This blog is a pre-finalist in The 9th Philippine Web Awards

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PWA semi-finalist badge.jpgI just received this email.

October 20, 2006

Dear Representative,

Congratulations!

Your Web site, Touched by an Angel, is one of the Pre-Finalists in the Blogs Category of The 9th [tag]Philippine Web Awards[/tag]. You have been qualified to move on to the Pre-Finals round that will take place on October 20, 2006 and will end on November 8, 2006.

As a Pre-finalist you are required to post The Philippine Web Awards Semi-Finalists Badge on your site. Digital resources can be found here. Please link back to The Philippine Web Awards Web site (http://www.philippinewebawards.com).

You also have the chance to be this year’s People’s Choice in the Blogs Category. The voting for The People’s Choice Award can be done through SMS or online. For details on how to vote, please log-on to www.philippinewebawards.com.

Thank you and good luck!

Best Wishes,
The 9th Philippine Web Awards

Congrats to the other pre-finalists in the BLOGS category!

…well whatever www.wellwhatever.com
Fire in the Gut chrislagman.com/blog
fivefeetflat.com | illustrated www.fivefeetflat.com
Pinoy Tech Blog www.pinoytechblog.com
Pinoy Travel Blog www.pinoytravelblog.com
PROJECT MANILA projectmanila.com
Sexy Nomad sexynomad.i.ph
The Man Blog man-blog.com
The Orangelover www.orangelover.net

Our Makati City Mayor

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jojoAs a resident of Makati City, I am aware of corruption rumors on Jojo Binay’s 20 year reign for the longest time now. Binay always loses in mayoral elections from Makati’s exclusive villages but he gets most of his votes from the squatters of Makati City. Oh yes, they are there right now in front of the city hall cheering for their beloved Mayor. I am not surprised that Binay defies the suspension order from the Local Government. It’s funny that he asks to see the Bill of particulars regarding payment of ghost employees. He asks “what are the names of these ghost employees?”. Well aren’t they supposed to be ghost employees? Do they even have names?

What’s even funnier is holing up himself in his office. He can always let 60 days pass by if he is confident he is not guilty of the charges. The chances that he is “innocent” is very slim though. The Warrior Lawyer has more to say on this bunker mentality

This sideshow in the continuing farce that is Philippine politics was enlivened by the appearance yesterday of former President Cory Aquino, who dropped by to support an ““old friend”. After all, it was she who jump-started the Jojo dynasty by appointing him Makati Officer in Charge after the people-power revolt in 1986. The Warrior-Lawyer agrees with the observation of columnist Max Soliven, who said that Cory now sounds and talks like her daughter, Kris ““Deal or No-Deal” Aquino-Yap. Tsk, Tsk

Let’s hear the side of Cory Aquino naman:

““We should show that we are all for justice … Jojo, you can count on my support and prayers. We should all pray for justice,” said Mrs. Aquino, calling Binay by his nickname.

““We all see his goodness to his constituents, especially to the students, to those in need of health care … He showed that he could take care of his constituents. I think he is a role model for all mayors,” she said of Binay, who first became mayor when she was in Malacañang.

I think….?? Cory is not even sure of Jojo Binay’s qualities. Haaay enough said. Can you imagine Jojo’s dynasty is even longer than the Marcos dynasty?

Speaking of the opposition and the current administration, I have the perfect Holiday/Christmas gift for them. This chess set…

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A Great Teacher is Never Forgotten

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Two days ago, my daughter asked….

do you remember Miss Syquia?

Of course I remember her. How could I not forget the sweet and soft-spoken first grade teacher/homeroom adviser of my eldest daughter? Many years ago, I vowed that I’d take an active role in Parent-Teacher activities just so I can monitor the progress of my kids at school. So I asked L how her first grade teacher was.

OMG, How tragic! Miss Syquia died last Monday after giving birth to twin girls.

My heart filled with sadness. Aww how terribly shocking. After giving life , her life is taken away?

I hugged my daughter and felt her grief. I knew her teacher was like a second mother to her.

Apparently, L is still in contact with some of her classmates at Miriam College. An email got circulated to her former students since she had been a teacher for the past 15 years. Many knew her. L went on and on how her First grade teacher was so nice to her. Her succeeding teachers were not as memorable as Miss Syquia. L and I paid a visit yesterday but L refused to take a look at her coffin. L chose to remember her teacher as someone alive and well. I noticed a few of her younger students looking so sad.

I gathered from a brief talk with her husband that her married name was Ma. Theresa Erlinda Syquia Caringal and that her nickname was Ernie for short. And the cause of her death?

Pulmonary embolism

She died a week after her cesarian operation.

Such a sudden death. If that was not tragic enough, a day before Ernie died, her mom passed away. In fact her burial was just 2 days ago.

I couldn’t ask her husband on the cause of “pulmonary embolism” because I know how tiring it must be for him to keep repeating the same story all over again. Just this afternoon at our monthly Compassionate Friends meeting, a friend-doctor shared how life is just so precious. She knew of a mom who just gave birth and turned blue on the way home from the hospital. Cause of death was pulmonary embolism.

Two moms died of pulmonary embolism this week?

I gathered that pregnancy increases the risk of developing blood clots. Wow, I never knew that. I had 3 cesarian births. Though I always thought I’d die with each operation I never thought blood clots could be one of the causes of childbirth complications.

Today, Ernie was cremated. Her sudden death is very devastating to her loved ones. Trying to make sense of or understand sudden losses can be difficult. Survivors are left asking “Why?” “Why did this happen?” Like all deaths, the “why” will never be answered in this lifetime. “In our hearts, we all know that death is a part of life. In fact, death gives meaning to our existence because it reminds all of us that life is precious.” It’s just that coping with the loss is not an easy task.
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L and her First Grade Teacher

I’m a Punk

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If you are a couple very much in love, instead of calling them by their first name, you’ll call them a little term of endearment like “`honey’ or `honeybunch,’ or `sweetheart’ `sweetie,’ `sweetie pie’ – anything that has to do with sugary sweetness. Sugar sweetness alright – hey sugar, sugar lips. My ex-boyfriend in the seventies (now my husband) is romantic and mushy guy but what is his term of endearment to me?

“you punk”

punkNice! It was the late seventies and I had no idea what punk actually meant. I don’t think I looked or acted like a punk. I never bothered to find out about the punk culture or the reason behind my ex-boyfriend’s term of endearment. The word “punk” just meant an affectionate and loving word to me. What I knew back then was that Punk first emerged in the mid 1970s in London as an anarchic and aggressive movement. Closely aligned was a music movement that took the name punk. Punk as a term of endearment from my ex-boyfriend was unique. That’s all.

When I travelled with my sister to the UK in 1984, I witnessed my first punk fashion in a London zoo. A couple with a child were holding hands as they viewed the animals. The mother had long burgundy hair while the father had green spiked hair. Their 3 year old daughter was in between them, skipping happily as they walked. The cute little girl had orange hair which was obviously dyed. I couldn’t help staring at them. So this was the punk look, I thought. It was fascinating and different.

Many years have passed since then and now I have 2 daughters . Many fashion magazines advertise the classic punk hair-style or suits with as a punk-style touch as the “respectable image.” The punk now became an established mainstream style which is not what the original punk scene of the 70s had in mind. L wore pop punk fashion (clothes) in high school which continued on till her junior year. That didn’t last long. She moved on to girly fashion then the college preppy look. So I thought that was the end of the punk phase.

A few days ago, L sent me a text message:

“Mommy can I get red streaks in my bangs? 400 pesos only”

Hm, I thought it would be cool since another daughter M just had light highlights done at Salon de Manila. It looked terrific on M.

“Sure go ahead and take a photo of yourself”

Talking to her via google talk a few hours later, I asked for the photo.

“It’s so cute! It’s so red it’s almost pink”, L gushed with pride.

Then I gasped…
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How safe is Katipunan Avenue?

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Katipunan Avenue in Quezon city is close to Ateneo De Manila University , Miriam College and the State University and let’s not forget other pre-schools. Crime rate is not as high as let’s say the university belt area. It’s relatively safe if you compare their crime statistics. Perhaps it’s one reason that Katipunan has only 4 policemen. I got that information from the June 2006 of Katipunan Magazine of which my daughter L is an Associate editor. The safety of Katipunan avenue is my concern because my 2 daughters live on an off-campus dormitory in that area.

If ever a crime occurs in katipunan avenue, it doesn’t reach our major dailies. It’s foolish to think that Katipunan avenue is totally safe. Take for instance that holdup robbery in that famous pancake restaurant on September 16, 2006, the day of the Ateneo College Entrance Exams. Families drive their children to take the exams and naturally wait for them to finish. A few of these families thought of eating at this pancake house. This is what happened….

From nowhere, two motorcyles, each with three riders, arrived. All six alighted, three men stayed outside and three entered as families focused on lively conversations, the promise of an Ateneo education, pancakes, waffles, breakfast steaks, bacon and eggs.

One suspect, his face unconcealed save for a baseball cap, pulled out a 9mm Beretta, chose a table with with he judged as the most vulnerable victim ( the patron having two young children with him), and then proceeded to poke the gun at his face.

His first demand was for everyone to surrender their cellular phones. That made sense. Here was an experienced thief who knew what he was doing. The suspect obviously studied in Filipino cultrure and sociology. Victims might not have enough money on them as was usually the case in a a university community , but they would most certainly carry at least one cellphone.

As the men, who the polic report eventually identified as armed with “hand guns and machine pistols” divested at least eight groups of more than a million pesos, P 15,000 from the cash register, plus more in personal property, a woman in one table pleaded for her life. While she was not dressed in a nun’s habit, she identified herself as a nun.

The children in the restaurant started shaking and sobbing, fearful for their lives as the suspects threatened to shoot everyone while one continued to brandish the 9mm Beretta at the man with two young children who clung to him in fear. So that the victims might not get a clear look at the faces of the suspects and so that they would be immobilized, they were told to lie on the floor or else be killed.

At approximately 8 a.m., within 10 minutes since the men barged into the pancake restaurant, most of the victims were herded into the establishment’s cramped toilet. The suspects then fled “on board two motorcycles towards C-5 southbound.”

Source: Pancakes, bacon and a 9mm Beretta, Business World, September 27, page 4

The above incident is not an isolated case. It has happened to other restaurants in the past. What is different in this case is that the robbers anticipated that an affluent crowd would be gathered near that area. Ateneo Schools failed to inform the police authorities to beef up its men during a time like this. This latest incident is another agenda of the Ateneo Parents School Council security committee. No , I’m not a member of the security committee but at least I get to know the progress of increased security in the Katipunan area.

Cleaning the Debris of Typhoon Milenyo

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Five days have passed by since the wrath of Typhoon Milenyo hit the Philippines. Millions still have no power or water, the Death toll reaches the 200 mark . While the government is trying to clean up its mess, I think the rest of us started to clean up our own surroundings. Charity begins at home, right?

We were faced with this huge tree branch that fell on the front lawn . It began to stink our living room and blocking the usual stream of sunlight.

Last sunday, we called our gardener to help us cut the fallen tree branch but he was also busy with his other employers . We didn’t want to wait for the gardener. My husband said that he would cut the branches slowly. Cutting the thinner branches was a piece of cake . I sat down by the patio enjoying the sunny breeze, reading the sunday papers and taking photos of my macho husband. Hehe. Later, L came out to the patio and tried her hand at it when her dad took a break. But the bigger branches needed an ax or a chainsaw. Just as L continued hacking, a man in a bicycle passed by.

“Do you need help? I can offer my services. ” this enterprising gardener asked my husband.

Why not? , my husband and I jumped up in glee . Later, I teased my daughter that she must have looked like a comical sight hammering the “hitak” on the huge trunk.


The gardener with 4 other helpers came in with bigger tools and systematically removed the huge branch from our garden. Since I am such an obsessive compulsive freak, I told them to organize the debris by stalks, leaves, garbage bags and bigger branches. What do I do with all of these wood? Such a waste! The solution: The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has launched a nationwide art competition that would encourage people to turn the trees uprooted by Typhoon ““Milenyo” into works of art.I ended up having the neatest and organized heap of garbage in our street. Maybe I wanted to put some order in this mess. After paying 2,500 pesos ($50) , we are relieved to finally see grass even if they are now bald from the floodwaters. I am sure the trees and the grass will grow back.

(before and after photos of the street I live in) Looking down the street, a clean and orderly array of garbage meets me. Just a few days ago, a mass of trees, branches and uprooted trees lined this street. Yes,we all share responsibility for cleaning up the mess . Every little effort in keeping our environment clean will work out in the end. Floodwaters could get worse the next time if the debris is not removed immediately.

Just as I write this entry, I hear the the whirring sounds of the dump trucks and payloaders as they remove our debris. The village association contracted these trucks and payloaders to haul the garbage from the sidewalk. These are just debris that can easily be set aside as non-essential “things to do”. I think of all the other households still without power and water, homeless families, and the goverment trying to clean its act.

1. Palace orders dismantling of ‘hazardous’ giant billboards
2. Arroyo orders round-the-clock power restoration work

What else can I do now but tell the world as it is here.

View larger images from My Cleanup photo Gallery

Other Typhoon Milenyo related entries:
Typhoon Milenyo Aftermath
Typhoon Milenyo Photos
Total Ban on Billboards in the Philippines
Photos of Fallen Billboards around Metro Manila
Cleaning the Debris of typhoon Milenyo

Total Ban on Billboards

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In the past two days after Typhoon Milenyo ravaged Metro Manila, I was able to drive around the city and take a few photos of the devastation including Fallen billboards (Milenyo” toppled at least 30 billboards in the metropolis)

billboards
When the influx of billboards invaded Metro Manila highways , the sight suffocated me. What an eyesore! I don’t know with you but I don’t enjoy watching these ads. I guess it was the visual pollution that got to me. Too much visual clutter or clutter surrounding my confines disorient me. I need to see a blue skies of the horizon and the landspace as far as my eyesight can see. But no, the billboards loom in front of me taunting me to purchase or be loyal to their products or service.The use of provocative images like Bench Ads, the old Bayantel Satisfaction guarantee ad, and many others infuriated me. Not only are these billboards an eyesore, it’s a motorist distraction which could lead to accidents and injuries. Three months ago, the work towards the ban on billboard gained media coverage. When I blogged about the ban on billboards , Bayani Fernando initiated the dismantling of these billboards. But some local mayor arrested the MMDA workers and Bayani got smacked with a restraining order to cease and desist the dismantling. Why? Because these ad agencies have the right to recoup their investments on their gigantic billboards. Or are they protecting the pockets of the local government conspirators? Never in their wildest imagination did the judges consider that these billboards can cause possible deaths and inconvenience to the public. True, business need to be protected but not to the detriment of the public good.

Before typhoon Milenyo struck Metro Manila, a few accidents already occured such as a house crushed under the weight of the towering giant and that time the Metro Rail Transit came to a halt when the billboard landed on its tracks and caused an electrical short. Still there was no action taken by the local government. Afraid of losing revenue ? or money in their pockets?

Did it take Typhoon Milenyo to finally make them realize the dangers of these gigantic billboards?

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Desperate for Power Supply and the Internet

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Along with power interruption, the internet service also got disrupted in the aftermath of typhoon Milenyo (international codename: Xangsane).

When your business is dependent on internet service, a day without it is problematic. Two days without it gets to be “near critical”. Where does one get an internet connection when the whole city has no power?

Go to the nearest Starbucks or coffee shop with generator power and wireless internet

Not just any coffee shop. Earlier in the day, I went to Figaro branch at Salcedo Village to go online. After 3 hours, my battery was dying. Looking around the corners, I was disappointed to see power outlets taped over with a sign “do not plug in here”. Grr, I was willing to pay for the charge. Without electricity, how can I get online? A coffee shop must be generous enough to allow me to charge my macbook and avail internet wi-fi connection. I found a friendly Starbucks Coffee shop at the Walter Mart branch. Apparently, Makati residents also thought of the same idea as I did. The place was crowded. All 4 power outlets were occupied with cellphone and laptop charging. It took me 30 minutes to get a seat near a vacant power outlet. Great! The free Globequest internet wi-fi access (given to me by Globe-Innove last month) came in really handy as I got a fast internet connection.

gostar.jpg
My daughter and I took turns working on our sites while my patient husband read a book. It usually takes me 2 to 4 hours to work on my sites but I didn’t plan to stay that long. See, a lot of laptop users were eager to go online too and I didn’t want to hog even one precious power outlet. Look at these people huddled in the corner working feverishly on their laptops.

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Typhoon Milenyo Aftermath:Deaths due to Fallen billboards, trees and electric poles

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Note: View My PHOTO GALLERY of Typhoon Milenyo (international codename [tag]Typhoon Xangsane[/tag])

At 8:30 am EDSA, on the way to pick up my daughters
Picture 001.jpg
(Enlarge) The heavy rains woke me up and my thoughts turned to my daughters holed up in their dorm in Quezon City. Butch and I quickly turned on our TV sets and heard that “[tag]typhoon Milenyo[/tag]” would be the strongest to hit Manila in 11 years. The typhoon was expected to arrive at 12 noon. It was 6:00 AM and the perfect time pick to them up in Quezon City. Feeling worried over their safety, my main concern was to bring them over to our home in Makati City knowing they would be safe with us. On the way to my daughters’ dorm in Katipunan Avenue, the empty trusses along EDSA is a rare sight to behold. I thought, “good thing. it’ll prevent accidents“. On the way home, we passed along C-5. Ah, it’s an amazing treat to see the landscape devoid of the tarpaulins click here.

At 11:00 AM, at our house in Makati City just before Typhoon Milenyo
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(Enlarge) A few leaves are strewn all over the front lawn. We prepared for the inevitable wrath of [tag]Typhoon[/tag] Milenyo and shut all the doors and windows. The electricity had already been cut at 9:00 AM. Shortly after 12:00 noon, I heard metal screeching and crunching somewhere. I thought “uh-oh there goes my roof!” I expected a gush of water to pour down our ceiling. Looking out of the window, a gigantic branch from the tree outside suddenly looms outside our living room window. The branch broke from the tree outside , landed on the fence, broke it and ended up on the lawn.

The fallen tree branch in our front lawn
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(Enlarge ) It was a relief that it wasn’t our roof that got blown away. What could we do now? I knew there were more damage and injuries outside our village. We were grateful to God for the safety of our family, a strongly built home, ample food, fuel and water. The only other inconvenience was water dripping on L’s room. The strong winds blasted all the rain water towards the upper balcony, creating a pool of water which overflowed to L’s ceiling through a crack on the second floor balcony. Removing the flooded waters in the balcony was futile as the strong gust of wind literally blew us away to the wall. We ended up placing cardboards on the balcony floor so we could elevate the flood waters. I haven’t felt these strong winds in years. Although we had no power, we still had a gas range that would enable us to cook for a candle-lit dinner.

The aftermath at around 2:00 PM
The good old reliable radio was our only source of information and link to the outside world. No power. No internet. No TV. We heard that the southwest part of Metro Manila had a direct hit and sustained more damages. Makati City, our place of residence is one of these places. I immediately took photos of the typhoon Milenyo aftermath.

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A Mother’s Dream

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I grew up in a family surrounded by music. Every morning, mom played her Bach or Chopin concert pieces to our delight. We often danced like awkward ballerinas or sat beside her, mesmerized by the melody of her piano pieces. Naturally, she wanted us to learn the piano. With 7 siblings taking up piano, organ and guitar lessons, our parents imposed nightly concerts after dinner. We actually had fun showing off our pieces. As we entered college, our passion for music diminished. Only a brother and a sister continued to hone their musical talent.

Then I got married and had 2 girls and a boy. In 1989, my dad surprised me with a piano . “It’s my Christmas gift to your girls. They should be playing the piano.”

I was so touched by his generosity. My father at that time was disabled and unable to work but he had significant savings to tide him over. He mumbled “One of your girls might have your mom’s music genes”. I remembered that my sister, B started piano lessons at the age of 4. Maybe L, my four year old daughter might be interested to study the piano.

I was amazed at L’s chubby fingers as she nimbly played complicated piano pieces at the age 4. Maybe she will be a concert pianist one day, the stage mother in me mused. She continued playing the piano and cultivating her other artistic talents during her growing up years. Then on her sixteenth year, she asked for an electric guitar.

My husband coughed ” I imagine you wearing a beautiful gown sitting on a stool while you play the cello”

My daughter laughed “That will not happen dad. I want to be a “rock star”“.

My concert pianist wants to be a rock star. I grimaced. Pooof, she’s not going to be a concert pianist after all. As a mother , it’s natural to have dreams for our children but I would never impose my own unfulfilled dreams on them. I decided I’d be supportive.

I remembered that Butch’ family had a 1960 red vintage Eko guitar stashed away somewhere that belonged to his grandmother. She bought it from a garage sale of an American leaving the Philippines and used it to attract crowds during her husband’s campaign for Congressman in the sixties. With a few repairs from a Raon st. shop, the guitar sprang back to “life” as L strummed the night away in her sound-proofed bedroom.

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