Friday, July 25, 2008

Did you know...

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

Coca-Cola was so named back in 1885 for its two 'medicinal' ingredients: extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. As for how much cocaine was originally in the formulation, it's hard to know.

Cocaine was sold to cure sore throat, neuralgia, nervousness, headache, colds and sleeplessness in the 1880s.

Colgate claims "Tooth Fairy" as a registered trademark.

Dismal first-year sales of famous products:
1. VW Beetle (U.S.)--sold 330 first year.
2. Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year
3. Cuisinart--sold 200 first year.
4. Remington typewriter--sold 8 first year.
5. Scrabble--sold 532 first year.
6. Coca-Cola--sold 25 bottles first year. (For total of $50; supplies and advertising ran $70.)

False eyelashes were invented by film director D.W. Griffith while he was making the 1916 epic, "Intolerance." He wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks.

For two years, during the 1970s, Mattel marketed a doll called "Growing Up Skipper." Her breasts grew when her arm was turned.

Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting advertising space on his cows.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble won a $75,000 lawsuit against James & Linda Newton who were found responsible for spreading rumors that the company supported the Church of Satan. The two were distributors of Amway Products, a competitor of Proctor & Gamble.

In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Murrie, the developers of the candy in 1941.

In the 1700s, European women achieved a pale complexion by eating "Arsenic Complexion Wafers" actually made with the poison.

67 million pounds of pesticides and about 3 million tons of fertilizer are used annually on lawns in the US.

A single share of Coca-Cola stock, purchased in 1919, when the company went public, would have been worth $92,500 in 1997.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

Americans consume 29 billion, or 58 percent, of the 50 billion aspirin tablets which are taken worldwide each year.

Americans spend more than $5 billion a year on cosmetics, toiletries, beauty parlors and barber shops.

Americans spent over $360 million in 1982 to avoid having bad breath.

Bayer was advertising cough medicine containing heroin in 1898.

Britain's first escalator was installed in Harrods in 1878.

BVD stands for the organizers of the company: Bradley, Voorhies, and Day.

Carbonated soda water was invented in 1767 by Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen.

Cheerios cereal was originally called Cheerioats.

Chewing gum was patented in 1869 by William Semple.

Coca-Cola was so named back in 1885 for its two 'medicinal' ingredients: extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. As for how much cocaine was originally in the formulation, it's hard to know.

Cocaine was sold to cure sore throat, neuralgia, nervousness, headache, colds and sleeplessness in the 1880s.

Colgate claims "Tooth Fairy" as a registered trademark.

Dismal first-year sales of famous products:
1. VW Beetle (U.S.)--sold 330 first year.
2. Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year
3. Cuisinart--sold 200 first year.
4. Remington typewriter--sold 8 first year.
5. Scrabble--sold 532 first year.
6. Coca-Cola--sold 25 bottles first year. (For total of $50; supplies and advertising ran $70.)

During the Prohibition, at least 1,565 Americans died from drinking bad liquor, hundreds were blinded, and many were killed in bootlegger wars. Federal Agents and the Coast Guard made 75,000 arrests per year.

False eyelashes were invented by film director D.W. Griffith while he was making the 1916 epic, "Intolerance." He wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks.

For two years, during the 1970s, Mattel marketed a doll called "Growing Up Skipper." Her breasts grew when her arm was turned.

G.I. Joe was introduced at the annual American International Toy Fair in New York on Feb. 9, 1964.

Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

Hungarian brothers George and L"szlo Biro invented the ball point pen in 1938.

IBM's motto is 'Think.'

If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

In 1889, the 1st coin-operated telephone, patented by Hartford, Connecticut inventor William Gray, was installed in the Hartford Bank. Local calls using a coin-operated phone in the U.S. cost only 5 cents everywhere until 1951.

In 1964 General Mills began marketing Lucky Charms cereal with pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. The marshmallow bits (technically referred to as marbits) were invented in 1963 by John Holahan. The cereal is marketed using a leprechaun character named Lucky (L.C. Leprechaun is his full name) that touts his cereal as being "Magically Delicious." Over the years the various shapes and colors of the marshmallow bits in the cereal have undergone many changes.

In 1965, LBJ enacted a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to put health warnings on their packages.

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting advertising space on his cows.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble won a $75,000 lawsuit against James & Linda Newton who were found responsible for spreading rumors that the company supported the Church of Satan. The two were distributors of Amway Products, a competitor of Proctor & Gamble.

In 4000 BC Egypt, men and women wore glitter eye shadow made from the crushed shells of beetles.

In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Murrie, the developers of the candy in 1941.

In the 1700s, European women achieved a pale complexion by eating "Arsenic Complexion Wafers" actually made with the poison.

Insulin was discovered in 1922 by Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best.

It was the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, CT, whose name -- and lightweight pie tins -- gave birth to the modern Frisbee.

Jergens Lotion was created by Andrew Jergens, a former lumberjack, in 1880.

Kikkoman soy sauce was originated in 1630 in Japan.

Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during W.W.I.

Laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Developed 1950s - 1960s.

Levi Strauss blue jeans with copper rivets were priced at $13.50 per dozen in 1874.

Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of linen.

Most American car horns honk in the key of F.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Perfume contains ethyl alcohol and 25% fragrant oils. Cologne is cheaper to produce and to purchase because the oil content in cologne is only 3%. Cologne was named for the German city in which it was first produced. The original formula combined alcohol, lemon spirits, orange bitters and mint oil.

The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth. The Butterfinger candy bar was first produced by Chicago's Curtiss Candy Co. in 1923. As an advertising ploy, candy bars were dropped from an airplane on cities in 40 states.

The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500's.

The electric chair was invented by Dr. Alphonse Rockwell and was first used on William Kemmler on August 6, 1890.

The first credit card, issued in 1950, was Diner's Club. Frank X. McNamara started the company with 200 card holders.

The first safety feature for an automobile was invented in 1908 by John O'Leary. He patented a large net, to be installed on the front fender, to scoop pedestrians out of the way before they could be run over.

The first toothbrush with bristles was developed in China in 1498. Bristles were taken from hogs at first, later from horses. The nylon bristles were developed in 1938 by DuPont.

The first toy product ever advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head®. Introduced in 1952.

The first US consumer product sold in the Soviet Union was Pepsi-Cola.

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

The revolving door was invented August 7, 1888, by Theophilus Van Kannel, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The safety pin was patented in 1849 by Walter Hunt. He sold the patent rights for $400.

The soldiers of World War I were the first people to use the modern flushing toilet. The inventor: Thomas Crapper.
This sounds feasible, but isn't true!
Crapper actually invented the automatic shut-off mechanism used in the modern toilet.
"Flushable" toilets were in use in ancient Rome.

The WD in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement. It was invented on the 40th try for a formula that worked.

The word vaccine comes from the Latin word "vacca," which means cow. This name was chosen because the first vaccination was derived from cowpox which was given to a boy.

The yo-yo was introduced in 1929 by Donald F. Duncan. The toy was based on a weapon used by 16th-century Filipino hunters.

There are about 30 milligrams of caffeine in the average chocolate bar, while a cup of coffee contains around 100 to 150 milligrams.

VHS stands for Video Home System.

When Scott Paper Co. first started manufacturing toilet paper they did not put their name on the product because of embarrassment.

Wrigley's promoted their new spearmint-flavored chewing gum in 1915 by mailing 4 sample sticks to each of the 1.5 million names listed in US telephone books.

Thought/s for the day

I’ve basically been bumming around since yesterday. I finished everything I have to do so far, and I’m just waiting for everything to come crawling back to my in-tray. So anyway, lately, I’ve been seriously considering either pursuing an LLM degree or getting a second (well, third, if you count the LLB) degree, in the natural sciences (I was thinking either chemistry or physics, both of which I’ve always been very interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in, but my dad wouldn’t let me.), or in humanities (literature, philosophy---dannnnnng, I shouldn’t have shifted out…). So anyway, since I’ve got tons of time on my hands, and unlimited free internet access, I’ve been browsing through LLM and other post-graduate degree sites and scholarship sites, and the US State Department Student Visa site, and goddammit, I need at least 2M to go study abroad. And that’s a conservative estimate. Quoting Mondy, “ANAK ng MINATAMIS NA KAMOTENG KAHOY!!!” Exaj!!! How the hell am I supposed to come up with THAT?!!! Fulbright requires at least 2 years of work experience. Fine, maybe it’s too early anyway… I’m just craving student-dom. It’s so addicting, I swear! And the thought of studying abroad, oh boy. Freedom!!!

Well, I guess I’ll study my options first. Take the FSO exam next year. Get some work experience. Figure out how to work around the whole expense thing. AND rank the so many things I want to do:

(1) Get myself my LLM degree.

(2) Pursue further studies, preferably relating to my other interests: chemistry / physics / literature / philosophy, etc.

(3) Travel. – One of the reasons why I want to study abroad.

(4) Visit my relatives abroad.

(5) Shop.

(6) Buy a car.

(7) Get my own place

(8) Invest wisely. – which will have to be balanced vis-à-vis # 5, 6 an 7.

(9) (Reserved for future use.)

(10) (Reserved for future use.)

By 2010, I ought to have at least started on one of these. Otherwise, my life is going to the crapper keeper.

I'm 52% mean. --> From Rich

[x] I think I'm gonna have a highscore on this. I'm selectively nice.
[x] I don't talk to one or both of my parents that much. My mom's dead, and I've never been chums with my dad.
[x] I have said horrible things to someone's face. But I generally have a good temper.
[x] I give people disgusting looks sometimes. Glaring counts, I guess?
[ ] I've been known to have an attitude

[x] I took heads off dolls or action figures when I was little. I wanted to see how Barbie's doll was connected to her neck...
[x] I have destroyed something valuable on purpose. I don't think so...
[ ] Most people suck. A lot of people do, but I'd like to believe that they don't constitute MOST PEOPLE.
[ ] I have thrown total tantrums. I don't think NOT talking constitutes THROWING a tantrum.
[ ] I get mad easily. I'm generally very level-headed.

[x] I have no clue when I'm doing it. Um... Yeah...
[ ] Sometimes I order people around. I've never been bossy. I think.
[ ] I am/was known around myneighborhood as the kid everyone else doesn't want their kids hanging out with. I'm known (back home, anyway) as a good kid.
[x] I've argued with a teacher. Before law school, I did. =p
[ ] I could honestly care less about school I've always liked going to school. I actually miss it. Even law school, or at least, parts of the law school experience.

[x] I love messing with other people's heads. Rich: but karma's a bitch ... Grace: Yep.
[ ] I've been told I'm conceited.
[x] I joke around
[ ] I yell daily. I get deadly silent when I'm mad. The look says it all.
[ ] I seem to always be in a fight with someone. I try to stay out of trouble.

[x] I don't like smiling but do anyway. I don't like having to be on my best behavior most of the time. It's so boring and tiresome.
[ ] I know at least 3 people I would like to kick the crap out of.
[ ] I love pranking people.
[ ] Freaking hate a lot of people. I'm indifferent towards a lot. I don't hate them.
[x] People annoy me very easily Pretentious people, people with a superiority complex, people who have entitlement issues, yes.

[x] Some people are just flat out immature. YES THEY ARE......
[ ] I always have to get the last word. Rich, I agree, revenge is best served cold :) or left to karma
[ ] I always have the perfect comeback. I try.

GRAND TOTAL: 13
ADD UP ALL THE X's AND MULTIPLY BY 4
THEN REPOST THIS AS' I'M __% MEAN

Monday, July 21, 2008

Stella Awards

RVC forwarded this to all the lawyers in the firm earlier today:

It only proves that there is no such thing as a "stupid lawsuit"

Are there any Stellas out there?

So You can scratch Your head this morning ....

Stella Awards

For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased the coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right?
That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head.

So keep your head scratcher handy.

Here are the Stella's for the past year:

7TH PLACE : Kathleen Robertson of Austin , Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.


6TH PLACE : Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

Go ahead, grab your head scratcher.

5TH PLACE : Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowners insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.


Keep scratching. There are more...


4TH PLACE : Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the behind by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the bite, because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.


Grrrrr .. Scratch, scratch.


3RD PLACE : A jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster , Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tail bone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Hang in there; there are only two more Stella's to go...


2ND PLACE : Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.

May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please...... ..


1ST PLACE : This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first time out, she was coming home from an OU football game, she entered the freeway, set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Are we, as a society, getting more stupid, or what?

Who would've figured...

I just got back from my twice a week field trip with one of the partners. Can I just say, I met the cutest lawyer guy today! Hehe! Who would've figured that they exist?!! Phew. Please wipe the smile off my face. Basta. Cute. Glasses. Kinda fair, but not mestizo. Not so tall as to be intimidating. (Hello, how short am I?!!) Not short either. Average height for a guy. Looks smart. Good diction. Seemed to know what he was talking about. Amiable. Around my age, or two batches older. Atenean too, I think. He was with his lawyer boss. I was with mine. Our bosses chatted. We smiled idly behind them. I hope I get to see him at the public hearing next week. Hehe! As to everything else, I'm bound by confidentiality rules. Anyway, work just poured in. Guess I spoke too soon.

Regular holidays and Special (non-working) holidays for the rest of the year

FYI.

August 18 (Monday) - Ninoy Aquino Day

August 25 (Monday) - National Heroes' Day

November 1 (Saturday) - All Saints' Day

December 1 (Monday) - Bonifacio Day

December 25 (Thursday) - Christmas

December 26 (Friday) - Additional special non-working day

December 29 (Monday) - Additional special non-working day

December 30 (Tuesday) - Rizal Day

December 31 (Wednesday) - Last day of the year

2009 - January 1 (Thursday) - New Year's

Sana January 2 na rin para loooooooooooong break. I definitely need one.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tax does not like me...

And I don't exactly love it either. It took me forever and a half to answer this question earlier:

If the property leased is used for residential purposes, is lessee required to withhold any creditable withholding tax on rental payments to lessor?

By now, the answers to questions like this should come automatically. But they don't. And that really frustrates me.

I had to look into so many things before I could finally answer the question:

- Are lease payments subject to creditable withholding tax? - Duh. I should know this by now.
- What does "use in business" mean for the purpose of rentals under RR 2-98?
- How does the distiction between capital and ordinary assets apply, if at all?
- Is the definition of "habitually engaged in real estate" for under RR 7-03 relevant?
- If "use in business" is defined for the purpose of determining the nature of an asset as a capital asset or an ordinary asset for the application of capital gains tax, is that definition applicable to creditable withholding tax?

Damn. I should take a refresher course or something. I hate the fact that I still don't have a firm grip on the subject matter until now!!!

So there. On to my next assignment.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Ang Ipis. Bow.

I got this off Ate Myra's Multiply. Hehe! Funneeeee...

----

Mortal tayong magkaaway.

Tandang tanda ko pa, takot na takot ako sa ‘yo nung bata ako. Lagi kang umaaligid. Lumalapit ka pag di ko alam at nakakalapit ka ng di ko namamalayan. Pero ayoko pa rin sa ‘yo. Hindi kita gusto dahil alam ko na sasaktan mo lang ako. Style mo yan, lalapit ka pero mananakit ka lang.

Hanggang ngayon ganyan pa rin ang style mo. Aali-aligid, kung kani-kanino, kung saan saan. Lumalapit ka pero nananakit ka lang. Tama lang siguro na laging handa ang tsinelas ko panghampas sa ‘yo.

Pero kaninang umaga, pagkagising ko, naramdaman ko na may ibang pakiramdam sa labi ko. Kinagat mo ko habang himbing na himbing ako sa pagtulog. Hindi ako handa. Hindi ko namalayan ang paglapit mo.

Ikaw pa ang first kiss ko.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

On births and birthdays

The past week, three new little persons joined the ranks of our crazy family. I gave birth to triplets. Hehe! Joke. Fats lang talaga yan. Anyway... One boy, and twin girls. Ashton Ron (apparently, his mom has a thing for Ashton Kutcher), and the twin girls who were just born a few minutes ago, no names yet. So for purposes of this blog entry, let's call them Twin 1 and Twin 2. I used to think remembering birthdays was such a breeze. BUT when I stopped taking time to write people's birthdays at the top of the squares of my monthly desk calendar, I also stopped remembering them. Of course I never forget the birthdays of family and close friends (whose birthdays really are the only ones that matter anyway). I'm just finding it pretty hard to remember the birthdays of the next generation. I keep on mixing them all up. It's like they're not landmark birthdays anymore, not like those of the oldies, which somehow rank up there with Valentine's Day. Anyway, just an observation. Back to work.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

somewhere i have never travelled

In the midst of all this hoopla on anti-trust, monopolies and unfair competition I've been immersing myself in since last week, I chanced upon this poem by ee cummings which I've always loved, and which I haven't read since college. It's just one of those things that make any day infinitely better. Don't get me wrong, I like what I do. I love my job and the perks that go with it. It's just that sometimes, I wonder whether I'm on the right track in terms of my priorities in life, whether I'm focusing as much as I should on the things and the people who really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe I'm just scared that my grandmother (who turned 79 today) is. It's not a very farfetched idea that we may lose her soon. She's not exactly the healthiest person in the world, although she's doing pretty good for her age. I don't know. Mama's been preparing us for the eventuality of her passing away. Yesterday, my cousin had this dream about my mom which essentially involved Mama passing away. Mama had a dream that she died, and was telling one of her sisters to visit her. I HAVE been making it a point since college to spend as much time with Mama as I possibly can, to listen to her stories and write them down as well as my vocabulary will take me, and generally to make up for the time I lost after my mom died and we only got to spend a few days a year with her in Baguio. I've been a good granddaughter, I think. I have my fits of selfishness, of course. I won't even attempt to deny that, but I've gone as my moral and emotional fiber (and my finances) will take me when it comes to my relationship with Mama is concerned.

As I was telling my Tita a few weeks ago, I don't know how I'm going to handle another death in the family. When my mom died, I had the resilience of youth, and my entire family to back me up, among other things. Now, I have responsibilities beyond my reasonable comprehension. Many of my closest friends and family have left for abroad, some have passed away. And I don't think I'm as resilient as I used to be. Maybe it's too pre-emptive of me, but I want to plan ahead as to how I'm going to deal with that eventuality. The thing is, I don't know. I just don't know. And now I have to get back to my memo.

In any case, this made my day a bit brighter:

somewhere i have never travelled

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond 
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain,
has such small hands
 
-ee cummings

I am the Moon, apparently. =p

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Religious blunders

I was the designated (Note the word used. I did NOT volunteer!!!) commentator for the office first Friday mass earlier today. I bombed. I didn't know if my voice suddenly dropped half its volume in reverence to God, or the mic just didn't like me. In any case, since I've practically never done that before, I intermittently forgot that I was the commentator. Picture that. I cringe in disgust. Maybe it's because I haven't been to mass in so long. But no, I knew the responses by heart. I just really forgot (sporadically) that I was the commentator. I hate myself. I soooooo want to crawl under a rock and die. I slithered out of the lounge in pure self-pity and self-loathing after the ordeal and practically clawed my way up to my 9th floor cave to bury my head in the sand and give myself lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis. There's a merienda thing downstairs for the July birthday celebrants. I originally intended to go, but one of the waiters brought me food, so I take it as a sign from God (Okay already, I'm sorry!) to stay under my rock. I think I can die utter self-loathing right now. Good Lord. Religion and Grace really don't mix. Jappy, jinujudge ako ni God!!! 

So anyway, I was chatting with Paul after that. I wanted to narrate it, but I guess it would be better to just post the damned thing:
(Grace's status: I HATE THIS DAY)
Paul Soriño: relax lang
Grace: kakainis kasi, pinag-commentator ako sa mass eh hindi naman ako sanay, ayun, palpak
Grace: buwisit
Grace: :((
Paul Soriño: sus ito naman. oki lang yun. ayaw mo nun, next time hindi na ikaw.
Grace: hahaha
Grace: yeah, if you look at it that way
Paul Soriño: dati ayokong magsaing sa bahay namin. ang ginawa ko sinunong ko yung sinaing. so hindi na ko pinagsaing
Grace: over analysis: bakit may stage fright na ako ngayon?
Grace: hahaha!
Grace: good idea ha
Grace: :))

Paul Soriño: stage fright??? you???
Grace: hehe, actually, naprepressure lang ako kasi mass
Grace: kung pina-speech nila ako, easier pa for me
Paul Soriño: ganun?
Grace: kasi, dios mio, feeling ko jinujudge ni god ang commentating ko
Grace: god: lintik na bata ito, yan kasi, hindi nagsisimba
Grace: :))
Grace: me: oh crap
Grace: hay buhay, basta ang labo, promise
Grace: alam na ng lahat ng tao dito na demonyita ako.
Paul Soriño: wahahaha. di naman ganun si God. tingin ko natatawa lang yun.
Grace: hehe
Grace: yeah
Grace: hay... i cringe in hindsight
Grace: never na talaga mauulit yan
Grace: kakanta na lang ako
Grace: hehe
Paul Soriño: meron din akong blueper dati sa mass. commentator din. before the gospel ang sabi ko "praise to you..." . tapos nalaman ko na mali. pero after the gospel ang sinabi ko pa rin e glory to you o Lord
Grace: hehe
Paul Soriño: si father jboy nga dati nalimutang iconcecrate yung wine e
Grace: ako dati, nagrorosary sa school, nagjump ako from "hail mary full of grace the lord is with you" to "pray for us sinners..."
Grace: duh, half and half
Grace: ano ba yun
Grace: hahaha
Grace: hay
Grace: i think talaga pinaparusahan na ako ni god for all my transgressions
Paul Soriño: may panlaban ako dyan. instead of "in the name of the father, the son..." ang sabi ko 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 sa sign of the cross
Grace: and i sort of get the point
Grace: hahaha!
Grace: ah, tapos instead of "o god whose only begotten son" sa rosary, ang nasabi ko yung sa angelus
Grace: :))
Paul Soriño: ok lang yan, common mistake yun
Grace: pero by far ang pinaka-embarrassing, nung grade 2 ako sinama ako ng mommy ko magmass sa baguio cathedral
Grace: proud na proud ako na alam ko na responses
Grace: nag-amen ako nang super lakas
Grace: at ako lang ang nag-amen
Paul Soriño: (rolling on floor laughing)
Grace: kasi hindi pala kasama sa script yun
Grace: :))
Grace: nag-pause kasi yung pari eh, tapos it seemed appropriate at the time
Paul Soriño: nagawa ko rin yan. ako lang ang nag "amen". sa maling part. at ako ang pinakamalakas. at ako ang commentator.
Grace: kaya after that, kahit ngayon, nagpapause muna ako bago ako mag-amen
Grace: hahahaha!!!
Grace: hay buhay talaga ito
Grace: di ka pa uwi?
Paul Soriño: uuwi na po. in ten... nine...
Grace: oks
Grace: ingat
Paul Soriño: babushki.
Grace: and think before you say amen
Paul Soriño: Amen 


Like I said, jinujudge ako ni God. I get it, I'm a bad bad bad bad evil evil evil evil person. I deserve it. I'll go hide under my rock now. Just drag me out when the world's about to end so I can make amends with the world.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Can't wait for June to end...

I think I overdid my shopping a teeny weeny bit this month. I kinda splurged on sheets and curtains and house stuff... AND it's that time of the month when we pay for rent and bills. Darn... Post rent and bills, I have a grand total of roughly Php3,500 until the 30th, inclusive of everything. I think I want to faint. It's one of those days I wish I lived at home. Okay, wait a minute, no, scratch that. There are things, like freedom, and my peace of mind, which all the so-called comforts of home cannot buy. I'd rather live in our hole in the wall condo (now with pretty curtains. hehe!) than have to put up with the stepmonster, her family and my paternal relatives (I swear to God, they all deserve each other.) every single day of my life. I'll just have to rough it for the next two weeks. Haaaaaaaay... I'll have to take the bus to work...just when the rainy season is coming in... Oh well... At least I'll have pretty sheets and curtains to look at when I get home. But hey, if anybody wants to finance my existence for the next two weeks, that's fine by me. Any takers? Teeheehee!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

More on Ces Drilon, et.al.

Ayaw niya ma-embed eh... Oh well. Just follow the link.

http://www.gmanews.tv/video/23930

Ces Drilon abducted...?

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/100211/ABS-CBNs-TV-reporter-2-cameramen-missing-in-Sulu

ABS-CBN reporter, 2 camera crew reported missing in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines – ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday confirmed reports that its reporter Cecilia Victoria "Ces" Oreña-Drilon and two cameramen went missing in the province of Sulu.

“Three ABS-CBN journalists Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion, and Angelo Valderama are missing in Sulu," an ABS-CBN statement released Tuesday morning said.

"All efforts are underway to find them and bring them home. Until we learn more details, ABS-CBN News requests other media to report on this matter with utmost consideration for the safety of our news team," it added.

Earlier reports said Drilon and her crew were with university professor Octavio Dinampo when armed men seized them in the village of Kulasi in the town of Maimbung.

"We received reports that the four were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf led by Albader Parad," Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu's provincial police chief, said.

"There is no demand yet for ransom," Kasim said, adding that Sulu Governor Sakur Tan has already convened the Crisis Management Committee.

"Governor Sakur Tan is very worried over the safety of the victims and we are doing everything to locate them," Kasim said.

Drilon's group was staying at the Sulu State College hostel in Jolo town before they were reported missing, said police Inspector Usman Pingay.

"We don't know what really happened and why Drilon went without security to Maimbung," Pingay said.

A hotel staff said he saw Drilon leaving. "She was really in a hurry and I even asked her where they were going and Ces Drilon only replied that they would just be nearby. They never came back since Saturday," the hotel staff said.

Appeal

The Mindanao People's Caucus, which is headed by Dinampo, issued a statement Sunday calling for "moral support and prayers" for the safety of their leader.

The MPC statement said Dinampo and Drilon were on their way to Maimbung when armed men flagged them down.

"We appeal to the law enforcers and the military to exhaust all peaceful and traditional methods of negotiation in working out the release of the...victims. We also call on our religious leaders from both the Christian and Muslim faiths to extend whatever possible support," the MPC statement said.

It said Dinampo is a credible and well-respected leader from Sulu and a leading peace advocate in Mindanao. He has been in the forefront of peace advocacy, good governance and relief and rehabilitation efforts in the conflict affected areas in Mindanao.

"He has been a gracious and reliable guide of many visitors to Sulu and had consistently protected his visitors even at the risk of his own life," the statement said. - GMANews.TV, with reports from Al Jacinto and Romy Elusfa

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

"Two valid ID's"

I have come to detest the phrase above. Every single time it appears, it bodes of long lines amidst sweaty people under the sweltering summer sun, or during such humid drizzly days that even my eyebrows seem to want to frizz up. And that's not the worst part. I'd then have to deal with government people, who seem to think they're doing people a favor by doing their job. They never arrive on time, and when they do, they engage in such endless chitchat, work for two hours, leave for lunchbreak at 11, sleep, resume work around 1:30, and start packing up and doing their makeup by 4. What the hell?!! It kinda begs the question that in order to get one valid ID, you need two valid ID's. Duh. I now see the wisdom behind a national ID system, which, although it has its obvious dangers, would also make life a whole lot less complicated. Right now, the only thing I've ticked off my list is my NBI clearance, and it took me EEEEEEEEEEEEEONS to get it, as apparently, there is more than one person with my name (sans middle name) in this country, and that NBI bitch clerk would not hear of my suggestion to check the middle names of my namesakes, as I sincerely doubt if there is anybody with the same middle name and born to parents with the same names as MY parents. I'm sooooooooooooo dreading the whole SSS ID process and passport processing thing tomorrow. Not only do I have to take time off from work only to find myself trapped in government hell to apply for these valid ID's, I furthermore have to take more time off from work to claim them. It's madness, I tell you. I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it.

Diary of Inday

Diary of Inday
It was jazz an ordinary day.
The skies were clear, the birds were
chipping. Ang ganda-ganda ng araw!
Nasa SM ako noon at katatapos ko lang
mamili ng groceries. Timing
naman nasa foodcore si Angel Locsin,
nagpro-provoke ng movie nya.
Grabe, andaming fans, pull-packed
talaga! Dahil fans nya rin ako,
nakipila rin ako.
Then suddenly, out of the loo, may
bumulong sa akin
ng: "Indaaaayyyy. ....."
Huh? It sounded like a familiar sound.
Who can it be now?
"Dodong!" sigaw ko.
Napalakas yata voice ko. Kasi the
other fans turned their backs to
their behind at napatingin sa amin.
Sabi ko "Sorry, I didn't mean to
be loud and proud." Hinawakan na lang
ni Dodong ang kamay ko at lumayo
kami from the crowd.
"Kamusta na Inday? Do you come here
open? tanong nya.
"Bihira lang, Dodong. I'm just
droppings by. Ethnic and schedule ko
eh" sabi ko.
Memories came flushing in my mind. How
can I forget to remember
Dodong? Siya na may mata ni Piolo,
dimple ni Aga, at bigote ni Rex
Cortez. he's every woman's dreamboat.
I was just starting my tour of
duty kay ate noon nang unang makilala
ko si Dodong. Contraction worker
siya sa ginagawang bahay sa tapat
namin. Naging kami for a while then
after that were not an item anymore.
"Tanghali na Inday. What did you say
we have lunch together?" tanong
ni Dodong. "I don't mine" sagot ko.
Sa restaurant, nilapitan kaagad kami
ng waiter. "What's your odor
sir?" sabi nung waiter kay Dodong.
"Do you have porkshop?" tanong ni
Dodong.
"Yes sir" sabi nito. "Our porkshop
with a resistance to the teeth of
boast of our chef. Domestic careful
selection of pork with little fat
of female liking is used. The
exquisite cooking which repeated trial
and error and was completed. it also
has healthy vegetables with salad
feeling fully" dagdag niya.
"And you mam?" sabay tingin naman sa
akin.
Hmmm... mukhang masarap yung porkshop.
Pero I'm cutting down on my
carbon kaya pinigilan ko.
"I'll just have water, thanks.
Liquidate diet ako eh." sagot ko.
Pagkatapos kumain, nagyaya si Dodong
manood ng sine. Teka teka, this
is going too far. Besides, it's a
long, long way to run.
"Reality chess, Dodong. May asawa na
ako, si Jay. As a mother of fact,
I'm happily married" pagmamalaki ko.
"Di na pwede yung tulad ng dati. Sorry
pero I didn't expect you still
have more feelings than I expected. i
don't want you getting the way.
Past is fast. Therefore, cause and
defect." dagdag ko pa.
Tumahimik sya. Parang may language
barrel na namagitan sa amin. The
seconds that passed seemed like
fraternity. Di nagla-on, nagsalita na
rin sya.
"I don't care less!" sigaw ni Dodong.
Shocks, give me a brake! The nerd ng
taong ito para sigawan ako! To
think it's his other woman that caused
our separation to part.
Kinabahan na ako. I felt speedbumps
all over my body and was having
panic attach. Tinalikuran ko siya at
nagmadali akong lumakad palayo.
Pero sumunod pa rin siya like a monkey
on my butt. Hanggang sa
makakita ako ng security guard.
Biglang nawala si Dodong.
"Excuse me kuya, pwedeng magtanong?"
sabi ko sa mamang guard.
"Of course miss, I can help you with
my pleasure." sagot niya.
"Saan po ba ang exit? Could you point
me to the right erection? I got lost
in my eyes."
"Diretso lang." sabi niya. "Then turn
right anytime with care."
"Thanks for your corporation" sabi ko.
Buti na lang nandun si kuya. Pero
saglit lang, I smell something
peachy. As I turned, nakita ko na
namang nakasunod si Dodong! Delaying
static lang pala kanina ang pag
disappear nya.
"Nyahahaha! You can run but you can
hide, Inday. No matter where you
go, there you are!" pananakot nya.
Oh no, is this the end? This is too
much, I feel degradable. My world
started falling afar.
Then suddenly, Jay come from behind!
Dodong was caught to the act! In
the matter of minute, it's all over.
I'm out of arm's way.
"Thanks Jay, my love. But how did
you?" bago pa man ako matapos, sabi
niya:
"I was in the neighborhood. Fans din
ako ni Angel eh. I heard you
shout but at first I didn't give it a
thought. Pero nang makita ko
kayong magkahawak ng holding hands,
then i give it a thought. I know
something is a missed."
From then on, Dodong did not brother
me again. In fact, he didn't even
sister me. As in platonic at wala na
talaga.
Pero kami ni Jay, heto, shoot sailing
pa rin ang relationship. Lalo pa
ngayon, open na kami sa isa't-isa at
walang exhibitions. i feel I'm on
cloud.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Handwriting analysis

http://www.handwritingwizard.com/
Welcome Grace, here is your handwriting analysis.
Grace uses judgment to make decisions. She is ruled by her head, not her heart. She is a cool, collected person who is usually unexpressive emotionally. Some may see her as unemotional. She does have emotions but has no need to express them. She is withdrawn into herself and enjoys being alone.
The circumstances when Grace does express emotions include: extreme anger, extreme passion, and tremendous stress. If someone gets her mad enough to tell her off, she will not be sorry about it later. She puts a mark in her mind when someone angers her. She keeps track of these marks and when she hits that last mark she will let them know they have gone too far. She is ruled somewhat by self-interest. All her conclusions are made without outside emotional influence. She is very level-headed and will remain calm in an emergency situation. In a situation where other people might get hysterical, she has poise.
Grace will work more efficiently if given space and time to be alone. She would rather not be surrounded by people constantly. In a relationship, she will show her love by the things she does rather than by the things she says. Saying "I love you" is not a needed routine because she feels her mate should already know. The only exception to this is if she has logically concluded that it is best for her mate to hear her express her love verbally.
Grace is not subject to emotional appeals. If someone is selling a product to her, they will need to present only the facts. They should present them from a standpoint of her sound judgment. She will not be taken in by an emotional story about someone else. She will meet emergencies without getting hysterical and she will always ask "Is this best for me?"
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Grace doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Grace is sensitive to criticism about her ideas and philosophies. She will sometimes worry what people will think if she tells them what she believes in. This doesn't mean she won't talk, or that she feels ashamed. It merely means she is sensitive to what others think, regarding her beliefs.
Grace will be candid and direct when expressing her opinion. She will tell them what she thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want her opinion, don't ask for it!
In reference to Grace's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Grace slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project.
She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Grace can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Grace is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Grace basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.
Grace is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Grace has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
For a graphologist, the spacing on the page reflects the writer's attitude toward their own world and relationship to things in his or her own space. If the inputted data was correct Grace has left lots of white space on the left side of the paper. Grace fills up the rest of the page in a normal fashion. If this is true, then Grace has a healthy relationship to the past and is ready to move on. The right side of the page represents the future and Grace is ready and willing to get started living now and planning for the future. Grace would like to leave the past behind and move on.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Stolen from Troy

If you read this journal, even if I don't speak to you often, post a memory of me.

It can be anything you want. It can be good or bad, just so long as it happened. Then post this on your journal.

Be surprised and see what people remember about you.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Calling cards!!! Yipee!!!

Okay, call it juvenile and stupid, but I've always wanted my own calling cards. I used to scratch my dad's name off his (well, I blacked his name out...) and pretend they were mine. I was five. And the only people I gave them out to were my kiddie friends. It was so hilarious my dad didn't even get mad when he found out why he suddenly found why a quarter of his new box of calling cards was missing. And now I have my own. Sigh... My only beef with our calling cards is that they don't state what we are exactly. Maybe I'll give them out and scribble "Janitress" or "Security guard" or "Waste of office space" under my name. Hehe! Oh, ORRRRR I'll write..."GODDESS". Wahahaha! Well, for whatever it's worth, yipee!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Help!!!

Hey boys and girls. Here's a dilemma for you. Find (or suggest where I can or should buy) a laptop (not a Mac though... office network crap...) following the following basic specs:

Php60,000.00 max (or maybe Php65,000.00)

14-15" matte display

Intel Core 2 Duo processor

2.0Gb DDR-II 667 MHz

120+ Gb hard drive

built-in webcam

fingerprint reader

2 fans (for Toshiba laptops)

bluetooth and infrared enabled

LAN/Wifi ready

Windows XP (office network crap)

Upgradeable

Preferably with freebies

Good speakers

At least 2 USB ports

Anything over and above these specs would be awesome. Oh, and I'd prefer a pretty purrty laptop. Please note that the Acer Ferrari laptop classifies as pretty purrty by my standards. Basta it shouldn't look like crap.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Thank God for honest people.

Last Sunday (April 6, 2008), at about 4:45pm, I used the atm machine outside the BDO SM City Baguio Branch. However, I was not able to withdraw. The screen read “Transaction Cancelled”. I waited for the machine to eject my atm card then walked away with my aunt and uncle. We were no more than a few meters away from the atm machine when a man in a white shirt and jeans ran up to us and asked me whether I was the last person to use the atm. I said yes. He asked me how much I was trying to withdraw, I said three thousand pesos. He told me that after I had left, the machine coughed up the money I was trying to withdraw. He showed us his ID, hidden under his shirt, and told us that he was a spotter. After a moment of shock, I thanked him profusely, and so did my aunt and uncle. I checked my bank balance right after the incident just to make sure the money was indeed mine. It was.

I cannot remember his face nor his name. I cannot even remember whether he was an SM employee or a BDO employee. I was so taken aback by what had just happened. I thought to myself, if this had happened in Manila, I would have lost the money. I am not a rich person by any standard, so three thousand pesos means something, though not everything to me. I would not have wept, but I would have been very annoyed by the thought that I could have spent the money on something worthwhile.

The man was probably just doing his job, but I would like to commend him and to thank him just the same. I also would like to laud the efforts of the BDO SM City Baguio Branch for a job well done.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Sir Te's response to the Punzi person

Chronology of events:

(1) Punzi person posts:

http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:J-0J6QJVW04J:thepunziblog.blogspot.com/+http://thepunziblog.blogspot.com/&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ph

(2) Punzi person, because of what I can only imagine to be something close to a severe beating, takes down the post and says:

http://thepunziblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/precautionary-measures-part-deux.html

(3) Reactions from people: see Jam's, Malou's and Emman's blogs among others

(4) Affirmation.

http://tedte.blogspot.com/2008/04/intergenerational-courtesy-and-hubris.html

Siyempre na-teary eyed naman ako. Hehe! Di nga, natouch naman ako dito. Basta we passed na, wala nang bawian, whatever anybody says.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Goodbye ACP. Hello CPG. Well, almost.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/87414/Family-Code-amendment-passed-in-silence-may-disadvantage-women/_/1/

Family Code amendment passed in silence, may disadvantage women

Economic impact

Even in advanced economies, power relations are heavily tilted toward men. Major studies show that in these countries, dissolution of marriage often results in the economic deprivation of wives, and the improved economic status of husbands.

Sociologists Saul Hoffman and Greg Duncan concluded in their 1988 study that in the US, the standard of living of the custodial mother and her children were reduced by 30 percent on the average, while that of the noncustodial father increased to about 15 percent.

In another study in 1994, American scholars Jay Teachman and Kathleen Paasch pointed out that even when employment rates among custodial mothers increased after divorce - from 58 to more than 70 percent - this did not necessarily improve their economic status.

The study shows that while the divorced wife's "first response to economic stress" was to enter into the labor force, the average amount she earns, which comprises 60 percent of the single-parent family income, "declined from immediately before to immediately after (marriage) disruption."

Teachman and Paasch attributed the decline to either low-paying or "less than full-time" jobs available to divorced wives.

In 2005, sociologists Dorien Manting and Anne Marthe Bouman of The Netherlands said the result of their study on the economic impact of marriage dissolution on Dutch women was "consistent" with the findings in other countries such as the US, Great Britain, Germany and Canada.

They said "women experience a large financial setback, whereas men even seem to gain financially from divorce."

Manting and Bouman said that while more Dutch women joined the labor force after marriage dissolution, "this does not really mean that (they) gain enough to become economically independent of their spouses."

Why not? Because according to the study, most of these women, who are responsible for taking care of children, could only work part-time. And even when they work full time, they get paid less than men.

Economic subordination

In the Philippines, no comprehensive study has yet been done on the economic impact of marriage dissolution on wives, particularly on those who also act as custodial parents.

Most studies and surveys on women deal on their participation in the labor force, while a few, and still germinal studies focus on their increasing role as heads of households in urban areas, and the prevalence of female unpaid family workers in rural areas.

Nevertheless, it could be inferred from these studies and surveys that while some female professionals in urban areas are now more economically competitive than their male counterparts, majority of women remain in economically subordinate positions, whether in the house where they render unpaid labor, or at the workplace where most of them are low-paid wage earners.

For instance, a report presented by the NSCB during the December 2007 Global Forum in Gender Statistics in Rome, showed that economic power remained in the hands of men.

The NSCB report said that in 2005, employment rate for men was at 74 percent, while that of women only stood at 46 percent.

A separate survey by the National Statistics Office in 2004 showed that for 10 years, since 1995, labor force participation by females (50 percent) consistently lagged behind that of males (over 80 percent).

Even in the government's supposed equitable distribution of economic resources under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), peasant women still suffer from inequality.

Data culled by GMANews.TV from the Department of Agrarian Reform showed that the government failed to equitably distribute farmlands to male and female CARP beneficiaries.

From 2002 to 2004, only 506,571 female CARP beneficiaries, representing 27 percent of the total beneficiaries, were awarded their emancipation patents and certificates of landownership award. The bulk of the EP and CLOA was awarded to 1,338,701 male tillers or 73 percent of the beneficiaries.

In terms of percentage, gender inequality in the CARP's EP and CLOA distribution was most pronounced in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Of the 9,542 beneficiaries, only 15.5 percent were women, the rest, 84.5 percent, were men.

Second to ARMM was Region 2 in Cagayan Valley. Of the 159,118 beneficiaries, only 17.2 percent were women, while 82.8 were men. Third was Region 3 or in Central Luzon, where only 21 percent of the 227,648 beneficiaries were women, and the rest, 79 percent, were men.

Economic undercount

Just how poor and disadvantaged are women in the Philippines? How much is their real contribution to the economy when they work in and outside of the household, whether paid, underpaid or unpaid? What is the economic status of female and male-headed households (single, widowed, separated or annulled) in urban, rural, and regional areas?

These could be some of the vital questions that need answers before deciding on the fate of HB 2420. However, lack of comprehensive gender, sex-disaggregated, sector-specific, and socioeconomic class-based statistics has failed to define women's problems.

This, according to many cause-oriented organizations has led the government to sidestep issues on women in many of its reform policies, and thus fail to address the interest of the sector. Similar to this concern is the issue earlier raised by Almodiel on HB 2420 that was apparently approved without being backed by an impact assessment based on sound socio-economic and legal research.

In its 2007 report presented in a global forum in Rome, NSCB recognized the need to improve generation and analysis of gender statistics. It said the "economic undercount of women puts them in a situation that can perpetuate, if not outright worsen the inequity between men and women."

The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women also saw the need for accurate gender statistics essential in the implementation of government policies on women, and in meeting the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Goal 3 of the MDG is on promoting gender equality and empowering women.

NCRFW chairperson Myrna T. Yao said the consciousness of data producers and users of gender statistics must be raised, while decision-makers must be influenced "to think and act for women."

Also, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization emphasized the need for policy-makers and planners in the Philippines to address the plight of women by mainstreaming gender concerns. The FAO said policy makers could start by collecting sex-disaggregated local data, particularly on agriculture, environment, and rural production.

With this backdrop on women's issues and lopsided power relations between men and women, passing HB 2420 into law might be a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. - GMANews.TV

Sidebar articles:

MORE FILIPINOS WANT TO END MARRIAGE

Filipinos, most, if not all of them Catholics who are supposed to be monogamous and loyal to their partners, are trooping to the courts to file cases of annulment or legal separation.

In 2007, there were 7,753 cases of annulment and legal separation filed at the Office of the Solicitor General, a 71.5 percent jump from the 4,520 cases filed in 2001.

From 2001 to 2007, the OSG received 43,617 cases of annulment and separation. The figure could have been higher if more married people have the means to break their ties legally.

Based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, of the 57.1 million Filipinos aged ten years and over, one percent or 558,023 were either divorced or separated; 2.4 million or 4.3 percent were in live-in arrangements; 4.1 percent or 2.4 million were widowed; 45.7 percent or 26.1 million were married; and 44 percent were single.

According to the 2002 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study, 40 percent of the youth would support a bill to legalize divorce in the country.

The Philippines and Malta are the only remaining countries in the world where divorce is banned. - ARCS, GMANews.TV

THE INVISIBLE WOMEN

You see them work hard, but you don't know the real worth of their labor. Feminist theorists call them invisible women — those whose fruits of labor are unpaid and excluded from the computation of a country's gross domestic product and gross national product.

Feminist economist
Marilyn Waring of New Zealand criticized the use of GNP and GDP as economic indicators, which were institutionalized through the UN System of National Accounts.

She said the GNP and the GDP excluded women's work (other unpaid work and things that have only use-value and not exchange value) in measures of economic progress.

The
UN Platform for Action Committee Monitoba gives examples on how the UNSNA unfairly values work, activities, and resources:

Things of economic value: Women's bodies when used in media advertising; trees that are cut down; the tobacco industry; arms and missile production; the weight loss industry; crime, the court system, and imprisonment; prostitution; illness, clinics, and hospitals; death and the funeral business; rebuilding countries after natural disasters or terrorist attacks; war; and oil spills.

Things without economic value: A mother's contribution to the birthing process; caring for own children; doing own dishes and laundry; hunting, vegetables grown in own garden and eaten by family; hunting, fishing, and trapping own food; beauty (except if it's for sale in an art piece); health; rivers and forests (when they're not being harnessed for economic gain).

In a study presented in the December 2007 Global Forum on Gender Statistics in Italy, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said unpaid work adds 66.2 percent in the Philippines' GDP. It also said that 59.6 percent of the total hours of unpaid work are done by women.

In another study, NSCB secretary general Romulo A. Virola cited results of time-use surveys from 1979 to 2000 showing that "women's unpaid housework is greater than men."

In the 1979 time-use survey, it was found out that single women performed unpaid work of 3.04 hours per day or almost twice as long as the unpaid 1.71 hours done by their male counterparts.

The 1979 survey said married women were in a "more disparate" situation. Their daily unpaid work of 7.93 hours was thrice as much as the 2.63 hours of unpaid work by their male counterparts.

The gap in unpaid work between women and men became wider in the 1985 to 1990 survey. Women's unpaid work of 6.57 hours per day was almost four times longer than men's 1.87 hours.

Virola said there was an "observed improvement" in the 2000 survey "when the ratio of unpaid work of women to men went below two hours." - ARCS, GMANews.TV

Belated bar thank you list

It's been five days since the results were released. Oath taking is set on the 29th, signing of the roll of attorneys on the 30th. We've secured our clearances from the Supreme Court, signed our Lawyer Registration Cards, paid our IBP dues, attended the testimonial dinner at Malcolm Hall, shaken hands with Sir Te, Dean Carlota, incoming Dean Leonen, former Dean Pangalangan (also our Poli Law examiner), Ma'am Beth, Sir Lumba, et.al. BUT it still feels so surreal. It hasn't REALLY registered that this is it. We're done. With this chapter, at least. I feel like I'm in some sort of a trance or a dream that I don't want to wake up from. Wow. I can't describe precisely how it feels. It's like a great big sigh of relief after holding my breath for a year, like staring at a diamond necklace through a glass window and then finally being able to wear it. Something like that. My sanity has been tried and tested so many times the past year. It hasn't been easy. I was so sure I was going to take it again, although so many people told me I was just stressing myself out unnecessarily.

In any case, since people are making thank you lists, I thought I'd make one of my own too. This feels pretty much like winning the lottery or winning an Oscar, I think. So... I would like to thank, in no particular order, save for the first and the last:

(1) GOD. - Thank you so much for keeping me sane and getting me through law school and bar review, the bar exams, and waiting for the results. We always said that if ever we passed, it would be all of God's doing.

(2) MY FAMILY - Thank you for taking my mind off the bar and the results when I most needed it, for always believing I'd make it (and for telling me so), and for just being the quirky bunch that you are.

(3) MY BARKADA - Chi, Lianne, Mia, Jen, Daisy, Nico and Oggs. Thank you for being insane, for being the best laiteros and laiteras in town, for inevitably veering the conversation towards jebs, and for not being the people we don't like. Hehe!

(4) MY PRE-WEEK STUDY BUDDIES - Mitch and Jappy. Mitch and I now know more about Jappy than we would have wanted to know. Hehe! Mitch, aymeeshoo! Jappy, buhay ka pa ba?

(5) MY BLOCKMATES - UP LAW A2007 - You guys are the best! I really miss our chismis sessions in between classes and my yosi break buddies: Mitch, Jappy, Chi, Nestor. See you guys at A2007 BarOps.

(6) STARBUCKS KATIPUNAN - For not kicking us out during bar review. Although, come to think of it, the thousands we spent for coffee there SHOULD merit NOT getting kicked out.

(7) THE PRINCE DAVID GUARDS - For praying for us. And for making sure nobody stole my bar review materials. Hehe! Honest, they're so nice.

(8) MY AIRCON - For not breaking down during bar review. (It was scorching hot outside! =o)

(9) UP BAROPS 2007 - P.Y.!!! Thank you super super super much!!! Ang galing galing ng BarOps!!!

(10) UP WINLAW BAROPS 2007 - Angel, Karra, Hardy, Beth, Izzy and everyone else who helped out, thanks for the goody bags, tips, food, and for my weekly Starbucks grande americano in a tall cup, black.

(11) MY PILGRIMAGE/ROADTRIP BUDDIES - I had such a great time touring with you guys. Next time ulit ha. Breakfast tayo sa Bon Giorno tapos balikan natin lahat ng simbahan na dinasalan natin.

(12) THE VARIOUS MAMA MARY'S, SAINTS AND DEITIES I PRAYED TO - Thank you thank you thank you thank you. I really can't thank you enough.

(13) CASTILLO LAMAN TAN PANTALEON & SAN JOSE - Basically, for feeding my shopping frenzy. Hehe! I love my job. I love the 9th floor.

(14) SANDRA LUNA - My bar angel, a.k.a. the first person who told me I passed.

(15) SIR TE - For the pre-bar, weekly pre- and post- bar texts, weekly pre-bar masses, for your presence every bar weekend, and at Salubong and BeerOps (Sir Te stayed longer than most of us did.) bar updates, and messages of encouragement. Your support really meant, and still means, a lot to us.

(16) TITA SUSAN - For letting me stay over the entire month of August to review, for understanding my schedule, and for making my life there super comfortable and conducive to studying.

(17) BAGUIO CITY - For being so cozy cold during the entire month I was there for review. I love the pine-scented air and the view from my tita's 2nd floor library. I swear, it helped.

(17) MAMA - For bugging me to return to Manila for pre-week already. Otherwise, I never would have finished Merc and Poli pre-week.

(18) CHI & PUNCH - For being so bossy with my bar review schedule. Well, it was more Punch than Chi. Talk about bar review police. Hehe! Thanks for the weekly ride to and from Sheraton and for the yosi breaks when I was going insane the nights before the bar Sundays, and for the matching food. And for waiting for the results with me. Oh, and the beer right after we both found out we passed.

(19) NGANGI - Ngangsters, weemeeshu!!! Thank you for bearing with two grumpy insane barristers and not blowing your cover. Thank you for laughing at us when we were being silly, and for making us laugh when we were crying or on the verge of.

(20) TITA MELISSA (CHI'S MOM) - Tita, thank you for your support, for the Saturday lunch pochero and for our baon sandwiches.

(21) TITO IGGY & TITA NINI - Thank you for sending me to law school and for supporting me all the way to after the bar.

(22) TITO RONNIE - Thank you for your encouragement from abroad, and for paying for my hotel accommodations +++ for the bar.

(23) UP COLLEGE OF LAW, esp. Ma'am Beth, Prof. Balane, Ma'am Herbosa, Danny Con (yes, I actually liked his classes), Prof. Morales, Dean Pangalangan - Thank you for admittine me into the College of Law and for the training.

(24) ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY - Thank you for the happy memories which I would eventually need to cushion the blow that was law school. Hehe!

(25) MY MOM - I can't find the words to thank you enough. I just know that wherever you are, you're happy with what I've done with my life so far, and for who I've become. Thank you for giving me enough of you in the less than ten years you were here, to last me a lifetime.