aminin mo na!

NUNG BATA KA:

*kumakain ka ba ng aratilis?

*nagpipitpit ng gumamela para gawing soapy bubbles na hihipanmo sa binilog na tanggkay ng walis tingting?

*pinipilit ka ba matulog ng nanay mo pag hapon atdi ka papayagan maglaro pag di ka natulog?

*marunong ka magpatintero, saksak puso,langit-lupa, teleber-teleber, luksong tinik?

*malupit ka pag meron kang atari, family computeror s-nes?

*alam mo ang silbi ng up, up, down, down, left,right, left, right, a, b, a, b, start?

*may mga damit ka na U.S.E.D., Boy London, Cross Colors, Esprit, Blowing Bubbles at pag nakakakita ka ng Bench na damit eh naalala mo si Richard Gomez?

*addict ka sa rainbow brite, carebears, my little pony,thundercats, bioman, voltes v, mazinger z, daimos, he-man at marami pang cartoons na hindi pa translated sa tagalog?

*nanonood ka ng shaider kasi nabobosohan mo siannie at type na type mo ang puting panty nya?*marunong ka mag wordstar at nakahawak ka natalaga ng 5.25 na floppy disk?

*inaabangan mo lagi ang batibot at akala momagkakatuluyan si kuya bodgie at ate sienna...nung high school ka inaabangan mo lagi beverlyhills 90210?

*gumagamit ka ng AQUANET para pataasin ang bangs mo?

*meron kang blouse na may padding kung babae ka at meron kang sapatos na mighty kid kung lalake ka?

*nangongolekta ka ng paper stationaries at mahiligka magpapirma sa slumbook mo para lang malaman mo kung sino ang crush ng type mo?

*kilala mo si manang bola at ang sitsiritsitgirls? e si luning-ning at luging-ging?

*alam mo ibig sabihin ng time space warp at di mo makakalimutan ang time space warp chant?*idol mo si McGyver at nanonood kang perfectstrangers?

*eto malupet... six digits lang ba ang phonenumber nyo dati?

*nakakatawag ka pa sa pay phone ng 3 bentesingko lang ang dala?

*cute pa si aiza seguerra sa eat bulaga at alam moang song na "eh kasi bata"?

*inabutan mo ba na ang Magnolia Chocolait eh nasa glass bottle pa na ginagawang lalagyan ng tubig ng nanay mo sa ref?

*meron kang pencil case na maraming compartments na pinagyayabang mo sa mga kaklase mo?

*noon mo pa hinahanap kung saan ang Goya Fun Factory?

*alam mo lyrics ng "tinapang bangus" at"alagang-alaga namin si puti"?

*alam mo ang kantang "gloria labandera".. lumusong sya sa tubig ang paa ay nabasa at ang "1, 2, 3, asawa ni marie"... hehehehehe?

*sosyal ka pag may play-doh ka at Lego... atnag-iipon ka ng G.I. Joe action figures at iba paang mukha ni barbie noon?

*inabutan mo pa yung singkong korteng bulaklak atyung diyes na square?

*lumaki kang bobo dahil ang akala mo nangangagattalaga ang alimango sa kantang tong-tong-tong...diba naninipit yun?

*alam mo yung kwento ng pari na binigyan ng perayung batang umakyat ng puno para bumili ngpanty... and shempre, alam mo rin ba kung anobinigay nya sa nanay nung umakyat ng puno?

*meron kang kabisadong kanta ni andrew e na alam mo hanggang ngayon.. aminin?

*laging lampin ang sinasapin sa likod mo pagpinapawisan ka?

*bumibili ka ng tarzan, texas at bazooka bubblegum... tira-tira, at yung kending bilog nasinawsaw sa asukal?

*takot ka dumating ang year 2000 dahil sabi nlamagugunaw daw ang mundo?

KUNG ALAM MO LAHAT DITO LAGPAS KA NA NG 25 YEARS OLD... KAPAG HALOS LAHAT ALAM MO, NASA 23-25 KA...WAG KA NA MAG DENY.. TUMAWA KA NA LANG... DIBA .75 CENTAVOS PA LANG PAMASAHE SA JEEP NUN AT MASMASARAP ANG MELLOW YELLOW KESA MOUNTAIN DEW?

**taken from an email sent to me by my best bud mitch monegas

let us assume you dont know me...

ito ang mga bagay na di mo alam kinalokohan ko minsan....

LARONG KALYE
- agawan base
- patintero
- langit lupa
- take one
- chinese garter
- tagu-taguan
- monkey- monkey
- roller blades (haha di na yata ako marunong!)
- shato (ikaw lam mo yun?)
- taguan (sa likod ng puno- dati takip pa ako nun!; sa likod ng gate, sa gilid ng kotse, AT sa likod ng taya!)

LARO SA LOOB
- jack stones
- dampa
- scrabble
- boggle
- lego
- taguan (sa cabinet, sa likod ng pinto, sa ilalim ng kama at fave! sa cr!)
- guluhin ang gamit ng mga pinsan!
- dress up... (ateh, why are you wearing mommy's shoes?? sound familiar?)

PE CLASSES
- the best parin and SWIMMING
- soccer (indoor- malupet school namin eh!)
- track (gold ako nung intrams!hehe dati yun!)
- arnis de mano- (sayang isang quarter lang nag-last)

FAVE KO NUNG C.A.T
- kiss the Philippines (sa mud!)
- rapel (free, wall and australian)
- traverse
- guess the taste (naka blind fold)

HATE KO NUNG C.A.T
- champoradong may medyas
- pass the santol from officers to cadets
- smogasbord food sa dahon ng saging... esp pag di luto ung ibang rice at pag may halong cornbeef na nahaluan na ng bicol express.. ewwww.

MGA PALABAS NOON NA DI KO MAKAKALIMUTAN
- wonder years
- sailormoon
- doogie houser m.d (cute nya kse..)
- maskman
- bioman
- shaider
- ultraman
- teenage mutant ninja turtles
- xmen
- ghostfighter
- fushigi yuugi (MIYAKA!!!)

KULANG NA LANG TUMIGIL ANG MUNDO NUNG MA-ADIK AKO SA
- xmen
- baby-sitters club series
- gordon's gin kings ng PBA
- Fushigi Yuugi
- Monica Brava
- Full House
-HARRY POTTER (hmm.. hanggang ngyn poh!)
- meteor garden. (HAHAHAHAH!!! nan yi wanji chu chi jian ni....)
- SEA GAMES 2005

MGA KAHIT KAILAN DI KO NAGUSTUHAN
- spaghetti na matamis
- my chronic sinusitis
- maghugas ng pinggan pag may occassion

MGA KULANG SA BUHAY KO SABI NILA
- relationship (hah? ano yun? paki define!)

GALIT AKO SA
- pusa- (i hate the smell!)
- sa mga late
- (pag) pinipilit ako kausapin kahit nakitang tulog na ako. lalo pag di naman importante. hirap magdrift to sleep hah?
- kay ERAP- until now...
- faulty audio editing equipment

MOST PRIZED POSSESSION
- my education
- my voice
- my guitar

crying my filipino heart out

i feel like crying now that the SEA Games is over.

once more i will be swept under the rug of my monotonous everyday routine of work-home- work-mall- home.

for 9 whole days the philippines and the lives of us who live here took a standstill as we watched our national athletes win gold after gold and battle after battle. we cheered them to victory if not at the stands of the different venues of the games then at home in front of our televsion screens.

we took in sharp breaths when an athlete fell off her routine in gymnastics. we exhaled with rage when our boxer was seemingly denied the points he so deserved. we fanned ourselves while watching our players send attacks over teh net to the opponents side.

we felt for them.

we were hypnotised.

yes, even politics was at a lull.

i feel proud of what our athletes have achieved in the recently concluded biennial meet. i also feel a sense of identity with the whole opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament. those programs proved that we DO have an identity no matter how much we, who love to debate, keep questioning it.

in fact i am that very sense of pride drove me to compile all the sports pages of the daily newspapaer as a souvenir for when the meet was over- win or lose.

it drove me to research about the athletes with a passion that i last felt back during high school when i too was caught up in the PBA's gordon's gin fever in 1998 and never again felt for sports.

it drove me to post the lyrics of biyahe tayo and posible on this blog as well as post messages on the bulletin board on friendster.

it made me sing the national anthem under my breath as i walked to work early in the morning.

i tried to get my friends to be as enthuisiastic about the SEA Games as i was. unfortunately not all of them were inetersted to check out what i was talking about. they only started to care after the philippines was hailed the over champion.

i now realize, perhaps some deep longing in me was touched throughout that week. a longing to be like our athletes- to also give honor to this great nation despite teh turbulence we experience everyday. i too wanted that chance to prove that the Filipino is worth going the extra mile for, no matter how cynical we are as a people. an opportunity to say to the world- Ito kami! magaling, walang kinatatakutan.

after the parade of honor and the victory party the news about the games and the south east asian region's new found heroes will die down and in a few days it will seem as if nothing happened.

i want to shout out at time to stop so we can all bask in teh glory that is the republic of the philippines, the grandeur that is our athletes and that wonder that is the united Filipino spirit.

but life surely has to move on for all of us. we're all talking about Garci and the wiretaps again, arent we? soon enough we'd be expecting television networks to show images of the meager christmas meal or noche buena that our poverty-stricken kababayans have. but we would blink and celebrate the holidays just the same and welcome the new year and eventually go back to our mundane existence.

i will simply have to enjoy looking at shiela mae perez showing off her 3 gold medals for diving, which at the moment has overruled hogwarts as my desktop theme. i will simply have to continue singing the Posible theme under my breath. i will have to keep opening my mobile phone to see toni rivero's smile, a picture of her i took with the camera phone from the screen of the tv. i will simply have to enjoy it while the hype is in me and until i too move on..

i just wonder, when will it happen again that we can have a lull such as the week of the sea games? when will we again unite? when will we again feel identity an pride in being a Filipino?

siguro masasabi ko na lang- sana malapit na yun. at sana tumagal...

Toni Rivero, my champion

THE PHILIPPINES HAS WON THE OVER ALL CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN GAMES!


OOH YEAH!!

MABUHAY ANG PINOY!

the taekwando jin on top is mary antoinette rivero of the Philippines who beat Indonesia's Voppy Trismawanty, ending the third set with a 5-1 win and bagging a gold for the philippines. lupet!

now, for those who do not know her here are a few articles that might help you out....

A Habit of Kicking

Posted:11:16 AM (Manila Time) Jul. 18, 2004

AT 16, any girl would be preoccupied with boy bands, crushes, makeup and clothes. For Antoinette "Toni" Rivero, however, there is little time to spend on such matters. Instead of applying foundation on her face, she is applying a wicked kick on her opponent's mug. Sweet sixteen has never been more formidable.

As the youngest member of the three-man Philippine tae kwon do team to the Athens Olympics, Toni is determined to do something yet to be done. "My goal is to win the gold medal," says Toni.

The quest for that gold medal remains unfulfilled since the country joined the Olympics in 1924. Yet if there's any Pinoy can end the drought, Toni might be the one best equipped to do so.

Like many prodigies, Toni's exposure to sports came early. At 4, Toni tagged along with her brothers Mark and JR to their tae kwon do classes at Virra Mall. She first had to be satisfied watching from the sidelines, as she was too young to participate. "She would just sit there and watch intently for two hours," says Toni's mom Marilou.

There was a pair of 7-year-old boys who enrolled in the class. Since they needed another person of relatively the same size to spar against, the instructor asked Toni to spar against the two newcomers. Toni whipped both of them.

Shocked, yet encouraged by Toni's performance, the instructors invited the girl to regular training even if she was not yet 5, the minimum age requirement.As an 11-year-old, she was beating up 18-year old males.

During the 1st Asian Juniors Tae kwon do Championship, she earned a bronze medal. The next year, she won the silver.

In 2001, Toni made history as the youngest member of the national team at only 13.She bagged the gold in the US Open Last year, Toni displayed tremendous courage as she claimed her biggest victory yet. Taking an early lead in gold medal match in featherweight division of the SEA Games in Vietnam, Toni suddenly felt her right leg cramp up. She could have panicked, but kept her composure and played smart. Playing through pain, Toni survived and went home with the gold.

Like so many athletes, Toni's success came with a price. Juggling school and sports proved tough, and her grades suffered at St. Paul's College Pasig. Her parents decided to pull her out of St. Paul's and enroll her in a home-study program in order not to disrupt her training. "You can always go back to school. The chance to play in the Olympics happens every so often and you're not sure if you'll have another opportunity," remarks Marilou.

Selected by the Philippine Tae kwon do Association for a possible slot in Athens, Toni was in Thailand for the Asian Olympic Qualifier. Toni qualified for the Olympics as she made it to the gold medal match. Though a swollen hand forced her to withdraw, Toni had exceeded expectations and achieved one of her goals.

"I couldn't describe how happy I was," Toni recalls. Part of the reason for Toni's achievements has been her supportive family. Marilou wakes up Toni and JR, who's also a national team member, at 5 a.m. during weekdays then drives them from their house in Pasig to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila to make the 6 a.m. training session. Mother then brings her kids back to the house and cooks lunch for them. She then drives them back to Rizal for sparing sessions that last until late in the evening. Marilou and her pilot husband Manuel will be in Athens to lend her support to Toni.

Since she spends most of her time at the gym or at home, Toni admitted that she sometimes misses doing the usual things that teenagers do such as go to the movies or the mall with friends, but she understands that she has a mission to accomplish.

With the Olympics weeks away, Toni's training sessions have gone from twice to thrice a day. She's been quartered along with the two other Olympic-bound tae kwon do jins at an undisclosed location. "I thought that everything was happening so fast, but my mom said everything happens for a reason," disclosed Toni.

Toni and the rest of the country might soon find out that reason next month in Athens

and so that what happened at the olympics? read on please....

HURTING TONI RIVERO COMES OUT WINNER DESPITE LOSS
ATHENS

August 30, 2004 (STAR) By Lito A. Tacujan

She fought through the pain and breaks and against a hostile crowd and came so close to winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal but she failed despite a courageous stand.
But Marie Antoinette Rivero left the luxurious blue mat of the Faliro Hall Saturday evening more a victor, particularly to a bunch of Filipino supporters who cheered her on in four rugged matches in the women’s under 67 kg.

The 16-year-old Rivero came within two wins of breaking the country’s 80-year gold medal drought in the Games but she dropped a 2-3 decision to Greece’s Elizavet Mystakidou in the semifinals before a roaring Greek crowd.

"She wanted to do more for the country, she was so close. She’s very young but showed a big fighting heart," said Robert Aventajado, president of the Philippine Taekwondo Association.
Had Rivero not lost to the Greek ,she would have won a silver outright and fought for the gold. She later bowed to Korean Hwang Kyung Sun, 2-6, in the repechage and failed to salvage a bronze.

The other Filipino jin — Donald Geisler III — also missed a crack at the bronze in the men’s under 80kg, dislocating his left ankle and two tendons in the repechage against Tunisia’s Hichem Hamdouni and had to be carried out of the hall on a stretcher.

Geisler, a repeat Olympian, earlier absorbed a verdict by superiority to Turkey’s Bahri Tanrikulu, who later took the silver. But he came out full of fight against Hamdouni, holding his own in a 7-all tie before banging his ankle to the charging Tunisian’s knee.

He crumpled to the mat and doubled up in pain. He struggled to his feet and tried to fight on after getting treatment from Korean coach Kim Tae Hyun but the referee stopped the fight. He was later brought to the Athletes’ Village polyclinic, went through X-ray, CT-Scan and Sonogram.

He now walks on crutches with his injured ankle fitted with a protective boot.
Rivero, the youngest in the RP team first triumphed by superiority over Argentina’s Vanina Beron Sanchez and took a decisive 10-4 win over the Netherlands Charmie Sobers for the semifinals that sent the nation back home all abuzz about a possible Olympic medal.

But Rivero suffered a bruised left thigh in the first encounter, injured her left hand against the Dutch bet and sustained yet another hand injury versus Mystakidou in the semis that had the crowd roaring "Hellas, Hellas‚" (the Greek word for Greece).

"It hurts. I know I could have won, but the breaks went against me. Lahat ng tama niya sa akin sa likod ng hips binilang samantalang ang mga hits ko walang count," she said.

Mystakidou loomed as the Greeks’ lone hope for a gold following the shock loss of sports icon Michailis Mouroutsos, the Sydney Games titlist, in the under 58 kg and evidently put the pressures on the judges as they came in droves for her duel against Rivero.

"Ako ang binawian, gutom sila sa panalo. I know I can beat her," she said.

Mystakidou, who was not impressive in her first two matches, raced to a two-to-nothing lead in the first two rounds with a side kick and turning back kick. Rivero, carrying the fight throughout, rallied in the third round as she nailed two offensive kicks but the former world No. 3 scored on a counter kick and won at 3-2 with one penalty point.

"The Greek showed her a lot of respect. It was low scoring contest and she was calculating and more cautious against Toni than against the Chinese in the final," said Aventajado.
By the time Rivero fought the Korean, she was hurting all over and bucking rush of fatigue. Mystakidou eventually took the silver, losing to world champion Wei Lou in the final while Hwang won the bronze.

The young Pinay jin then left the hall and broke down in tears.

"When she was fighting she looked to me taller and stronger. On the way home to the village I realized she was just a girl," Aventajado said.

Her heartbreaking loss had given her firm resolve to take a shot at the next Olympics. "I’m more determined now to work harder to earn a slot for Beijing."

Overall, the taekwondo jins made an impact on the RP campaign despite failing to medal in their respective events, Aventajado added, noting that Tshomlee Go made a remarkable stand against Spanish former champion Juan Ramos in the under 58 kg while Geisler had lost only on superiority over Tanrikulu before injuring his ankle in the bout versus Hamdouni.
Hamdouni went on to drop his next match to Yossef Karami who won the bronze while American Steven Lopez retained his title in the event.

"I’m proud of these young men and woman representing our country. I’m happy with their performance for it shows we have the materials but not the breaks," he said.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit and PSC chair Eric Buhain also praised Rivero’s stirring performance.

"She fought bravely, she gave her best and there’s nothing we could ask for," said Buhain.
With the setback of the taekwondo jins, Team RP closes yet another fruitless campaign for an Olympic medal, the loss more galling with the successes chalked up by its neighbors Thailand, Indonesia and Chinese-Taipei.

The Thais enjoyed a great Olympics with three golds so far. They have won two in women’s weighlifting and one in boxing with another pug still in contention in the final day, the Taiwanese copped two golds in taekwondo while Indonesia won a gold in men’s badminton through Hidayat Taufik.

AND NOW SHE HAS PROVEN HERSELF WITH ANOTHER GOLD IN THE NEWLY CONCLUDED SEA GAMES. .. GALING! MAYBE NEXT TIME IT WOULD BE A GOLD IN THE OLYPICS NA TALAGA..... WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE NOW WONT WE?

posible by rivermaya

Posible kayang labanan
Ang agos ng paghamon
Mabuwal at madapa man
Sabay tayong aahon

Posible kayang mabura
Alinlangan sa sarili
Ang tapang sa loob makikita
Taglay mo ang dugong bayani

Sulong
Laban
Huwag uurong
Pakinggan sa iyong puso
Ang sigaw na dating bulong

Posible!

Posible kayang matikman
Ang isang gintong minimithi
Sa kagat ng bawat laban
Magtatagumpay kang muli

Sulong
Laban
Pilipino!
Pakinggan sa iyong puso
Ang sigaw na dating bulong

Posible!

Biyahe tayo!

Ikaw ba'y nalulungkot
Naiinip, nababagot?
Ikaw ba'y napapagod
Araw gabi'y puro kayod?

Buhay mo ba'y walang saysay
Walang sigla, walang kulay?
Bawa't araw ba'y pareho
Parang walang pagbabago?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Kasama ang pamilya
Barkada at buong grupo
Para mag-enjoy nang todo.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

Napasyal ka na ba
Sa Intramuros at Luneta
Palawan, Vigan at Batanes
Subic, Baguio at Rice Terraces?

Namasdan mo na ba
Ang mga vinta ng Zamboanga
Bulkang Taal, Bulkang Mayon
Beach ng Boracay at La Union?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Mula Basco hanggang Jolo
Nang makilala ng husto
Ang ating kapwa-Pilipino.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

From city to city,
Seven thousand and a hundred plus islas
Sa mahal kong Pilipinas
Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao ating puntahan.
Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!

Nasubukan mo na bang
Mag-rapids sa Pagsanjan
Mag-diving sa Anilao
Mag-surfing sa Siargao?

Natikman mo na ba
Ang sisig ng Pampanga
Duriang Davao, Bangus Dagupan
Bicol Express at Lechong Balayan?

Tara na, biyahe tayo,
Nang makatulong kahit pano
Sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan
Ng ating mga kababayan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

Nakisaya ka na ba
Sa Pahiyas at Masskara
Moriones at Ati-Atihan
Sinulog at Kadayawan?

Namiesta ka na ba
Sa Peñafrancia sa Naga
Umakyat sa Antipolo
Nagsayaw sa Obando?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.


Halika, biyahe tayo...

cool information (at least in my oppinion)

Disclaimer: Someone sent me this through e-mail. Actually i have no idea if there is an ounce of truth in it. However it sure makes a good read..

LIFE In the 1500's
The next time you are washing your hands and
complain because the water temperature isn't
just how you like it, think about how things used
to be.

Here are some facts about the 1500's:

Most people got married in June, because they
took their yearly bath in May and still smelled
pretty good by June. However, they were
starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet
of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the
custom today of carrying a bouquet when
getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.
The man of the house had the privilege of the
nice clean water, then all the other sons and
men, then the women and finally the children!
Last of all the water was so dirty you could
actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying,
" Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high,
with no wood underneath. It was the only place
for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other
small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When
it rained it became slippery and sometimes the
animals would slip off the roof. Hence the saying,
"It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling
into the house. This posed a real problem in
the bedroom where bugs and other droppings
could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence,
a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over
the top afforded some protection. That's how
canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something
other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor." The
wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in
the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw)
on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter
wore on, they added more thresh until when you
opened the door it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway.
Hence the saying a "thresh hold."

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen
with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.
Every day they lit the fire and added things to
the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did
not get much meat. They would eat the stew
for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get
cold start over the next day. Sometimes stew
had food in it that had been there for quite a
while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot,
peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot
nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made
them feel quite special. When visitors came over,
they would hang up their bacon to show off. It
was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring
home the bacon." They would cut off a little to
share with guests and would all sit around and
"chew the fat."

Those with money had plates made of pewter.
Food with high acid content caused some of
the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead
poisoning death. This happened most often
with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so,
tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers
got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the
middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky.
The combination would sometimes knock the
imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone
walking along the road would take them for
dead and prepare them for burial. They were
laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days
and the family would gather around and eat
and drink and wait and see if they would wake
up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."

England is old and small and the local folks
started running out of places to bury people.
So they would dig up coffins and would take
the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the
grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out
of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks
on the inside and they realized they had been
burying people alive. So they would tie a string
on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the
coffin and up through the ground and tie it to
a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the
graveyard all night (the"graveyard shift") to
listen for the bell; thus, someone could be
"saved by the bell" or was considered a
"dead ringer."

And that's the truth ... Now, whoever said that
History was boring?

Hail the proposed Bio-Fuels Act!

For those concerned about the advocacy campaign for clean energy, this might interest you. I made a news item about it so you guys dont have to read through the dilly dallying of the newspapers and internet news sites...

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAS APPROVED A BILL INTENDED TO REPLACE WITHIN FOUR YEARS A TENTH OF NATIONAL GASOLINE CONSUMPTION WITH CHEAP CLEAN FUEL THAT CAN BE PRODUCED FROM THE LIKES OF CANE AND COCONUT.

BUKIDNON REPRESENTATIVE JUAN MIGUEL ZUBIRI, AUTHOR OF THE PROPOSED BIO-FUELS ACT, SAYS THE APPROVAL OF THE BILL BRINGS THE NATION CLOSER TO THE MASS PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY THAT WILL CREATE JOBS, CLEAN THE ENVIRONMENT AND BOOST THE ECONOMY.

HE ESTIMATES THE COUNTRY COULD SAVE UP TO 32 BILLION PESOS IN OIL IMPORT COSTS IF 10 PERCENT OF THE CONSUMED NATIONAL GAS WERE REPLACED WITH ALCOHOL OR ETHYL ALCOHOL.

ZUBIRI NOTES ETHANOL COULD BE EXTRACTED FROM LOCAL PRODUCTS OR WHAT HE CALLS THE 5 Cs- NAMELY CANE, COCONUT, CORN, CAMOTE AND CASSAVA.

Biofuel bill passed in House (November 9, 2005)

its a start, right? i just hope our leaders don't politicize this one too...

How would she feel? HOW?!!

how would a little girl feel if a classmate came on to her and physically manhandled her just because he can?

how would a little girl feel if she is constantly being degradingly stared at and humiliated by the boys in her class just beacuse she is developing physically faster than the girls in her fourth grade class?

how would she feel if she found out that the reason the little boys were acting that way towards her was because they thought she was a special child who just transferred to their school to get special attention? and thus special meant they could get away with it..

how would the little girl aged 9 feel after repeatedly being cornered into an empty classroom by two or three boys to touch her breasts in exchange for the answer to the new assignment which she knows nothing about?

what would she do if there were no adults to tell and if there were they were too busy with the politics amongst themselves to even care?

what if she had been brought up to submit completely to what others tell her to do?

what if all the personal insights and thoughts she had since childhood was constantly being shot down by the people she trusted and thought were her mentors?

would she have the courage to break away?

would she forget the times she told her tale but no one listened?

would she even care to tell it again?

would she have a chance at forgiving or would she retreat to a corner and create for herself an invisible wall to keep the 'intruder' out of her private space?

can she even learn to trust again after the friends she had known simply shrugged off her tale that she had been violated?

and what if she grew to be successful?

would anybody consider it a regrettable incident that she had been molested not by someone older than her but by kids her age when she was young?

or would they consider it fortunate because after all the incident became a "challenge" to her?

would people simply consider it child's play even though the girl never forgot the incident and became frigid eventually in life?

pray tell me just how would she feel?!

These funny human beings are my friends at Jesus First Christian Ministries, TayTay.

we're a mix of the weird, the weirder and the weirdest.. hehe!

my comment about comments on blogger

i do not understand these online advertisers. it irks me that they check out people's blogs to react to the user's posts and yet the comments make no connection to the post at all. better yet, their statements make no sense at all. and they come all the way from the other side of the planet.

umm, if you advertisers have not noticed yet- you are not my target audience! (or shall i say market?!) STOP posting non-sense comments PLEASE.

is there some type of quota that these people have to meet? ugh!

Rainbows and Songs About Them

I had the fortunate opportunity yesterday to get a glimpse at a fully arched rainbow. Now, of course i know that there is no pot of gold at either ends of it like they say. But didn't you ever wonder just how fun it could be had it been true?

We would probably be wishing the rain away more often than not.

Anyway, i would like to share one of the very first songs that i memorized as a child and still remember today. If you know it then good for you!

The Rainbow Connection

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,
And look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

All of us under its spell,
We know that it's probably magic......

Have you been half asleep? And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name....
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it
It's something that I'm s'posed to be...
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

Laa, da daa dee da daa daa, La laa la la laa dee daa doo...


haaaay... the age of innocence!!!

on relationships

i read somewhere that foreigners find it funny how filipinos would always greet one another with "kumain ka na ba?". It does not matter where they meet or what they plan to do that day. it simply stands that the whole lifestyle revolves on food.

in my case, the people in my immediate surroundings seem to have nothing more to ask me these days outside of- "Do you already have a boyfriend?" It's like a person's whole social life has to revolve on the issue of boys. haaay!

I think they, the people who keep inquiring, feel that my life will be complete once i get into a relationship. but looking for and gaining a relationship for the sake of claiming my life is complete is utterly wrong. why should my happiness have to depend on a boy friend? why should my efforts, my thoughts and my existence depend on the foundation (or the lack of) finally finding the one.

hey, don't misread me i DO want a relationship- for the purpose of marrying someday and bringing up a family but dude! as long as im not ready for that, im not about to go looking for it...

sure im not going to meet so called prospects if i continue to maintain my home- work- home-church-home- mall- home routine. but it does not necessarily follow that if i went out and had worldly fun at bars (places i dont like at all) then i would find myself the guy meant for me.

see that's the word MEANT. if he's meant for me, he'll come, rain or shine, from sea through shining sea. he's got to be first and foremost someone i can be myself around. someone who would not be ashamed to raise his hands to pray and praise my Savior. he most definitely must not be the type to lag around at my tail because for sure he's going to be left waaay waaay behind- in other words someone who has found himself already, (if yah know what i mean).

are my standards too high? NO. i've always set these standards for myself to comply with, so why should i compromise them for someone meant to be ONE (as in flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone) with me?

i have had relationships in the past but they did not work. my lack knowledge of self and lack of vision for the future back then may be put to blame. but now that i know where i want to go and what i want to do for the rest of my life (that is submitted for the approval of J.C), then i can keep doing what i want to do until that specified time comes.

there is a promise of better things in waiting. and even if in vain, there is dignity in it.

kbp golden dove awards on RPN 9 on november 5

The awards night of the KBP Golden Dove Awards was held a few days ago. i did not win and im glad i didnt. why? it would have been pressure for me. i have a feeling that it would create unprecedented drastic changes in my life. im not ready for that. i want to enjoy my work and enjoy being young.

meanwhile, for those of you interested in finding out who did win, you can check out the televised program on RPN 9 on the evening of November 5. i'm just not sure what time they're going to show it. but take note that it won't be a loss to you if you don't get to see it. they just mention my name anyway. i'm also the only nominee (for reasons i do not know) whose sound byte was not played.

i do want to thank however the people who showed so much support for the bid. thanks for believing in me. i love you peeps! yah know who ya'ar.

A CITATION FOR THE KBP GOLDEN DOVE AWARDS IS ENOUGH

i am a twenty two year old young woman fresh from college and have been working as a newscaster for the last 7 months to date.

who would have thought that my name- a humble Marianne Gallo- would appear right next to the names of veteran newscasters (AM and FM) including but not limited to DEO MACALMA and ANGELO PALMONES?

lost? i'll get to the point then. I have been nominated into the 14th Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas' Golden Dove Awards. My name is under the categories Best Radio Newscaster and Best Radio Newscast.

I represent Home Radio's General Santos Station for my colleague Vanessa Jardeleza, or Geri as she is known on the air, represented the Manila station. (She too by the way is nominated under Best Radio Newscaster). how does that apply? well you see, the Gen San and Iloilo stations have yet to find newscasters for themselves and so we here in Manila support and send them our recorded news items through e-mail. (technology! sighhh!)

My entry had been about how back in June there was a story of two Japanese stragglers in the mountains of Mindanao. Reports had it that 60 years after World War II they were discovered still hanging on to their rifles and refusing to believe the war has ended. imagine! well, long story short- a host of foreign correspondents rushed to the Philippines, Gen San to be exact, to find out the whole story. they had been here for weeks but found nothing. later the "SOURCE", whoever he was for he was not identified, admitted the story was a hoax. hayyy!!! had it been true, it would have been the story of a decade for the Japanese Media.

The other nomination, Best Radio Newscast, is cited still for Gen San and goes under the umbrella program Home Radio News on the Dot, which is what it is called in all the FM stations of Aliw Broadcasting Corp. This nomination goes up against nationwide provincial news programs for both the AM and FM bands.

i am still overwhelmed as it is. however, i refuse to show false humilty by saying i dont deserve the nomination. truth be told i WANT to deserve being a finalist. i want to be proud of this kind of a milestone. who else can be more proud? its a one in a million chance to show that people in their youth can make a difference, can be someone and find their spot on the planet. and im 22 for crying out loud! the people im up against are veterans- they're older than most of my mentors and have been delivering the news since i was in diapers, lampin more like.

why do i want to deserve it? because it is my thanks to all those who sacrificed for me to get this far in life. it is my show of respect for all that i have learned in life's good and bad times. and i believe it would be a disservice if i simply deny my right to acknowledge or claim a citiation this prestigious.

and as a move of gratitude, i let my educators know about it. some of them i informed through text message. others i visited at the other station and thanked in a letter. and for the school where i let all my imagination wander and hope i came to give a copy of the whole KBP memo and phamplet containing my name.

upon graduation college with Magna Cum Laude honors i intended to go back to my high school- Montessori Integrated School of Antipolo. But due to schedule constraints i could not find the time to visit so my mom did that for me. she told the people at the school that with the training i had in MISA i grew an incessant thirst for knowledge. haha, geek am i not? but with this recent development on the Golden Dove Awards, i could not not visit.

so i went. i went back to the high school three days ago, a Friday. i walked through the lonely road leading to the school and on the way there i saw the students clad in the Citezen's Army Training uniform and it brought pleasant memories to mind. later i saw a Technology and Home Economics teacher of mine. He called ne by the nickname and i was so sorry i forgot his name! (Later i asked another teacher- she reminded me his name was Sir Romeo or endearingly- Sir Meo). So i was set to come home to my beloved school.

there, i met up with the ladies at the registrar's office to give them their copy of the phamplet to give to the owner and directress of the school- Mrs. Sylvia Lazo. then i hoped to find my teachers so i walked to the library (which even in the elementary was my place of comfort). fortunately the staff room was relocated beside the library and there i found Ms Eyzell, now the wife of my other teacher and commandant Sir Ruel.

we talked and remembered the past. how our batch was her first advisory class in her teaching career. how she poured all here energies into us and set difficult standards for us to comply with. how back then she encouraged us to become the confident (not overly so i hope!) individuals we are today through the classes we had with her. she had been our English teacher since grade 6 to 4th year high school. plus she taught us speech and drama. i was fortunate enough to further bond with her in high school for i was a member of the theater arts guild which she headed. we remembered how i was always who she tapped to represent the class in all the public speaking contests, be it extemporaneous or impromptu.

then i told her about a time in my 6th year in elementary when she informed the class that 15 of us were graduating with honors. back then i counted and counted. i tried to figure out who was sure to be included in the list. And having known the potential of each classmate i felt i had it in me to get through to that list. i knew i had no line of 7 grade in my report card after all. we were wrong. my eyzell later that week or the monday after i cant remember called my other classmate and i to her to tell us that we had a 79 each in Livelihood Education and since the grade for this subject was halved into the Home Economics subject we could not have known by simply looking at the report cards. they were discovered in the teacher's record book and that was the greater imprimatur. so my classmate and i were disqualified from the honor's list.

it would not have been a big deal had i not have rushed home days before telling my mom my assumptions. it had been sad to eventually tell her i failed her. it was not a simple matter of failing my hopes. it had been a bigger deal that i would have brought her and my dad's memory honor. they had after all brought me up on disney classics and musicals and books and english movies and discovery channel and encyclopedias and quizzes on world trivia in hopes that someday i would be what every parent hopes their child would be. after that failure i vowed it would never happen again that i would fail them.

in all my years of winning this and winning that achieving this and achieving that, i have not been taught to see teh milestones in my life as a means to an end rather an end in intself. so the mere nomination, the mere citation is what i am thankful for at this moment.

i could have chosen to tell the people in my life about the citation after the awards night, which is a week and a half from now. but i chose to reveal it now so that i will be reminded that having my name mentiond alongside the names of the veterans is enough.

most of my mentors do not know just how much they are appreciated. i am nothing without them. and everyday i thank God for their knowledge for their wisdom and for their patience with all their students. and it makes all the more a difference because i know this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful career. i owe it to them to be thankful for the citation. and i owe it to myself to look back and remember all that i would not have been without my teachers.

the world can be very unfair

the world can be very unfair.

sure, world crises chance upon us without signed- sealed-and delivered warnings.

the tsunami in asia.

the famine in niger, africa.

the incessant terror attacks.

and so much more.

what i cannot fathom is, why is it given more attention when these things happen in the western world?

a week ago the gulf of mexico in the united states saw thousands of americans devastated with the effects and aftermath of Katrina.

the reaction? the most of the world's nations, even those as poor as the Philippines offered help.

in africa MILLIONS were STARVING TO DEATH two months ago.

who reacted? a few european nations who had interests in the huge and national resources-rich continent of africa and the world food program of the united nations? anyone else? only the british broadcasting corporation.

is it because there are more media workers in the US than africa? more cameras mean more public exposure thus more sympathy?

or it is because the human race believes "those in africa are used to not having anything to eat/ drink/ wear anyway"?

heck, crises strip you raw. and people require all the same basic needs.

im not saying the victims of hurricane katrina are at fault or that they should not be offered help. im just crying out loud for the outright bias the "civilized society" has.

what made the difference? perhaps the world couldn't stand to see its so called big brother look not so tough for even a week...

homecoming

i just made it final and official. i am out of adamson university.

i may have graduated some months back, but it was only two days ago that i surrendered (fianally!) my ID. what can be more official than that right?

it was diffucult going back to the school and thinking well, of course the reality never lives up to the memory...

all but a few friends remain in the school's ivy colored halls.

there are no more calls from accross the street of san marcelino for me to hurry up for i am late for class.

the guards are extremely nice all of a sudden. and they called me "ma'am", which is a first and is especially rare for them.

the vendors from the so called 'stair bucks' were ever so gracious to offer an extra calamansi, would you believe?

i do truly miss the excitement of the academe- the study, the work, the people behind it.

haay.... its another one of those days....

vocabularian

hey everyone, just like the nerd i am i have been visiting merriam webster online every now and again mainly because i need to check and recheck my pronunciation for broadcast but here are some words i found interesting. they are not really in the dictionary but i think you might find them cool too... read on!

What a lovely bunch of vocabularians (persons who make up new words) you are! Lasterday (refers to any day before today) we squinched (action required to fit something into a space that is slightly too small) a schmiglet (a small unit of measurement) of your awesomtastic (so wonderful the words just meld in your mouth) one-of-a-kind entries into this space in preparation for our Top Ten reveal. With so many chizzy (awesome, super, happening) creations to choose from, we admit to becoming a bit flusterpated (a state of being flustered that's so intense, one's actions and words become bound up) and fahoodled (confused, esp. when trying to think of too many things at once). We craughed (to cry and laugh simultaneously), we troddled (to wander around without knowing of doing so), and finally decided to use the schwack (a large amount) of multiple entries received as the basis for the Top Ten—this is, let's not forget, all about favoritism.

From the thousands of submissions we received, here, then, are the ten words (not in the dictionary) entered the most often:

Top Ten Favorite Words (Not in the Dictionary)
1. ginormous (adj): bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous
2. confuzzled (adj): confused and puzzled at the same time
3. woot (interj): an exclamation of joy or excitement
4. chillax (v): chill out/relax, hang out with friends
5. cognitive displaysia (n): the feeling you have before you even leave the house that you are going to forget something and not remember it until you're on the highway
6. gription (n): the purchase gained by friction: "My car needs new tires because the old ones have lost their gription."
7. phonecrastinate (v): to put off answering the phone until caller ID displays the incoming name and number
8. slickery (adj): having a surface that is wet and icy
9. snirt (n): snow that is dirty, often seen by the side of roads and parking lots that have been plowed
10. lingweenie (n): a person incapable of producing neologisms

POPULAR CULTURE
ESPN-onage (n): secretly viewing an all-sports network when your wife leaves the room
polkadodge (n): the pseudo dance when two people attempt to pass each other, each moving in the same direction
scrax (n): the waxy coating that must be scratched off an instant lottery ticket

LANGUAGE
dunandunate (v): to overuse a word or phrase that has been recently added to one's vocabulary
lexpionage (n): the sleuthing of new words and phrases
whinese (n) a language spoken by children or spouses on long road trips

WEATHER
slush turtle (n): the snow that collects on your mud flap
spinter (n): the season between winter and spring where everything is drowning in a slush/mud mixture
sprummer (n) when spring and summer can't decide which is going to come first—hot one day, cold the next

PEOPLE
headset jockey (n): a telephone call center worker at the other end of a toll-free number
knitpicker (n): a person who selects your knitted sweaters. Beware the Christmas knitpicker or the put-the-family-in-the-same-sweater-for-the-photo knitpicker.
stealth-geek (n): one that hides nerdy interests while maintaining a normal outward appearance

ANATOMY
fumb (n): the large toe
jimberjaw (n): a protrusive chin
wibble (n): a trembling of the lower lip just shy of actually crying

MENTAL & PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
asphinxiation (n): when you are sick to death of unanswerable riddles
museum head (n): being mentally exhausted, and unable to take in anything more; usu. follows after a full day at the museum
precuperate (v): prepare for the possibility of being ill

TECHNOLOGY & THE INTERNET
shanghaIM (v): Instant Messaging somebody who's in the process of IM-ing somebody else, causing them to inadvertently type (and possibly send) their message to you
vidiot (n): one inept at programming a VCR
wurfing (v): the act of surfing the Internet at work and rationalizing that it is for work purposes

TRANSPORTATION
detroitus (n): car parts found alongside the highway
junkstaposition (n): when two or more immobile vehicles are parked next to each other
pregreening (v): the tendency to creep forward while waiting for a red light to change

FOOD
onionate (v): to overwhelm with post-dining breath
smushables (n): the groceries that must be packed at the top of the bag or separately to avoid being mangled by the time you get home
spatulate (v): remove cake batter or other substances from the side of a mixing bowl with a spatula

MISCELLANEOUS
dringle (n): the ring-shaped stain on wood caused by condensation from a glass of liquid
espacular (adj): especially spectacular
furgle (v): to feel in a pocket or purse for a small object such as a coin or key
hoyle (n): the point at which a genius transcends our reality and becomes a madman
nudenda (n): a nudist's unhidden agenda
optotoxical (adj): of or pertaining to poisonous looks that could kill, esp. from a spouse
parrotise (n): a haven for exotic birds, esp. green ones
quackmire (n): muddy edges of a duck pond
sinspire (v): to compel one to be creatively wicked
sprog (v): to go faster than a jog but slower than a sprint


source: www.m-w.com

at a standstill

i have been out of school for four months now and i am terribly missing it. i long for the constant mental challenge and spontaniety of it all. funny, i, who would shut myself in the library for hours at a time to avoid the noisy students shouting at one another for no reason, do hereby admit it now- the silence is killing me.

i have been working for the last four months and i have increased in waist size for the mere fact that all i do is sit infront of a computer surfing reuters, cnn, bbc, abs-cbnnews, inq7, and etonline to await the news and re-write it for fm radio adaptability. i like my work but i do not like the weight im putting on because of it. back in the day i had this image of myself losing weight by the time i became a working person. but no, we have free donuts everyday, free coffee and when the people in the program committee have a meeting free pizza or whatever they are having. however, i guess its a choice we make to put on the L-Bs.

i miss running after my dear professors to submit a project/ paper i have fininshed in the last two minutes before deadline (yet again). hey, im a person who works best under pressure and i like the blood rush of running, i used to say. now, the only excercise i get is about a 150 meter walk in total everday.

also, when i was in school, i spent my money to the last drop in everyday that came. that is to make the exception of course if i was saving up to buy something special or go somewhere special, which i would tell myself i deserve for working so hard at school. i used to see mcdonalds, jollibee and several other fast food chains plus starbucks to boot. now? i take a packed lunch to work. i see a fast food chain and think of what would my hundred peso bill buy at the market to take home. i do sometimes give in to a combo one meal but that's once in every fifteeen days. what i spend in a day these days is one third of what i used to spend in a day in college.

i used to see an occasional movie which i did not mind paying. hah! i no longer watch a movie unless its the station's movie premiere of the month which i get to watch for free by the way. we have had batman begins (which i do not recommend by the way), hotel rwanda (which i found very moving), war of the worlds (which i refused to watch precisely because of the whole media blitz about tom and katie prior to the movie- in other words i found the promotions too fishy to attempt watching it. i was not mistaken, the reviews agreed with my view- it was a hurried movie which does not live up to the genius of speilberg.) and of course charlie and the choloate factory (which by the way was FANTASTIC over all- and woah! jhonny depp's portrayal of michael jackson, i mean willy wonka was superb- you cannot tell that he is the same person who did edward siscorhands or captain jack. nobody could hav done it better in my book)

plus, i used to ride an fx taxi to where ever i was going. my excuse then was my allergic rhinitis could get worse if i keep riding the jeep. now i fight to get my fifty centavos of change from the driver or kunduktor of the jeepney and demand for the official tariff released by the land transportation franchising and regulatory board. i simply bring a spare hankerchief to protect my nasal passage from the pollution.

do not get me wrong i earn enough to get an average 22 year old by in a month. in fact i earn more money than many hardworking laborers in this country. i like my job and the whole lot of people i work with. the thing is ms. expenditures has finally learned the value of money.

funny how we as youth were pampered till the age of college where in fact we should have been shoved into the ways of the world at an earlier age. i cannot say i that i have been looking at the world with rose tint glasses for years but i did not view it as cruel either. what im driving at is my world is at a standstill at the moment. i am neither here nor there. i'd give anything to get a bird's eye view of my life right now just to get back to being trh driven, passionate person people know me to be.

it used to be i was driven to move towards the goal of the next examinations, the next term, the next activity. but as of posting time, i am at a loss as to where i am headed. i probably need an outlet- i just do not know what. any ideas?

pgma state of the nation address

Every year, we meet on this day in this great hall to celebrate democracy and take stock of the nation: the country and its condition; the government and its performance; the people and their well-being.
Ours is a country divided; the story of our nation is a tale of two Philippines; almost, as it were, two countries under the same name.
One is the Philippines whose economy, after long years of cumulative national endeavor, is now poised for take off. The other is the Philippines whose political system, after equally long years of degeneration, has become a hindrance to progress.
As a country on the verge of take off, our storyline would surprise many at home and abroad. The story includes an economy that grew more than 6% last year and that has continued to work in the teeth of the biggest oil price hikes in history, while generating 4 million jobs in the last four years.
The story includes marked improvements in tax collections, infrastructure, housing construction, shelter security for the urban poor and indigenous peoples, and rice productivity.
The story includes 69 million beneficiaries of health care insurance, including 30 million indigents, whose re-enrollment started early this year and is still ongoing.
That same story, over four years, saw the drug menace cut in half, the rash of kidnappings become a thing of the past, and insurgency in the south abated.
This story should work itself out as one about an economy as resilient and full of potential as its people are patient and hardworking, guided by a government – with the executive and the legislative hand-in-hand -- that is able to pass a no-nonsense budget and make tough decisions to put our Fiscal House in order.
I specially refer to our recent titanic struggle to enact the three laws that comprised the biggest fiscal package in our history, the biggest revenue increase in a generation. That will break the vicious cycle of financing development by borrowing and having to borrow again just to service those loans. This is the one reform that will snap the chain that has bound our future to a profligate past and the debt-burdened present. The Filipino's strong sense of family has given Congress a stronger resolve not to pass on today's debt, and bankrupt our children and grandchildren tomorrow. That struggle has done the House and the Senate great honor. Congratulations.
Abroad, the story continues. We’ve worked long and hard to restore our country to the prominent place it once held as co-founder of the United Nations and the free world's first line of defense in the East. We won a seat in the UN Security Council, where we presided over the landmark resolution calling for democracy in Iraq. The Philippines chaired the historic Conference of Interfaith Cooperation for Peace at the UN, the fruit of a bold and creative initiative by your Speaker of the House.
We head the APEC anti-terrorism task force. Our victories in the war on terror have been acknowledged by no less than President Bush before the U.S. National Defense University. The Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf can only pick up the pieces of its broken backbone in Mindanao.
We have worked with the organization of the Islamic conference to forge peace with our Muslim brothers. Eighty percent of our peace talks with them have been completed. Permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach.
Indeed, our story as a country on the verge of take off is real. Analysts need only to look at our stock market, and even the peso-dollar exchange rate, to sense the strong anticipation of significant improvements, if only we would overcome the tendency to be our own worst enemy.
Thus, with investors both here and abroad in mind, I invite you all to join me in sending them a strong message from this great hall: we will not waver in our commitment to economic reform and fiscal discipline, whatever the political cost.
The other message to send is that we will address the burden that the other Philippine story imposes on our anticipated take off. I refer to the story of how our political system has now become a hindrance to our national progress.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean. To be sure, the system is still capable of achieving great reforms. But, by and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
Perhaps we politicians have done our best; but maybe our best is not enough, given the present system. Perhaps we have strained the present political system to its final limit.
It is time to turn to the people, bring them into government -- and change the way that government is done.
The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay, and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila.
The system clearly needs fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on charter change.
We must address such questions as how much more government is needed for the greater safety and economic security of our people, and how much less government is more conducive to free enterprise and economic progress.
The mode of Charter Change is the exclusive prerogative of Congress. But a Constituent Assembly may well give our people the quickest reforms.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that Charter Changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st Century.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the local government executives who have brought about an LGU power revolution through transformative leadership.
The economic progress and social stability of the provinces, along with the increasing self-reliance and efficiency of political developments and public services there, make a compelling case for federalism.
Perhaps it's time to take the power from the center to the countryside that feeds it.
I recognize that our form of government will be the decision of the body constituted to undertake Charter change. But we should consider that legislation could be quickened and laws made more responsive to the people under a Parliamentary system, similar to that of our progressive neighbors in the region.
But even as we make a serious start in Charter change, I hope we can still work together on other initiatives to the lasting benefit of our people.
In the area of education, we've spent our increased resources on better trained teachers in more classrooms, teaching students in more effective ways. We have laid a strong foundation by building almost 30,000 classrooms in the past four years, providing computer access to more than 3,000 high schools, and beginning a "healthy start" breakfast program for our young schoolchildren.
I ask Congress to pass the pre-need code to rehabilitate, reform, and regulate the pre-need educational programs that worked so well in the past as a major vehicle for youth education entitlement.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands. I have issued E.O. 358 so that hours spent in vocational training can be credited towards a college degree. That will combine job readiness with the dream of a college education while increasing the competitiveness of our nation.
But our competitiveness is greatly endangered by the global oil crisis. I call on Congress to pass legislation encouraging renewable and indigenous energy.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
These examples serve to highlight that there is much work to be done.
Now is not the time for divisiveness, and while there's no avoiding partisan politics, there can be a determined effort by all sides to limit the collateral damage on a country poised for take-off.
Let us call on the Lord to lead us. Let us ask him for the grace to make us worthy of his healing our land.
Alam kong tayong lahat ay naghahangad ng isang makabuluhang pagbabago para sa ating bayan. Tayong lahat ay nagsisikap para matamo ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Kung kaya't ako'y nakikiusap na tulungan ninyo ako, para sa kapakanan ng taong bayan.
We may disagree among ourselves but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
Not the country of this or that president but the Philippines of our shared and passionate affections.
Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.


I want you to know that i am not about to defend president gloria arroyo to anyone when i post this transcription of the sona. my sole intention is to post it for the people who may have missed the live broadcast. for me, i think there can be no absolute change in anything or anyone in this world- but it does not take away the fact that we must try. i pray for a step by step change to this great nation. masaya parin akong maging pilipino. we all long for a better society. Luli arroyo had said in an interview that unless we are willing to undergo procedures and respect institutions, we do not deserve the society we are aspiring for. i believe her and for me as an individual, if all anyone does is bicker, point at other people and blame the goevrnment and yet he does not do his part for this great country, then he does not have the right to complain. none of us have clean hands. so shut it and lets move on.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career,
however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

my fave poems (at least some of em!)

How Do I Love Thee?
By Elizabeth Barret-Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints.
I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life;
and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death.


O Captain, My Captain
By Walt Whitman

O captain! my captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the stead keel, the vessel grim and daring.
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red!
Where on the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O captain! my captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up! for you the flag is flung, for you the bugle trills:
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths, for you the shores a-crowding:
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning.
O captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck
You've fallen cold and dead.

My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done:
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won!
Exult, O abores! and ring, O bells!
But I, with silent tread,
Walk the spot my captain lies
Fallen cold and dead.


Invictus
By William Earnest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

news and social responsiblity

i never really counted on getting work before graduation, sure i hoped for it but i never thought to think about what the effects might be to my emotions, my schedule and my over all well being. i know some of you may be thinking, with half of the country worrying about the unemployment rate, what am i complaining about? i guess its just that im feeling really lonely lately and ludicruous as it may sound- i feel im losing confidence in my self.

okay, lets backtrack a moment- newscasting is a very serious job- i mean SERIOUS. its bad enough that im such a boring person, but do i really have to have work that's indicative of my personality? sheesh. i also feel that i came into this vocation prematurely, they had me training for two weeks then i went off to talking on air about united nations secretary generaal kofi annan and the bicameral confrerence committee on the e-vat bill. there are times when my eyes and mind would refuse to understand what im reading on the internet news sites. also, at the moment the production person's hand goes down to signal im on, i sometimes get this big choking feeling between my throat and chest- which i absolutely do not understand why since i've hosted tons of engagements with hundreds of people before me. also, ive been a dj for a year before so that should have me prepared for these one minuter stints every top of the hour.

i have a problem. i think this is the first time im actually admitting this- im bad with criticism and failure. eww, i must sound like a priss. but really, i have this tendency to take a small mistake of mine, repeat it in my head, curse myself for not doing better and instead of getting up from the fall- i wallow in self pity. i know some people who have seen that in me but keep themselves from pointing it out to save me the embarrassment. they just pat my back and say things like "its going to be okay" or "you can do better next time" one time i even heard someone(we are not close) "mahirap pala pag di ka sanay magkamali (it must be hard when you're not used to committing mistakes). the first two remarks i can understand and am really grateful for their loyalty but the second one i'm not sure if it was meant to be comforting or sarcastic.

i'm struggling right now to face my mistakes on air an in the two months that i have been here i have: 1.) i happened to play the wrong gap of commercials during the first sunday morning of my board, it was 5:30 in the morning and since no one else was at the station, i thought i was looking at the 6am page of the commercial log. 2.) i once repeated the closing billboard- i'd already mentioned the sponsor then instead of saying my name already i said the sponsor again, the i said sorry on air- which is like a big no no in newscasting, and said my name so everyone knew that stupid newscaster who committed a mistake on the six o clock evening news (drive time-primetime) 3.) trapik dot com called on teh last two seconds before her slot, so i told her teh commercial gap in which she was to air was over, but that left me with like four minutes short of the top of the hour single, so i had to inject a song, stupid me i chose a song to follow mark mcgrath, so i thought i melt with you would sound good so i put it in the playlist on the computer- uggh! i played the version of modern english which ultimately sounds so eighties it did not make a good segue- what i actually had in mind was jason mraz's version. humph 4.)then last week raymundo punongbayan died in a plane crash- i have great respect for the man by the way, my being a pinatubo survivor and all- i aired that on teh six oclock news again and said PHILVOLCS in a no nonsense way when right after the news somebody called the station- with the government's pcso and pagcor our biggest sponsors- and corrected the boss saying it should have been PHIVOLCS. i cried. the bosses didn't really tongue lash me or gave me a memo or something, actually they were very supportive- they erased the recorded tape of that particular news item. that was when i realized- oo nga pala- we're on the same side, and they're protecting me from losing credibility as a newscaster 5.) just when i was about to go on air i realized i had the wrong sponsor on my news script- uggh - i had like two gaps each two seconds long in between mentioning all three sponsors of that news item. i had forgotten the actual tag line that goes with the real sponsor and that caused me to almost choke with the fear of getting in trouble. eck 6.) i played the wrong time check time- it aired 9:36 when it was actually 10:36- needless to say nescafe called and said i made a mistake on their payed slot. 7.) i said danlex then split second wrong sponsor thought corrected my self and mentioned the real sponsor- dynavit the competing brand.

oh well i called a friend of mine the other day- she works for the first radio station i worked for, she comforted me by saying there are worse things than my mistakes- and that these do not define who i am and what else i can do. i called her because i know for a fact i can count on her and that she being in the same industry would understand what these mistakes mean on the radio. i'm getting a well deserved break this saturday and am going to meet her to hang out probably at the mall or something.

anyway- this post has been cathartic- i hope to do better soon- beginning today im taking no chances and will be doing everything over and over and rechecking and again. i really believe nobody gets to become good in their chosen fields without going through these rights of passage. the big peopel in the media industry at the moment could have most definitely at one time or another coughed on air or said worse things like somebody was dead when they were fighting fro their life at the hospital still, whatever it is they've been through i bet they can look back on and think they've passed the test and am proud of what they've become.

im gald to be in this industry still. not everybody gets the chance to have the metro for their stage to voice and educate what is good and proper and actually be heard. i know the social responsibility that goes with this job- i look at my thesis and know i've proved that any seemingly lame thing that goes out is considered big and sinfluencial. i hope i worthy of my calling. right now i decide to do better and prove just that. i have a very strong poem memorized for the job:


DON'T QUIT
When things go wrong,
as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

the MARIANNE GALLOs around the world

funny, out of a spur of the moment idea, i tried to google my name on the internet.. and guess what i found? i found several MARIANNE GALLOs around the world. of course we don't all have the same initial, but nevertheless, there are quite a few of me out there. well any way read on and see what all the other MEs are up to:

* Western Maine Health will sponsor a free seminar presented by the medical, nursing, social services and activity directors at Market Square Health Care Center on Alzheimer’s Disease. “It’s important for caregivers to recognize that they cannot nor will they be able to handle the disease of a loved one on their own. Many people who are caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease feel very alone, but they must realize that there is help and resources available,” Marianne Gallo, Social Services Director at Market Square, advises. www.wmhcc.org/wmh_about/alzheimers.htm

* Alon: Ode to Marianne B. Gallo (song)
www.npr.org/programs/asc/openmic

* Community and staff members of the site selection and design committees included Linda Abbott...Marianne Gallo
www.ahch.org/mainfrm.cfm?tpid=50
(i'm really not sure if this lady is the same with the first person mentioned)

* Charles is survived by his beloved wife, Marianne Treanor Gallo of Roxbury; and his sons, Philip of Florida and Peter of North Carolina; his sister, Jean Alessio; and eight grandchildren.
www.thedailystar.com/news/community/obits2004/12/0b1207.html

* Jagnaux, Jules Marianne Gallo dec'd wife of (general index of ssuccessions 1805-1946)
http://nutrias.org~nopl/inv/probates/iasj.htm
(now, this is totally weird! imagine- this person lived a century before me!)

* Flying a kite for Mother Earth
By Marianne H. Gallo
www.mobilemediaph.com/escape2004/play/0426.haribonkite.html
(hehe. this is the actual me..an article i wrote for businessworld online during my ojt for them)

* nom de l'epose:GALLO; pre nom de l'epouse:Marianne; nom de l'epoux: CARUANA; pre nom de l'epoux: Louis; paroisse: Ste Croix; annee:1881;repertoire: 44
http://debono.club.fr/mariagestunisie/F31.html.
(sheesh, whatever that means! my common ssense tells me it's a marriage liscence list...)

*CAMP OKIZU GOLF TOURNAMENT & DINNER BENEFIT, may 16 2005
Checks payable to the Dyllon Bonella Coping with Cancer Fund -Donations: Meg Gallo 586-4328
www.okizu.org.twainhartegolf.html
(okay, that is obviously not my number but if any of you want to make donations, try my real number: 0921- you-wish)

there you have it, the marianne gallos around the world. i actually found it fun finding my name is not so orginal as i thought. try looking up your names on the net one of these days, you may be surprised- especially if you have a name like michael cruz or cathy santos or james smith.. goodluck!

all hats off

this is a tribute to all my college friends, fellow-students and professors

so shall i remember the countless days spent inside the room and out
of all the memorized lines, written and said aloud
there is that of banish and vanish in literature
and also goes the life, liberty and property prose

who can forget the little old lady who spoke of travels abroad
she mentioned spain, rome, paris and mars who knows
the long lost daughter of rizal, she spoke to the wall
dare anyone listen? one or two at most

the history sire was a master who coined names for many
chicken for me, pooh for winnie and placido penitente
he was intrigued to be dating ms i can't name names
ms lovely clothes told us the "just friends" phrase. hmmm

t'was the second year when the block got together
coming from three original groups, heterogenous at start
brought together by projects and spiritual classes
sharing stories, notes and fear of numbers

who would have thought it'd take just a semester
for jm to tear the block sched during enrollment off the board
write it down, write it down! they said
so we can all take it together- one class after all

then we moved to creating videos, shows and films
there were fights but more of laughter and tears
can you remember the breakthrough artist?
she got the dream role- sadako verdadero

think of all the nights and days spent without sleep
how thankful you were for 24 hour stores and coffee
looking back even tough exhausted and haggard
i really think there should have been more!

you know what you'll never forget?
the intolerable smell at the little theater and falcon bridge
taking spearibs for lunch five days a week and smelling like it
goto at stairbucks and gulaman at kiss- king of balls

mr tan and dr manimtim are your favorite administrators
face it, you love the way he says filipino curses
and can't help but wish that your legs would look like hers in 30 years
i wonder where/when can i find more of them in this lifetime

as time passes by i can't help but shed a tearful glance
not at regret , frustrations and i told you sos
but in gratitude of all the time spent on words of wisdom
at the study center, the halls and the media center

if things could rewind and happen again like a video tape
id put the tape in a box, hide it deep in a closet
let whatever things that happened remain in storage
untouched, unmanipulated and constant

this post is not enough to thank the bright mind of mam jen
for exhausting her strength, nobility and love
to allow us a firm grip on the ropes of education and life
no other mentor as of yet has spoken the terms college like a friend

could this be the end of the road? please no
i hope the best in luck, in chance and in God
may you all my friends remember me once in a while
not for my quirks, but for what good we have been through

i'll surely miss you but i will not forget
how happy my college life has been just knowing y'all..........