haaay...
the sem is finally over...
just had my final exams in math a few hours ago
after 5 grueling months,
full of sleepless nights and nerve-wracking days,
i finally get to relax once again.
no more projects.
no more tests.
no more recitation.
no more memorization.
no more reports.
no more stress.
yet i would also be missing a few things
like the fun i had spending time with my friends;
working on projects, preparing reports, or just hanging around.
the exhiliration of learning that i aced an exam;
being the highest in geology, or finally passing in math.
the "shock and awe" effect of learning new things from my professors;
learning how the country works, and how it doesn't work
appreciating the importance and significance of art
understanding the planet we live in
crunching numbers and pondering equations
being with children from all walks of life.
yes, i was stressed to the breaking point;
financially, physically, and mentally,
yet this semester was the best i had in the university.
but all good things must come to an end.
it's time to turn another page, and write a new chapter of my life. :D
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Monday, March 28, 2005
now this explains a lot...
You Are 50% Normal (Somewhat Normal) |
 While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself |
ang init!!!!!!!!!!! $@$^%^!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ang init ngayon!!!!!!!!!
35 degrees ata sa labas!!!!
para akong nasusunog kanina, na-dehydrate pa ata!
ngayon dalawang electric fan na nakatapat sakin, pinapawisan pa ako!!
ano ba yan????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wala lang... : )
ang init ngayon!!!!!!!!!
35 degrees ata sa labas!!!!
para akong nasusunog kanina, na-dehydrate pa ata!
ngayon dalawang electric fan na nakatapat sakin, pinapawisan pa ako!!
ano ba yan????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wala lang... : )
Monday, March 21, 2005
in a world of their own...
It was said that the Roman Emperor Nero played a fiddle as Rome burned to the ground,
totally oblivious to the destruction of the Roman capital.
Today, we seem to be following in his footsteps.
Most Filipinos are apathetic towards issues of national concern.
Most Filipinos would rather sit in front of the television and watch the endless lineup of mindless variety shows and uber-cliched telenovelas, totally immersed in the fantasy world created by the media.
So as the economy weakens,
as the military starts to take over,
as the government sells us out to foreign investors,
as the Philippines starts to lose what remains of its sovereignty,
our countrymen would be staring at their TV sets, watching gays discussing the latest showbiz gossip.
The media can be a very powerful force in our society.
Most of what we know about the world around us comes from the media.
It is a powerful means of socialization, as its influence pervades every nook and cranny of our lives.
Television, radio, movies, etc.; all have a huge influence on how we look at our environment and the people around us.
However, "with great power comes great responsibility".
Is the Philippine media responsible?
The latest sex scandal would take up more airtime than international news.
The noontime variety shows would feature scantily clad women gyrating to music loaded with double-meanings.
The airwaves are flooded with songs rife with idiotic and non-sensical lyrics.
Sensationalism is rampant in local news programs.
Showbiz gossip is passed off as national news.
Need I say more?
Our media cares more about ratings than what they are teaching to our people.
What is sensational is more newsworthy than what is relevant.
Mindless entertainment is more important than education.
Fantasy is more important than reality.
The media would rather romanticize than reveal the entire truth, playing into the hands of a corrupt government.
No wonder that we're the 6th happiest people in the world; we are shielded from the real mess that our country is in.
And so, like Emperor Nero, we just keep on playing our fiddles, drowning out the cries of our fellow countrymen who are burning in the fires of our country's poverty and corruption.
We would be living in a world of our own, cut off from reality, until the fire finally reaches us and burns us out from our dream world.
But by then, it would be too late.
So let us act now!
Wake up from this artificial dream world!
Face reality and do something to change it!
totally oblivious to the destruction of the Roman capital.
Today, we seem to be following in his footsteps.
Most Filipinos are apathetic towards issues of national concern.
Most Filipinos would rather sit in front of the television and watch the endless lineup of mindless variety shows and uber-cliched telenovelas, totally immersed in the fantasy world created by the media.
So as the economy weakens,
as the military starts to take over,
as the government sells us out to foreign investors,
as the Philippines starts to lose what remains of its sovereignty,
our countrymen would be staring at their TV sets, watching gays discussing the latest showbiz gossip.
The media can be a very powerful force in our society.
Most of what we know about the world around us comes from the media.
It is a powerful means of socialization, as its influence pervades every nook and cranny of our lives.
Television, radio, movies, etc.; all have a huge influence on how we look at our environment and the people around us.
However, "with great power comes great responsibility".
Is the Philippine media responsible?
The latest sex scandal would take up more airtime than international news.
The noontime variety shows would feature scantily clad women gyrating to music loaded with double-meanings.
The airwaves are flooded with songs rife with idiotic and non-sensical lyrics.
Sensationalism is rampant in local news programs.
Showbiz gossip is passed off as national news.
Need I say more?
Our media cares more about ratings than what they are teaching to our people.
What is sensational is more newsworthy than what is relevant.
Mindless entertainment is more important than education.
Fantasy is more important than reality.
The media would rather romanticize than reveal the entire truth, playing into the hands of a corrupt government.
No wonder that we're the 6th happiest people in the world; we are shielded from the real mess that our country is in.
And so, like Emperor Nero, we just keep on playing our fiddles, drowning out the cries of our fellow countrymen who are burning in the fires of our country's poverty and corruption.
We would be living in a world of our own, cut off from reality, until the fire finally reaches us and burns us out from our dream world.
But by then, it would be too late.
So let us act now!
Wake up from this artificial dream world!
Face reality and do something to change it!
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
costs and benefits
One of the things I learned at the School of Economics is the importance of knowing the costs and the benefits of an action, policy, or plan. The Philippine Mining Act will open up our country to foreign investment, giving us much needed capital to boost our economy and raise us from our fiscal crisis. It will also allow us to utilize our country's vast store of mineral resources, which would otherwise remain buried underground idle and useless.
However, this influx of investments has a cost. The Philippine Mining Act will open up our mineral resources to foreign exploitation. Whatever foreign firms dig up will be sent to their countries, not to ours. Sure, they will invest in our country, but the mineral wealth of our country is worth more in the long run than the short-term gains the government expects to reap from foreign investment. The PMA is also unconstitutional in the sense that it allows non-Filipino companies to exploit our resources. To attract foreign investment, the PMA resorts to the provision of incentives for foreign companies like tax holidays and other investment incentives which would allow foreigners to take so much from as at so little a cost. The PMA will not only affect our economy, it will also affect our environment and cultural heritage. Indigenous Filipinos will be marginalized by the encroachment of mining operations on their land. Mountainsides will be devastated, rivers polluted, and forests cut down because the PMA allows mining firms to utilize whatever resources they need from the area surrounding their operations.
It is obvious that the costs far outweigh the benefits. Short-term profit will cause long-term destruction of our environment. Short-term investment will allow foreigners to cart off our mineral wealth. The Philippine Mining Act can best be described as leaving the door of your house unlocked and even leaving a note telling robbers to take what they want.
Do we want a government that would sell us out for a few scraps from Uncle Sam's table?
Do we want a future for our children where our environment has been devastated and pillaged by those who seek personal profit over national progress?
I don't.
What do you think?
However, this influx of investments has a cost. The Philippine Mining Act will open up our mineral resources to foreign exploitation. Whatever foreign firms dig up will be sent to their countries, not to ours. Sure, they will invest in our country, but the mineral wealth of our country is worth more in the long run than the short-term gains the government expects to reap from foreign investment. The PMA is also unconstitutional in the sense that it allows non-Filipino companies to exploit our resources. To attract foreign investment, the PMA resorts to the provision of incentives for foreign companies like tax holidays and other investment incentives which would allow foreigners to take so much from as at so little a cost. The PMA will not only affect our economy, it will also affect our environment and cultural heritage. Indigenous Filipinos will be marginalized by the encroachment of mining operations on their land. Mountainsides will be devastated, rivers polluted, and forests cut down because the PMA allows mining firms to utilize whatever resources they need from the area surrounding their operations.
It is obvious that the costs far outweigh the benefits. Short-term profit will cause long-term destruction of our environment. Short-term investment will allow foreigners to cart off our mineral wealth. The Philippine Mining Act can best be described as leaving the door of your house unlocked and even leaving a note telling robbers to take what they want.
Do we want a government that would sell us out for a few scraps from Uncle Sam's table?
Do we want a future for our children where our environment has been devastated and pillaged by those who seek personal profit over national progress?
I don't.
What do you think?
Sunday, March 13, 2005
freedom from ignorance
26 children died recently from food poisoning in Bohol.
26 families lost a valuable part of their lives.
And yet some people still have the nerve to use their grief for political gain.
"A sign of God's displeasure with the government's population management program" according to one bishop from Bohol.
Good grief.
Another relic from the Middle Ages, when supposed "men of God" used natural disasters for furthering their own agendas; the so-called "Black Death" was blamed on "witches", who were basically people who went against the Church.
The "Black Death" or bubonic plague was caused by mice and rats that migrated to Europe from Asia, not by the "magic" or "sorcery" of "witches".
The food poisoning incident in Bohol can also be explained by science.
Cassava is naturally poisonous, if it is not prepared properly the toxins in it would be able to affect a human being.
Pesticides could also have been present in the food ingested by the children.
An act of God?
Hell no.
An act of ignorance?
Most likely.
Ignorance of the dangers of eating food made from cassava.
Ignorance of the dangers of using pesticide.
Ignorance of the importance of proper sanitation.
Ignorance of proper cooking methods.
Not "divine" retribution for a law that clearly seeks to address the ignorance of our fellow countrymen towards reproductive health!
How do you combat ignorance?
How do you prevent this from happening again?
You educate people.
26 families lost a valuable part of their lives.
And yet some people still have the nerve to use their grief for political gain.
"A sign of God's displeasure with the government's population management program" according to one bishop from Bohol.
Good grief.
Another relic from the Middle Ages, when supposed "men of God" used natural disasters for furthering their own agendas; the so-called "Black Death" was blamed on "witches", who were basically people who went against the Church.
The "Black Death" or bubonic plague was caused by mice and rats that migrated to Europe from Asia, not by the "magic" or "sorcery" of "witches".
The food poisoning incident in Bohol can also be explained by science.
Cassava is naturally poisonous, if it is not prepared properly the toxins in it would be able to affect a human being.
Pesticides could also have been present in the food ingested by the children.
An act of God?
Hell no.
An act of ignorance?
Most likely.
Ignorance of the dangers of eating food made from cassava.
Ignorance of the dangers of using pesticide.
Ignorance of the importance of proper sanitation.
Ignorance of proper cooking methods.
Not "divine" retribution for a law that clearly seeks to address the ignorance of our fellow countrymen towards reproductive health!
How do you combat ignorance?
How do you prevent this from happening again?
You educate people.
...
i feel like i'm losing my sanity...
haven't had a decent rest for weeks now
always on the go, always on call
haaay....
at least summer vacation is around the corner...
haven't had a decent rest for weeks now
always on the go, always on call
haaay....
at least summer vacation is around the corner...
Thursday, March 03, 2005
nice... :D
Your Brain is 46.67% Female, 53.33% Male |
Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve |
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
3 persons per minute...
86 million people now inhabit the Philippine Islands.
86 million people now share the scarce resources of this nation.
In 15 years that number is expected to reach over 100 million.
In 29 years that number is expected to double to over 160 million.
3 persons per minute...
Woah.
Overpopulation is a clear and present danger to our country.
Imagine sharing scarce resources with 160 million other Filipinos, with an economy pushed to the breaking point by the sheer number of people demanding goods from a limited supply.
Imagine cities where the only open space you can see is the sky, where traffic moves at a snail's pace, where housing is scarce.
Imagine a nation where every available space is packed with people, straining the environment's capacity to sustain human life.
Well, that is the kind of country that the Catholic Church wants.
It's campaign against the initiatives of the Department of Health to educate the masses on reproductive health is concrete evidence of this.
Just this Sunday while I was at mass I was appalled at the priest's statement that it was alright to have one dozen children, since, in his own words, "kahit yung may iisang anak lang nga e di rin mapadala sa paaralan".
After that enlightening statement he enjoined us all to join a rally against the DOH's "Ligtas Buntis" campaign.
Good grief.
160 million people, thanks to the influence of the Catholic Church.
Why would they be against a campaign to educate people about reproductive health?
So that there would be more people who would donate to the Church?
Hahahaha.
A recent article in the Inquirer tells of people who don't even know where babies come from, due to a lack of education.
The poor are especially susceptible to this, as most of them drop out of school early or are denied an education due to their poverty.
A campaign to educate them about human reproduction and the benefits of family planning would do well to curtail the rising population.
But the Church has to step in and say that we have no right to choose when and how many children we should have.
How blind can you get?
Poverty is also caused by a large population.
It's simply the survival of the fittest.
Lack of job opportunities due to competition would keep a large number of people unemployed and unable to generate income for their families.
Imagine if they have families of one dozen.
The strain on basic neccessities such as food and water due to increased demand would result in some people being unable to access these needs.
Imagine if you have to feed a family of one dozen, with no income.
The lack of land in which to build a home due to increased population density would result in some people being forced to live in the streets.
Imagine if you have to live under a bridge, and find food for a family of one dozen with no income.
These factors would create another problem: crime.
No income, with a family of one dozen, would force some people to turn to criminal activity.
Imagine if the Church succeeds in its campaign against education.
Millions of people,
without jobs,
without food,
without homes,
without access to basic services.
A strained environment,
congested cities,
rampant criminality.
We cannot allow the denial of education.
If there is one thing that I learned from my professors in the University of the Philippines it would be that education is the best long-term solution to our country's problems.
An educated populace would be better equipped to make the right decisions.
They would be able to protect themselves from an abusive government.
They would be able to create a better life for their families.
Imagine a prosperous Philippines, where politicians are accountable to the public, and work for the national interest and not for their own.
Where there really is a separation of church and state.
Where we no longer have to depend on American goodwill and protection.
Where there is minimal poverty and criminality, a strong economy, clean cities, and a beautiful environment.
Only with proper education can we reach this level of prosperity, and only if we start now.
86 million people now share the scarce resources of this nation.
In 15 years that number is expected to reach over 100 million.
In 29 years that number is expected to double to over 160 million.
"If the current annual population growth rate continues at 2.36 percent, the population, on the average, will increase by around 1.8 million persons a year, or roughly 4,947 persons per day, 206 persons per hour, or three persons per minute."
--National Statistics Office Press Release
3 persons per minute...
Woah.
Overpopulation is a clear and present danger to our country.
Imagine sharing scarce resources with 160 million other Filipinos, with an economy pushed to the breaking point by the sheer number of people demanding goods from a limited supply.
Imagine cities where the only open space you can see is the sky, where traffic moves at a snail's pace, where housing is scarce.
Imagine a nation where every available space is packed with people, straining the environment's capacity to sustain human life.
Well, that is the kind of country that the Catholic Church wants.
It's campaign against the initiatives of the Department of Health to educate the masses on reproductive health is concrete evidence of this.
Just this Sunday while I was at mass I was appalled at the priest's statement that it was alright to have one dozen children, since, in his own words, "kahit yung may iisang anak lang nga e di rin mapadala sa paaralan".
After that enlightening statement he enjoined us all to join a rally against the DOH's "Ligtas Buntis" campaign.
Good grief.
160 million people, thanks to the influence of the Catholic Church.
Why would they be against a campaign to educate people about reproductive health?
So that there would be more people who would donate to the Church?
Hahahaha.
A recent article in the Inquirer tells of people who don't even know where babies come from, due to a lack of education.
The poor are especially susceptible to this, as most of them drop out of school early or are denied an education due to their poverty.
A campaign to educate them about human reproduction and the benefits of family planning would do well to curtail the rising population.
But the Church has to step in and say that we have no right to choose when and how many children we should have.
How blind can you get?
Poverty is also caused by a large population.
It's simply the survival of the fittest.
Lack of job opportunities due to competition would keep a large number of people unemployed and unable to generate income for their families.
Imagine if they have families of one dozen.
The strain on basic neccessities such as food and water due to increased demand would result in some people being unable to access these needs.
Imagine if you have to feed a family of one dozen, with no income.
The lack of land in which to build a home due to increased population density would result in some people being forced to live in the streets.
Imagine if you have to live under a bridge, and find food for a family of one dozen with no income.
These factors would create another problem: crime.
No income, with a family of one dozen, would force some people to turn to criminal activity.
Imagine if the Church succeeds in its campaign against education.
Millions of people,
without jobs,
without food,
without homes,
without access to basic services.
A strained environment,
congested cities,
rampant criminality.
We cannot allow the denial of education.
If there is one thing that I learned from my professors in the University of the Philippines it would be that education is the best long-term solution to our country's problems.
An educated populace would be better equipped to make the right decisions.
They would be able to protect themselves from an abusive government.
They would be able to create a better life for their families.
Imagine a prosperous Philippines, where politicians are accountable to the public, and work for the national interest and not for their own.
Where there really is a separation of church and state.
Where we no longer have to depend on American goodwill and protection.
Where there is minimal poverty and criminality, a strong economy, clean cities, and a beautiful environment.
Only with proper education can we reach this level of prosperity, and only if we start now.
the hope of the nation
I didn't vote in the University Student Council elections yesterday.
Not due to apathy or laziness, but due to principle.
I will not participate in any activity where the participants are hypocrites.
The candidates claimed to be for a "progressive" and "alternative" approach to politics.
What?
They were the first people to decry the abuses and mistakes and failings of an incompetent and decadent goverment, but they are also the first to emulate those same abuses and mistakes and failings.
The USC elections, like the national elections, was rife with black propaganda, mudslinging, and disinformation. One party experienced defections, probably due to factionalism or to a power struggle. Another party threw "mud" all over the place. The third "party" scrapped all legitimacy with a "manifesto of principled unity", creating an "independent" party whose candidates had declared their independent status but campaigned together, had the same style of posters, had the same color code, and had a complete slate of candidates, from chairperson to college representatives.
The past USC administrations also had their scandals and other problems, like an incomplete budget report or insufficient action, even inaction, on issues involving the students whose welfare they were supposed to protect.
Behavior just like what one would expect from the politicians in the national government.
The future leaders of our country...
The hope of the nation...
haaay....
Not due to apathy or laziness, but due to principle.
I will not participate in any activity where the participants are hypocrites.
The candidates claimed to be for a "progressive" and "alternative" approach to politics.
What?
They were the first people to decry the abuses and mistakes and failings of an incompetent and decadent goverment, but they are also the first to emulate those same abuses and mistakes and failings.
The USC elections, like the national elections, was rife with black propaganda, mudslinging, and disinformation. One party experienced defections, probably due to factionalism or to a power struggle. Another party threw "mud" all over the place. The third "party" scrapped all legitimacy with a "manifesto of principled unity", creating an "independent" party whose candidates had declared their independent status but campaigned together, had the same style of posters, had the same color code, and had a complete slate of candidates, from chairperson to college representatives.
The past USC administrations also had their scandals and other problems, like an incomplete budget report or insufficient action, even inaction, on issues involving the students whose welfare they were supposed to protect.
Behavior just like what one would expect from the politicians in the national government.
The future leaders of our country...
The hope of the nation...
haaay....
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