy's... and would sing just about any song and even modeled for our music video! take care, ateee, esp. for that cutie inside you! i know that you'll be a good mom!

DIVINE: divine is the forever "handa awit" lady of our high school batch. the other half of the famed bote twins. she's a fun loving person, whoever said that "good, clean gimik is not fun" is definitely wrong... when you're with her, talkies keep coming so smoothly. she's also a perfect buddy for out-of-town trips! the past 2 reunions of our class would not have been achieved w/o her... she graciously kept up with the noise & cleaning chores, for the IV-1 class to see each other after 5 years! and i really thank her for that! divine, sa inyo ba tayo ulit this year?! i'm not so sure if she has special someone right now, but if there is... that guy would really be very lucky! take care!

GED: high school classmate for 4 years! the tallest girl in IV-1 class... add to that the beauty and brain, then you have our ms. senior! she's the ad lib queen... she didn't need scripts to deliver a line for class reports/presentations, coz she composes the script right there and then delivers it! whew! she's also "talentado", as 1 of our former classmate said, coz she's into almost any stuff (refer to testi's from her college friends!)... she's fun to be with, esp. now that i got the chance to spend time with her, thru our weekly coffee talk with sheila... lots of kuwento and tawanan about almost everything! (",) ged, next week ulit?!!

GRACE: my friend for almost a decade now! tagal na... whew! i've worked with grace on almost all class presentation during high school and she doesn't run out of ideas on how to present the topic! also a member of the tropa... a group w/c was born out of our desire to see the movie jumanji. though we didn't get to see that movie together (i dunno why... up to now, di ba?!), the tropa got closer. saya kasama ni grace... talk about everything with this girl, esp. the "mature" topics! grace is also one of our batch's choir master... 2/4 na pagkumpas para sa ako ay pilipino or pilipinas kong mahal! grace: ang bayan ko'y tanging ikaw... handa, awit! (",) moreover, you can always count on grace to give advices on life's difficulties when you encounter one.

FARRAH: si farrah ang nagpasikip ng aking daigdig sa aming tanggapan. ang babaing nagpabago sa pagbigkas ng mga patinig, sikat sa paglalagay ng kakaibang diin sa iba't-ibang pantig ng mga salita. balon ng walang kaparis na mga "quotable quotes", at palaging naiuugnay sa mga intsik, maging kay bobbie... "a whole new world"...!!! ang pinakabatang tagasuri ng merkado sa pilipinas, mabulaklak magsulat dahil todo-todo ang analisis! masipag siyang pumasok, kahit na minsan martes na kami, lunes pa rin siya! (",) masaya ang
mga kuwentuhan pag kasama si farrah, lalo na pag lagpas ala-7 ng gabi na! farrah, kelan mo na ako ililibre?!!

JOAN: i remember joan as one of the persons who likes to do letterings and to actually write letters... ganda kasi ng handwriting nya. one of my closest pals during elementary days, too bad we weren't classmates during high school. anyway, she'll always be one of the best friends i ever had. i can't wait to see all grade 6 - aster batch 92 in one place, after 12 long years. we'll work on that! take care, joan!

JOEL: joel... ang aming valedictorian nung hayskul! di sya nagse-share ng sagot when it comes to math, magaling kse sya dun sobra... hehehe! we've been classmates for 4 years, and seatmates coz palaging alphabetical ang seating arrangement at miyembro ng magaling na group 1! he's a nice guy at kwela! now u owe me a testi... hehehe! (",)

KAREN: dating miyembro ng kilusan... ngunit tumiwalag at ngayo'y nasa langit sa piling ni ***. isa sa pinakamahusay na tagasuri ng merkado, taga-edit ng mga ulat at kung anu-ano pa. magaling magtago ng mga lihim at nakikinig kahit sa pinakawalang katuturang kuwento! gimik na naming matatawag ang kuwentuhan sa isang fastfud sa g'belt pag biyernes ng gabi! palaban... mejo maikli ang pasensya sa mga tatanga-tangang mga crew, pero mapagmahal na atchi sa kanyang mga kapatid! masayahin at kaibigan talaga! (",)

KRISCEL: bait sobra ni ate kriscel. it's as if you're in one of makati's hotels when you're at her place... sobra ang accommodation, 1st class! hehehe! ka-miss din those days when we're cramming to finish a paper... pero masaya rin. katuwa ang mga talkies with her... no dull moments! (",)

LEAH: si lei... mabait na anak, kapatid, kaibigan, kapamilya at kapuso, kaya naman crush ng bayan... lalo na sa editorial dept ng WS. (",) kasama ko during times "to kill time" at pag pupunta sa mini stop to have her daily intake of cubee! pacifier din esp. pag nagkakainitan na sa diskusyon sa opis. (",)

LIEZL: oh my... my bunsong kapatid! i know that she's well-loved among her circle of friends coz she's sweet and takes time to write those somewhat silly letters... well, not really silly... but i guess "mushy" is the right adjective to describe her way of giving advices or just keeping in touch with her pals. we shared a room for as long as i can remember... until i moved out of the house. she's a fashionista... almost every week she has a new pair of footwear! you can just imagine how hard it is to organize tons of shoes & clothes in one cramped space, not to mention the accessories that come with it. when she's going out, the room is in total disarray... coz all of her things are littered all over the room! she's also 1 of the million reasons why telco companies such as pldt and smart are posting huge revenues... she's a certified phone & sms addict! she's got this very engaging personality, delightful to talk with and spend time with. if you want someone who would listen to your bad day or just to hang around and do absolutely nothing, my kid sis is the right person! she also cooks quite nicely, esp. the leche flan and pasta. she also doesn't mind to get little things done for me, when i go home once in a while... thanks for that, sis! moreover, she lets me take the bed to sleep on, while she reclines in the floor! that's how big her heart is! she's the one looking after our oldies at home now. life's good, sis! i know that you'd bounce again with renewed zest in life! luv yah! (",)

MYLENE: si mylene ang dakilang propeta ng poon! ang tagahatid ng mabuting balita sa sangsinukob! siya ang nag-iisang "epixtar", na nagsisilbing tanglaw sa mga mananalig na nawiwindang dulot ng delubyong hatid ng mga intsik (tulad ni ferrah!!) siya rin ang mapagmahal na kalahati ng PawiSan Twins! tahimik ngunit matinik... at handang daluhungin ang anumang pagkakataong dumating, lalo na ukol sa karera ng pag-ibig! masayang kasama, nakakatawa kahit hindi nagpapatawa, bituin ng iba't-ibang midyum, mabusisi sa pagsusuri ng mga dokumento, at sige na nga... maganda na rin (pagkatapos ng operasyon!) ingat! (",)

NORBERTO: he was the "super bing" of my high school life! i don't think it would be complete if i didn't know this man. he's such a gifted student... galing sa lahat ng subjects, he's even brighter than i am! he's a wacky guy, not only because he looked like "wacks" (spelling?!) from TGIS, but because every moment with him is such a blast! jokes would keep coming, even at the slightest hint and far-off situations. he was my super buddy when it comes to just about anything… from studying, groupworks, kopyahan, and even on making fun of other people and some teachers. he's a reliable shock absorber, as i've shared with him almost all of my personal woos, especially on the matters of the heart. he's a good thinker, looks at things at multiple perspectives and respects others' opinions. he's a good son and a brother, devoted to the welfare of his family. i miss this guy so much, but i know, even if we don't see each other as much as we'd like to, i have

RAMIL: my DUDDY R!!! if you need anything that the MTRCB would definitely disapprove, ramil is the man! endless ang supply nito ng mga XXX pics & videos... that's why he likes the movie XXX! seriously, matiisin si duddy r... di rin mareklamo... basta kumpleto lang ang supply niya ng canned tuna, ok na ang araw nya. galing din sa badminton! (",) tsaka mapagmahal si duddy r... daming minamahal!

MOMI RUTH: isang butihing anak, kapatid at tiyahin sa kanyang mga kapamilya. champion sya ng excel... all-around analyst coz involved sya sa lahat halos na mga projects, mahaba ang pasensya sa mga bumbay na makukulit! masayang kasama, esp. pag gimik time namin every friday... at may sense kausap. tsaka, willing maghintay sa 'yo pag pauwi na, kahit na matagal na syang nakapagligpit. higit sa lahat, siya ang nag-iisa kong "mommy"!

SHEILA: sheila is one of our batch's whiz kids, esp. on subjects dealing w/ numbers! she loves numbers... & not only survived 4 long grueling years of stat but finished it with flying colors! with her love for stat, she's doing stat work and is taking her masters in stat at the same time! whew! she's also one of our original heartthrobs... with almost all of the boys having crush on her! like christine a., she was supposed to be one of our muses, but she opted to decline and give others the chance to reign as beauty queen! grabe... charitable sobra! she's now my gimik mate... watching movies and talking non-stop about anything. a very good friend! (",)

VIDA: si wida! ang bagong heartthrob ng malaysia... nang dumating siya sa lupaing yun, nagbunyi ang mga kapatid ni mahathir at kanilang nakilala ang barkada ni markova! hehe! siryusli, si vida ay isang masayahing nilalang... isang go-nuts donut lang at maririning mo na ang kanyang pang-umalohokang tinig! athletic si vida, tuluy-tuloy ang kanyang training even after her college days! at siya ang brains behind our upcoming events... gud luck, vids!

testimonial

since user contents will be deleted soon, time to post friendster testimonials... about me! hehehe! happy reading!

Leah, 10/13/2003: si kuya jubert, sya ang HR department ng office namen. lahat kailangan muna dumaan sa screening nya! he's a very jolly person, my cubicle neighbor. minsan sabay kme tunganga ahihihi! (minsan lang yun)... pero pag serious things, seryoso talaga sya. may sense kausap, sya ang lagi kong kinukulit lalo na about vitamins! kasi super lakas appetite nya, pero di tumataba sobra. thankful ako sa kanya kasi he always takes my rice! hehehe! jubert, kanin? :)

Ramil, 10/13/2003: Jubert is a nice guy. Minsan sarcastic, minsan matino kausap. Siya raw ang Heythch-Er (malaysian pronounciation) namin pero mas kilala bilang jub-jub the printer boy.He is a certified chickboy(mahilig sa chicken) pero hindi tumataba. Dahil ba sa droga? Anyway keep on reading those downloaded movie scripts and hope you find the "deep throat" script for me soon. Palpak ka eR..

Kriscel, 11/05/2003: Jubjub! Ang original “creative writing” partner ko sa comres! I won’t ever forget that morning when we were "processing" data for our elective… mga oras ng kawindangan na nakasalalay na sa atin ang paper ng "the prototype palang yan!" group. Since then, we learned that mahirap din palang mag-creative writing!(lalo na kung research major ka) Hehehe! Jubs is a good writer.Magaling sa textual analysis! He got high grades on research papers of difficult topics when everyone else barely passes. At ang thesis niya ha,pang-I-witness o Probe Team!He’s fun to talk to and listens well.A member of the “kaba” group (framework theme song). Ayos sa hirit at sense of humor, lalo na pag ka-duo pa si Lileth (momonja?), hataw sa comedy.Galing sa timing! His humor was a stress reliever to our sleepless nights in comres. And even after college, he still remained a reliable and helpful friend. Thanks jubjubs! =)

Cheryl, 11/10/2003: jubs (hmp,psst!!!), my former officemate & my co-foreigner (hehehe); i find him cool (yeah); a tennis fanatic; i like the way he dress up for work (very neat)=P

Weng, 11/12/2003: Hmm, si jubjub? Masarap yan kasama, lalo na pag nanood kayo ng TV...lahat na lang may side comment sya, haha! Kwela at sensible, thanks to him (and Master Jedi Lileth) for the needed laughs nung panahong toxic na research works namin. Sabi nya, champion daw ako sa analysis (thanks for that) pero sya, matinik mag-Tagalog! Sya lang yata ang tanging taong kilala ko na puro tagalog ang papers nung college...pati thesis ha?! Sambahin! :D Ang Ora engkantada at ang pinakamamahal naming pagsisipi sa CR170...nakaka-miss!! Ingat ka lagi at mabuhay tayong lahat! :D

Pops, 11/19/2003: JUBERT: Nagulat ako sa taong yan... ang laki na ng pinagabgo. Dati rati, parang hindi siya nauubusan ng gel. Ngayon, pnanindigan niya na ang pagiging kalbo. BAGAY NAMAN E. And he can get away with it. Isa pang nagbago sa kaniya, parang kumuha siya ng intensive course sa isang fashion expert. Biglang naging magara at malinis ang kaniyang pananamit. Halatang limpak limpak na ang kaniyang salapi. Naiinsecure na nga ako kapag katabi ko siya. Pero alam kong si JUBERT pa din yan na tumatawag sa akin ng Ate Pops. D lang siya bahagi ng college days ko. Bahagi na siya ng buhay ko. Isa sa pinakamalapit na kaibigan kong maituturing. D man kami madalas magkita o magkausap, alam kong andyan lang yan anytime. Mapalad ka kung kaibigan mo si Jubs... Papangitiin at patatawanin ka niyan, at hindi ka naman iiwan sa panahon umiiyak ka na. Tried and tested na kaibigan si Jubs. BASTA, kasama yan sa TOP 10 list ng pinakamabubuting taong nakilala ko. Kailangan ko pa bang sabihing matalino yan @ NAPAKA-SENSIBLE? Sa aming apat (siya, atee, jake @ ako) siya ang laging first honor sa papers at exam. Kulelat si Jake. Joke. Isang bagay lang ang hindi ko gusto sa kanya... TORPE siya mula ulo hanggang paa. Sukat ba namang kunin ko ang mga detalye mismo sa taong kinahuhumalingan niya, na hindi ko naman usually ginagawa... Namuti ang mga mata namin, ni hindi siya nakaporma sa babaeng un... No wonder, single pa din siya.

Gracie, 11/27/2003: jubert!!! grabeh..binata k na tlaga! parang klan lng...nagha2rutan pa tayo. at ang height ah!..honestly speaking, c jubert??..he's really a nice guy (owzz? khit ang tangkad na nyan, cute pa rin for me. and mind u...he's as good as joe d mango when it comes to giving advice. esp love matters. dba jubs? superb! sa una loloko-lokohin k nyan. pero at d mid of conversation, maa-absorb mo tlaga lahat ng cnasabi nya. Dear Jubs...(hehehe) high school president namin yan. tunay na maipagmamalaki! inaabot ng high blood adviser namin. iba rin yan ma-inlove. kinda "torpe" nga tlaga! ayyy...super pala! mega gawa ng letter & poems! sweet jubert. miss ko na ung house nyo...remember ung friday d 13th & apollo 13? hehehe...katuwa!

Liz, 12/02/2003: eyo.! bro ko toh.. super tamad umwi ng bhay nmin.. grabe, hvnt seen him 4 a coule of wiks na, dun lng sya sa pad nla ng mga oficem8s nya.. i remember, back in those days wen we're roomm8s pa sa haus.. so dugyot ung asawa nya (pillow).. baho kz eh.. we always argue bwt me, not cleaning d rum.. wel, he's a neat person kz.. he wanted things 2 be always organized.. ryt kuya.? he's so naughty din at tyms, bt he always wants 2 be left alone ih his own lit'l world.. very secretive person din sya, pro hilig nyng kalkalin ung mga luvletters ko.. pakialamero.! he's very supportive also. nd a gud friend, he wont let u down.! (yes nman) he has alot of gurlets, bt has no girlfriend, y nga ba.? mmm.. nd, e2 pnkmtndi.. he luks lyk 'luis manzano'.. heheh.. juz luk at him closely.! ei, uwi k namn bro, w8 ka nmin lhat eh.. oyayt.! mhuah.. ay yav my broduh.. ahihi.. tahtah.!

Ruthie, 12/12/2003: ang lalaking ito ang salarin kung bakit ako tinawag na mommy ruth! gusto kasing magkaroon ng seksing nanay eh! hehe! :)... super cool itong si jubs! walang hang-ups at ok kasama. at eto pa, grabe ang sense of humor nito! kaya kung ayaw mong magkaroon ng kabag ay wag kang lalapit sa lalaking ito. bukod dito, mabait at matalino pa. nagtataka nga lang ko kung bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa tong girlfriend eh.. hmmm... bakit kaya? torte, este, torpe pala - kaya sya? hihi! pero lam nyo ba, grabe tong magmahal, as in! pag nahanap na nya (kahit d nya malapitan), ang tagal- tagal, tagal, tagalll talaga mawala ng ano... un! hehehe! pero, shhhh.. secret lang ha, member rin yata ng friendster yung one true love nya! :)... peace, jub! :)

Sheila, 12/15/2003: Si jubert???? (sino siya????) hehehe!.. jubs is one of the most happy, funny, friendly and very assiduous person I’ve known… there is never a dull moment with him… always on the go... I’ve never thought that we will be a good friend/gimik buddy (kasi hindi naman ako group 1!! :-).. sabi nga ni Ged ang “lalaking kaladkarin” pede mo yayain kahit saan… He can always make a topic into a happy talk kaya super saya kapag kasama siya… you can always see the smartness and sensibility over flowing from him…

John kenneth, 12/25/2003: what can i say about jubert?hmmm(jake takes one deep breath)well he is one of the most brilliant,in a sense that hes not only smart but street smart din yan.sensible but not overbearing, not the opinionated type, hes one helluva brain to pick. hes also very practical.like when you ask him to be a part of a gimik or thing that has to be done.he'll always ask something like "what's in it for me" and he weighs the pros and cons. what else he could be such a pain in the ass at times coz he stands with what he believes in. mahal niya si marion honquilada.mahal na mahal.paksyet eh ano ngayon kung mabasa nya tong testimonial ko.open secret naman yun d b?

Cherrie Lyn, 12/27/2003: Isa siya sa ina-admire ko ng Filipino. ehem... at alam nyo ba, meron yang credo sa buhay when we were in college. Lagi ko naririnig sa kanya na hindi niya kakaibiganin ang taong wala siyang mahihita.... That time ako nman, sabi ko sa sarile ko, "Aba! Pasalamat pa pla ko dapat kay Jubert kc friends kami." hehehe... Seriously, Jubert is really one of my good and closest friends in college. Classmates kmi, grgoupmates sa research paper na nakaka-windang... na hindi namin ni-release dun sa resource org namin. Remember Rose, Jubert? Hay naku.. ang dami ko masasaya ta nakakatuwang memories with Jubert. Nandyang yung isang grpmate namin eh umiiyak sa shoulder nya, ako naman, tawa ng tawa. Kabaliwan nga naman! Isa lang ang naririnig ko na crush nya ever nung college. Eh ngayun,, cno na ba? Jubert, I wish you all the best! I-wish mo rin na sana, maging artista na 'ko! (",)

Karen, 01/21/2004: hmm c jubert..ok yan..easy to get along with coz straightforward and doesn't have hang ups..if he wants to say something he'll say it upfront, and i admire him for that..ok na shopping buddy kc enjoy din sha magmall..as a colleague, i have to say na sobrang expert na yan sa local peripherals market..i also admire his analytical approach to things..he's dependable, efficient and supportive to colleagues..he's the type of person who's always after having fun and being happy kya okay kasama mapa-gimik, outing or plain lunch sa pantry, sha din ang laging pasimuno ng jokes dito sa opis...ano p b hmm..oh yeah pg nainluv yn natotorpe at matagal..the last one's since college pa d ba jub ;)..lastly..he's sometimes mistaken as LUIS MANZANO...as in!

Christian, 02/14/2004: Whoa! No kiddin'? Is this really Jubert? Hehehe... I almost never believe... he is. Kasi ang laki na nilaki at mature nito.... Si Jubert eh di ko lang naging kaklase noong high school (1st & 2nd year) Our friendship goes back... way way back to elemantary! Hehehe Pare, we started Grade 2 or Grade 3? Kay Mrs. Alicia Batol kayo di ba? Kay Mrs. Thelma Sedigo naman ako? Hmm, nandun pa kaya sila? Hahaha kewl 'no? Buti naaalala ko pa! OO nga pala alam nyo ba bakit, JUBERT? Hehehe Judith is the name of his beloved mother and Roberto is his much respected father. Hahaha Of course naalala ko pa si Joan C... :) So you're planning for a reunion... Cge please do! Let's push it through! If you need my help, pasabi ka lang... I really wanna see you guys and gals, all of you... lalo na sila Rowena Bolivar.

jOaN, 02/23/2004: helo, jubert! it's so nice to c u hir..musta na? c jubert, ano nga ba mssabi ko sa knya, la ata eh.. joke.. honestly speaking, jubert was a good friend of mine, way back in our elementary days.. bait nyan. grabe.. shock me sa hair mo ha? hehehe.. sna matuloy ung reunion natin.. wish ko lng.. one thing i remember abt jubert his DIMPLE, his cute dimple.. classmate kmi nyan from grade 3 to grade 6. i stil rmember grade four or grade five kmi nging close.. God bless! mis u frend! thank's sa friendster kc ngkita coz we've seen each oder agen.. Ingatz!

Norbert, 07/12/2004: hello, friend.jubvs is my best friend during highschool days.di ko nga alam how we became pals.cguro pareho kaming mahilig magobserba sa mga bagay bagay na nakikita namin. at syempre, groupmates kami. long live group 1!!! marami kaming napagdaaanan as great pals, kalokohan, coolitan, asaran, kopyahan, group activities,konting drama sa buhay and of course "okrayan" kahit di pa uso yung term na 'to noon.he really is a good buddy...dami ko natutunan sa kanya. he made me realized the things I have to value and he increased my self-worth. dahil din sa kanya kung bakit naging malakas ang loob kong maging
palaban......thanks for all those, pal!!!

Cathy, 2005-07-06: first impression: charming. naks! kidding aside, medyo charming nga ng kaunti. lasting impression: responsible, practical, self-propelled, industrious, optimistic, efficient, energetic. prefers the absence of confrontations, romantic siguro since he's been sending emails about relationships lately (di ko nga lang alam market nito), naps while in transit regardless the distance of the destination (minsan diyan lang sa libis punta namin, tulog na sa cab), calls porn movies art films (pero oks lang kasi hiraman naman ng home videos), mahilig manggaya ng facial expressions ng iba, at parang once ko pa lang nakitang nairita (nung nag-follow up ng order sa cafe d'angelo kasi wala pa pagkain niya. maaasahan ding umubos ng tira kasi lakas talaga niya kumain). lots to say but overall a nice fellow. great to hang out with (dumadaldal man or tahimik lang). dependable in awkward situations. grabe! haba na nito. nyways, ok naman tong taong to. di ko lang din alam ba't wala pang SO.

Aiene, 2004-09-23: hi jubvs...miss you na grabe! i surely owe you one testimonial but you owe US one bigtime blow-out.. manlibre ka naman. Jubert is such a nice person. he's very fun to be with & i always enjoy his company. it's sad lang that we dont usually see each other that often anymore since marami syang whereabouts at gimiks dahil na rin sa dami nyang friends. one of my dearest kada during HS days,pinakamahusay na presidente, that's how i knew him!... very approachable yan and he's always willing to help. Someone whom you won't get bored and he makes it a point that there is something to talk about when your around him.Di nauubusan ng kwento kahit ilang beses nanamin napagkwentuhan, tatawa at tatawa pa rin kami pagnapag-usapan. Mr. Dimple at Babyface ng IV-1! Mukhang may pag-ibig ka na ngayon ha..Well, masuwerte ang girl na mamahalin ni jubvs..Y? sweet and loving kasi. Find out na lang sa iba pang good traits nya..

Christine Hope, 2004-09-29: Never had the chance to be one of his closest friends when we were still in high school. Sayang. I have seen how he transformed to be a more responsible, likeable and definitely a smarter person 8 years after the graduation. Sobrang spontaneous. Can talk anything and evrything under the sun. Lovelife na lang ang kulang. =) He is very well-rounded and fun to be with. Life of the party !! He was the president of IV-1 '96 and i just thought that it was a very good training ground for him. Ironic, but he is more responsible now especially when it comes to organizing the batch for occasions. Hey jubs, i hope to get to know you more and spend more gimicks with you. God bless and take care always.

Farrah, 2004-10-16: /ja-bert/ Si Jub?Ang dakilang Abu Nado? Nakakaloka!Pag trip niyang mag-ala Manedjer, heinaku, daig niya pa si Ate Len/Lyn mag-bisaya.Panalo!=) Since the beginning of time, this guy here has been the torch that guided my entrance into the colorful world of IDC.Of course, this doesn't mean all things bright and beautiful.Aside from his penchant for practical jokes, this multi-talented analyst is IDC's on-site DI for Latin dance. And don't forget, he's also into techno. Jub is the picture of poise and unnerving calm. In the face of a mounting crisis, one has to give him brownie points for never losing his cool. Point in case, even during the height of the quake that recently rocked the greater part of Manila, he was still capable of logical thought.Judging the merits of running for cover as opposed to staying put at our table at Figaro and letting it all pass, he decided that we stay and wait for the coffee to arrive.And then we run for cover. Oy Jub, tems for everything.

Det, 10/26/2004: The one thing I've often wondered about Jubs is ... hmmm ... naiintriga na kayo no? ... why he never gets fat no matter how much he eats! Some people are just lucky, I guess. Jubs, more popularly known as "Abu Nado" in our office, is like our treasurer if we were in a class together. He's always got money to spare and lend to those in need kapag late (palagi as it seems) ang sweldo namin. Boy! Some girl would be lucky indeed to have this guy for a boyfriend kasi (pay attention, mga girls!) mukhang marami nang ipon ito sa bangko! He! He! Kaya nga ata lahat ng tao rito e nagtatanong lagi ng, "Bakit nga ba wala ka pang girlfriend?" Hoy! 2004 na ngayon! Di na uso ang torpe no! At sayang ang ipon mo, Kalbo!" Joke lang, Jubs! Fish tayo!

Mylene, 10/29/2004: If I were a talk show host, Jubert would be one of my favorite guests. Hehe.. Bakit? Bilang isa sa mga matalinong may sayad sa 1206, ang opinyon nya sa mga bagay at pangyayari dito sa mundo ay interesting pakinggan. One will really learn a lot from this witty, funny, jolly kalbo. Hehehe.. Kaya naman ang lunch, at pati meryenda na rin, ay parating masaya kase may kasamang tawanan, laitan/apihan, tuksuhan, at seryosong usapan na madalas ay nauuwi sa kalokohan. Harharhar!

Syempre dapat ko ring sabihin dito na si Jub pag kumain ay parang parating nasa isang malaking piging dahil sa dami ng food; hindi nga kumpleto ang lunch nya pag walang fruits. Minsan nga akala ko alay sa kanya yung mga fruits eh!

Ang paglalakad sa Landmark with Jub ay puno din ng adventure kase pag kasabay ko sya parating may nakakasalubong kaming mga kakaibang nilalang!

Si Jub: isang magaling na analyst, mabuting kaibigan, masayang kausap, mabait na abunado, at masipag na taga-send ng pix.

Vida: During my first weeks in IDC, si Jub ang paborito kong pagtanungan. Mabait kc, lagi pa nka-smile. Pero kala nyo bait tlga yan?Hndi noh!Mapanlait nga yan e lakas pa mang-asar. Pero gayunpaman, hndi kumpleto ang aming araw sa ofis pag wala si Jub.Creative din yan, taga-isip ng theme ng aming demoito/demoita at higit sa lahat malakas kumain.Kung magbaon ng fud, parang pinagluto na pati kapitbahay nila pero kainggit kc hindi tumataba.Masipag kc mag-gym, may curves na nga e.Hehehe!

Mercy: Hello MR. PRESIDENT! JUBERT ALBERTO is the responsible Class President of IV-1 NHS batch '96.Imagine kahit 8 years n kaming graduate, tuloy p rin ang service nya sa amin.He got the idea of class reunion every year s bahay nila Devine. (sana meron ulit this yeaR!) Inspite of his busy schedule, d sya nakakalimot n padalhan kami ng magagandang message sa Yahoo group namin.Im so happy when he greeted me on my birthdayGrabe sobrang touch ako nun ha! Jubs, musta n nga pala lovelife?Parang wala akong nababalitan sa'yo ha!Bakit di mo gamitan ng charm!As far as I know, isa ka sa massabi kong good looking guy s section natin.SMALL BUT TERRIBLE ika nga!Sayang naman yang dimples mo kung walang paglalaanan db!Kidding aside, i think your happy and contented with your life right now!Good career. . .loving family & friends . . uve got it all!Goodluck!I hope makagimik tayo one of this days! ( " , )

Ate Joy, 2005-08-03: MALIGAYANG KARAARAWAN! Grabe ang hahaba ng mga patotoo sayo, di ko alam kung kaya kong tapatan man lang. Kung ang mga kaibigan, ka-opisina at mga ka-eskuwela ay tunay na nagagalak na ikaw ay kanilang nakilala. Ako na ate mo ay higit ang pasasalamat dahil tayo ay magkapamilya (tunog telebisyon!).

Naaalala ko pa nung mga bata tayo, ikaw ang pambala ko kay Mama para makapaglakwatsa. Natutuwa naman ako kasi sobrang tiyaga mo. Tumatawid sa sapa, naglalakad sa gitna ng maalikabok at lubak-lubak na daan papunta sa kaibigan kong si Daisy.

Isang tunay na napakabait na kapatid, tiyuhin, bayaw, apo at anak. Kahit malayo ay di nakakalimot sa lahat ng pampamilyang okasyon. Tunay na maalalahanin at mapagbigay, kaya lang bakit pag dating sa akin parang kulang? Minsan sa pagtatampo, naiisip ko tuloy sana di na lang ako nakapag-asawa ng mayaman (acheche!)

Napakasinop at praktikal na tao! Isa sa mga katangian na bihira ng makita sa panahong ito. Natapos ata ang kolehiyo na iisa ang pampormang pantalon!

Ged, 2005-02-11: tama na tong kalokohan na ito!!! 35 na pala yung testi(cles?) mo...

Michelle, 2005-02-13: Masaya syang kasama. Palagi niyang hinihiram Econ Notes ko..hehehe. Salamat sa halaklak Jub! =)

Zorayda: Magaling na tao ito si Jubert. Isang mainit na araw sa mag gawing makati, bigl ako siyang nasilayan. Bilang isang alipin ng call center, nasindak ako. Naaala ko siyempre si Jubert. Kasama ko manuod yan ng MIB sa Ever, way back in 1997. Ka block ko ba sa college. Meron akong natutunan sa kaka trabaho sa kol ceynter. Na kailangang gamitin ang wika natin kungdi nawawala ang iyong likas na kaalaman ukol dito. Ok na tao ito si Jubert isa siyang nilalang na malapit nang maubusan ng lahi-extinction, friends, happens to the best and brightest, yup take it from me, I accidentally have a degree in Anthropology- so, ang pinakamainam na dahilan upang kaibiganin ang taong ito...bilang na ang araw na niya sa kalupaan!!!! Mwahahahahah!! Seriously, he's a great guy and I am so proud and happy he considers me his friend. Great to hear from you Jubert, thanks for signing my authograph book way back when, blessed be :p

mama

more than how to to put one foot in front of the other... from mama, i learned love and laughter, the value of living and doing. salamat, mama!

cambodia

food trip in cambodia! although somewhat similar to thai food, cambodian cuisine is interesting because it's not as spicy as the food from its neighbor to its west. commonly used are kaffir lime and a wide assortment of dipping sauces, similar to pinoy food. some restaurants also serve fried peanuts while you wait for your food to be served. as is the case with vietnamese food, they also have the french baguette, ours was served with sunny side egg, butter and strawberry jam, plus banana.

siem reap

some pics in and around siem reap.

friendster

friendster's demise. gone are the days of friendster... as they say, it's so 2003. but in their effort to revamp and revitalize asia's myspace, they're removing users' contents and will soon relaunch the site... i wonder if they could even make a dent in facebook juggernaut.

tamad

Always allow yourself to have time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn’t a luxury, but a necessity.

- Juan Tamad

pingpong

... [first part was this.]

and then the ping pong show high came to a screeching halt. we were in that establishment for no more than 15 minutes when the fat mama san mightily approached our table, shouted at us, in thai of course, violently banged on our table and demanded that we pay them 5,900 baht! showing a laminated piece of paper outlining the cost of watching the show, complete with well rehearsed hostility, she screamed in broken english, "no pay, no watch! pay! pay! pay!" we of course, know our stuff. we answered back that their aiza told us that it would only be 200 baht per head and that should come with a bottle of beer. after this, the pot-bellied mama san shouted, "ok, pay… pay!" since we know that no matter how much we argued with these people we won't win, we paid 200 baht per head and then left that im-perfect bar without even finishing half of our beers.

walking back to where we met aiza, i saw her immediately but upon seeing us, she instantly turned to avoid us and hid. we decided to walk a little bit away from that aisle but came back right away to see aiza back. we confronted her saying that she got us scammed and she actually led us to that trap in perfect bar. while this was happening, other touts have already surrounded us and as if practiced, aiza responded, "how much you pay? how much you pay?" end of discussion, as if saying to us that you already got what you paid for. final round to the perfect bar's mama san and knockout uppercut from aiza.

it was clear that what happened was an orchestrated trap to dupe unsuspecting tourists from whom these joint operators can extract unimaginable amount of baht. the deception started with the aizas and then the mama san will have to act violently to deceive customers into that ruse. while we may be the willing victims that time since we wanted to see what the infamous ping pong show could offer, such verbal violence was altogether appalling, especially as thailand prides itself as the land of smiles. we knew that we'd have to shell out some good sum of money, but getting shouted upon and threatened should not be part of it. anyhow, these kinds of acts are somewhat accepted in thai society. while i'm sure that some of them frown upon prostitution, the fact that these are tolerated and openly advertised, haggled and consumed, it's definitely one of bangkok's infamous come-ons.

in hindsight, anyone who ventures in these kind of adventures ought not to expect to be treated professionally. as seedy as it is, prostitution differs in form and having the money does not necessarily ensure that you'd have the upperhand or the power to demand what you can see. people involved in these kinds of acts have to resort to various forms of dupes since these actually put the balance of power in their favor. such empowerment means getting the biggest possible payout for a night's show… as they say, all in a day's work. people should venture at their own risk and anyone could really get more than, verbal abuse in foreign language included, what they bargained for. ping pong shows are definitely not your usual commercial transactions where you can stipulate exact visual SLAs and get your money's worth.

i just wonder how much do those ping pong girls make in a day. of course, you can easily sense that they're veterans of the skin trade, probably started out as typical bargirls and as they grew older, graduated to performing improbable acts that exhibit the harnessed power of vaginal linings and pelvic muscles. most, if not all, these girls may have been trafficked from thai provinces or from neighboring countries like cambodia, burma or laos, doomed to ply in a grimy industry. through them, a whole lot of people like the aizas, mama sans, waiters and even those zero energy bargirls get paid. sadly, by becoming willing victims of this tourist trap, we unintentionally contributed to human trafficking and slavery. while a part of me still believe that these women are also willing victims of their plight, they also deserve to have further choices in life other than using physical torture to earn a living and being totally at mercy of the fat mama sans.

curiosity snuffed out and egos bruised, we hopped on a taxi hoping to be transported to more familiar and wholesome treats. but as if the aizas and mama sans from bangkok heaven were conspiring against us, the taxi driver brought us to another girlie bar, tucked away in one of bangkok's seedy dark corners around phetchaburi road. we wanted to go to clean joints where you can have beer and chitchat without any touts hovering. as jan puts it, a bar where you can bring your family along, to which the taxi driver answered, "go back to your hotel and sleep!" we ended up in a deserted siam square and we decided that it's best to walk… cross rama road, go back to phaya thai road and on to ratchatewi bts station. jumbo singha beer at hand, we're glad that we're back to that good old clean fun… although we felt that we shouldn't have been charged 30 baht for ice. chalked up the ping pong show to experience, with manny pacquiao in the background saying, "now you know!", we called it a night… ping pong pat pong night. ping pong balls will never look the same again.