Lavender & Coffee Stains

Failed Negotiations...

For the past 3 months or so, I have been monitoring the news regarding the updates on the 5th Ministerial Conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cancun, Mexico. The actual trade negotiations happened from September 10-14. All 148 nations were all accounted for.

The world trade conference in the Mexican tourist resort of Cancun was a failure.



The 5-day trade conference was concluded to a formal close without meeting any of the deadlines set at the launch of the Doha trade round. The event was somehow perceived to collapse since no consensus was reached regarding the expected controversial issue on agricultural subsidies. But surprisingly, it was not the controversy regarding the agricultural subsidies that brought the WTO ministerial conference to a big disappointment. Instead, the cause of the breakdown of the talks was the so-called Singapore issues.

Foreign investment, competition policy, government procurement and trade facilitation comprise the “Singapore issues.”

During the WTO conference, a great number of the developing economies were against discussing the new issues since there were still unclear agreements on the pending WTO matters. These poor countries do not want to commit to a new set of international duties that are difficult to implement and monitor. But the developed economies such as the member countries of the EU, US and Japan were pushing for the inclusion of the Singapore issues in the talks.

How come the WTO is espousing free fair trade among economies when rich countries cannot commit a venue for equality for all? What really exists here is unequal, unfair trade. Supposedly, the WTO is bridging the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, the developed and developing – what is being created is a disparity far from being remedied at all.

Angel on Ensembles

Last week saw me roaming around Glorietta and Megamall . I was surprised to see model Angel Aquino gracing the Ensembles fold.

Honestly, that was a very good choice for an endorser. I may not have met her but I can sense a deeper kind of humanity in her. Does it make me sound like a psychic or something? *hmm*

The new endorser exudes a certain air of smartness, confidence and the independence marked of a successful woman.

Aside from Kamiseta, Paper Dolls, Freeway, Saga, Kashieca , I prefer to spend my hard-earned bucks in Ensembles. One thing about this boutique is that it caters to the fashion needs of today’s young lady professionals. I find their collection classy and stylish yet simple for my taste.

3/4 sleeve coordinated stripe blouse with tab cuff

Cap sleeved striped cotton shirtdress

"ONE NIGHT...ONE KISS...THREE WORDS"

This is a very touching email...Words can cut and wound feelings but they also have the power to heal and to forgive...

My parents had the perfect marriage, or so I thought. However, one day in the 60's changed that thinking. It was 1963. The Dodgers won the World Series over the hated Yankees. "My" Texas Longhorns were 11-0 and beat Roger Steinbach and Navy in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned the national champions. Life was pretty good for a 13-year-old living in Texas.

Then that fateful night arrived. The day innocence was shattered -- the moment in history when I discovered fairy tales were exactly that -- fairy tales. It was the night an appalling truth crashed upon me. Mom and dad did not have a perfect marriage.

In fact, mom and dad hated each other. I do not recall what they argued about that night. But I remember enough to know that I wish I had never been born.

And the fighting intensified as the weeks went by.

And finally, Dad moved out.

Writing this, I wonder if parents really comprehend the impact that those words -- "Dad moved out" – have on a child, even a child of 13?

Why? Why can't they just love each other the way I love them both? Why can't they forgive, forget, and start all over again ? And why is God doing this to me? Why doesn't the hurt go away? And why can't my daddy live with us? Parents at times forget how bad kids can hurt. But sometimes parents remember.

It was one of those Sundays. Dad called. "You guys want to play golf?" What a dumb question!

Dad, don't you realize that all I want to do is to be with you? Ever since you moved out, life has taken a tumble. I have pimples, I'm fat, and all the girls laugh at me. I have one friend in the entire world, and he's kind of weird too. I don't care about my grades, yet I do care. I miss you dad. I'll do anything to be with you.

"Sure, Dad, we'll play golf with you".

And so we played, but didn't talk much. But darkness came much too soon, and as much as I dreaded it, we
were headed for home.

"Thanks for taking us out dad. Do you have to go so soon? Please stay a few minutes. Mom is not home. You
can leave when she gets here. Please dad."

So he stayed. We drank ice tea. But mostly we sat, dreading the coming separation. And mom walked through
the door.

They had been living apart for a few months, but had been separated for years. They had not kissed, or hugged, or held hands, or slept in the same bed for years. They had not, at least to my knowledge, used the word 'love' to each other, for each other since I could remember.

No one really knew about it that Mom was about to give my sister, my brother, and me the greatest gift imaginable.

We all had some tense moments as we requested dad to stay back for dinner. Dinner was a quite affair. And finally it was time to leave.

It was 10:00 PM when Mom finished her work and came in. She announced that she was going to bed.

"Goodnight Ann. I love you." And she kissed my sister on the cheek.

"Goodnight Richard. I love you." And she kissed my brother on the cheek.

"Goodnight David. I love you." And she kissed me on
the cheek.

And she paused. We could sense she wasn't yet through with the goodnights. But there was only one person left in the room. He was sitting in a big chair to my left. And though it has been 35 years since that night, I still can see his face, and hers.

She walked over to him. Without a word being said, with compassion and love and tenderness like I had never seen or experienced before, she kissed her husband, our dad, on the cheek and whispered the golden words!

"And goodnight Tom! I love you too !"

And soon she left the room. Dad said goodnight to us and left. No one mentioned the miracle we had experienced.

The next day, dad came home to stay. And for 27 years, they held hands, and hugged, and kissed, and loved
each other with the love of the ages.

And you know why? Because one woman decided to love, and forgive, and forget -- decided to start all over
for her man. Because one mother saw the hurt and the pain three children were going through. And because
one man decided to accept that unconditional love, and to give it back, to reciprocate.

Years later, mom had breast cancer. They were both old by then. I came into the hospital room after traveling
all day to get there. As I walked into the room, there was dad sitting in a big chair to my left. He was holding his bride's hand, and stroking her hair. And my mind raced back to that auspicious night, when love was reborn.

One night, one kiss, three words. The magic of those words lasted a lifetime & beyond! Thanks for the gift, mom and dad. I love you!

Funny Thoughts...

After taking a bath, I decided to cook dinner. I was almost done cooking rice and I was preparing onions and 2 spoonsful of calamansi juice for the desired taste of my corned beef [Yeah, I am craving for corned beef for dinner!] when I receive a unanimous call in my mobile phone. I answered it and a friend of long time ago was on the other line. He was a sparring partner in a taekwondo class which I took during my junior year in the university.

I was surprised to receive a call from him after a very long time. Since the start of this year, I have been leaving messages in his voicemail to call me back for I’ve been contemplating of refreshing and polishing my martial arts skill. The reason why he never returned my calls was because he went to Korea to be the head of a training class for kids. He did not have time to call everyone he knew for he was preoccupied facilitating his travel papers. It was a very urgent request for him to fly to Korea. Anyway, he is back.

My brief stint in learning taekwondo for the second time around brought some funny memories. One thing about taekwondo is that it is like a dance with a certain number of steps. Initially, it earned me a blush due to absolute shame for I cannot follow the simple steps. After much practice at home, I got them right and can execute them with perfect confidence. [*hmm* sounds like a toothpaste commercial to me!]

The second thing that cannot stop me from smiling was the thought of how I felt about yelling “hiyyyyaaaaa!” When we had practice, we were required to yell just like that ‘hiyyyaaaa’. It releases power, energy and strength into your kicks. I always get a reprimand from our trainor everytime he caught me suppressing laughter. I really find the act hilarious. Because of this misdemeanor, I was punished with 50 counts of palm push-ups.

Discipline is one thing a trainee learns in taekwondo. Since I joined this activity, I told myself I have to restrain myself from committing such misconduct.

The effect was that I came to the point of fretting when it comes to yelling during practice. I always find intentional yelling a little barbaric and honestly, I hate my voice when I yell.

The most unforgettable, funny thing that happened during my practice was when this little brat shouted, saying he was Black Mask, pounced at me with ‘hiiiyyyyaaaa’ and kicked me hard twice. The pain in my stomach and my right leg knocked me off the ground.

With a biting pain etched in my face, the little devil with a satisfied smile on his accomplishment left me reeling in the rubberized carpet.

Those were the funny thoughts that I had of this practice.

Still written @ home last Sept 20.

Green with Envy...

For 2 consecutive Saturdays, I have opted not to attend my foreign language class. My excuse for last Saturday's was I had some out-of-town work to do but in truth, I was scaling up and down mountain terrains. Today, my usually, agile body prefers to just languish lazily in the house. I had thought about this Friday night and I have been wanting to spend the entire day at home, in front of my books, papers and personal computer. Let us just say, I want to give my mind the time that it needs. What I am saying is that: ideas and thoughts have been running around, tumbling inside my head. Writing them off will spare me the "frustration" to see them get lost for nothing. Besides, the act literally gives space to other significant and pressing ideas.

Anyway, I brought home some work (again) and read through papers, remembering theories, analyzing practicalities and connections. Since my mood was already bordering around monotony, boredom and sleepiness, I decided to read the Lifestyle section of my fave broadsheet. As expected, the articles perked me up and awakened in me the craving to do my own.

Okay, so I was reading this travelogue. The mere mention of Paris, the Louvre; anything associated with France drove me green with envy. Ever since I was in high school, I have developed a passion and a longing to set foot in this very breath-taking part of the earth. It was probably France that drove me to travel alone to places that are stunningly great and challenging to my own advantage. France has stimulated in me the passion to travel and go places. It was travel that introduced me to appreciate beauty. Beauty is there, yes; but to appreciate them is another thing.



I would long to travel to France, armed with cash, a map, a mobile phone, a pocket pc or probably a PDA (for writing every experience, narrating everything) and most of all, a camera [NOT a digital camera but the usual shoot and print style camera. I have my reasons why].

It is always my desire to see the countryside when I travel, rather than the city life. But I know that when I get to France, I would gawk over the cosmopolitan sights of Paris.

I would probably not staying long at the hotel and instead wander around almost everywhere. I would not even complain how dead-tired my feet will be. So long as I shoot, gape and lavish my eyes and heart in the sights, I will be most thankful for being alive.

Another thing, I would not probably choose a travel package deal that will cite a city tour. Why? Most probably, a city tour will mean a bus tour around the city and tour guides telling about the historical and cultural relevance of each tourist attraction in bored monotones. Not my type.

When the time comes, I will probably riding in cabs, shuttles and trains; skirting off streets and pavements to reach the Louvre, th Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Bastille, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Madeleine Church. I am not a Catholic but to see the last 2 religious "towers" is something I want. I am more interested in the architecture - points, lines, etc of these attractions.

I wish I can finish the foreign language lessons I am taking so I can move on and start polishing the basic French words and phrases that I know. It will be very much helpful in the future. Who knows? I may be flying to Paris in a few years' time.

On another note, I was thinking of traveling alone. Traveling as a solitary figure has been such a fulfilling experience for me. I have known myself to do this when I want to escape the rustle and bustle of city life. It gives me the pleasure to rest my physical and mental state. I don't have to think about everyone and anything. It gives me sheer bliss to enjoy the slow pace of a hurried life. I know some people think the way I do. Working your butt off and no time to live the pleasures of life for a while, is something that drives us over the edge.

But traveling with a best bud is something worth of a great experience. If it is a first time to a certain place and you don't have much worries about yourself (reasons why you escape the city and you just want to enjoy}, it will be great to have someone tag along. Based on my experience, too, traveling alone can be very lonely. While you meet families and friends together, you are alone and feeling pity for yourself for being alone. There's nobody to tell how you see things are, how excited you are; no one to share your thoughts and your mixed feelings; no one to blame when you turn in an alley and get lost and most of all, no one to take a photo of yourself. It will be frustrating not to have a single shot of yourself in these awesome attractions. I really do not like to be a subject of pictures being taken but I would probably beckon some stranger to give me a shot in the portico of the Louvre. Hehehe! "Makapal na kung makapal!"

This was written last Saturday @ home.

Mental Overload...

So what if I stop analyzing stuff and in turn, do blogging? Oh well, I decided to have a break for a while for I cannot comprehend anymore what I was reading. It is not so advisable to persist on something that will not be working anyway.

~~~~~@

Boss ko nagpapatawa lagi.

A while ago, he summoned me and asked if I am good in Math. I told him humbly that I am not or at my best, passable. He showed me varied forms of equations and my answers. Good enough, I got it all right. I thought it was already over but...

While he was "cackling" about arithmetic, I was mulling over the possibility that he might require me to conduct quantitative analysis. Oh my! The thought rattled me.

As it turned out, he will be utilizing such "show of prowess" to us during our next luncheon meeting. What a relief! Whew! I can picture myself giving him a friendly punch in the head. Hehehe!

You see, once a month our office conducts a meeting held during lunchtime. This is a venue where we can communicate freely, air out any grievances or problems, give suggestions and solutions. Basically, it is a free talk venue for all.

~~~~~@

I "cleaned" my "MY DOCUMENTS" folder in my computer. If I am going to compare it with the way my table looked, the contents of my folder give justice to the word CLUTTERED. So, I opened, deleted, moved documents from here and there.

Documents and reports from my old task as a project officer is now stuffed in a folder named OLD PROJECT STUFF. It was just less than 6 months since I assumed my post as part of the Research group that I already have tons of folders to manage. *hmm*

I may be in Research but I can still find my way through my things.

Missing but Pre-occupied...

I suddenly missed my blogging act. Hehehe! Sobrang busy sa work eh. Kahit sa bahay, I bring home work. Puro readings. I need to catch up with the research world kasi ako din ang mahihirapan in the process.

So far, it has been fruitful. I just have to make this a part of my routine, though how much I hate ROUTINE!

Research is ROUTINE. This is where I get money from. So, I better live with it.

F4 brouhaha...

Shameful it might be but I will admit I am one of the fanatics of the F4. I even wanted to watch their show but due to a prior schedule, I decided not to.

I have heard so much about the Event. "Disaster" as they call it.

Due to a swarming number of people who want to see the Event, it was calculated to have the venue lax of security.

To the detriment of those who bought the tickets in a much earlier date found themselves lining up in just one entrance.

What would be more irritating was how the money that was spent by a curious peep or a fanatic went down the drain. Those peepz who only paid the prize of P500 peso bucks were able to get a closer look on the F2. They were able to cross divisions and what was worse was, those who paid for a whopping P10,000 bucks was snapped into a reality of terror as they ended without seats because others got there before them.

After reality had sunk into that confused head of yours, you only get to hear 6 songs! More front-acts than the much-awaited show from the F2.

F2 causing a stampede? I heard a number were injured. Goodness!

It was such a shame how the organizers "ORGANIZED" the Event? Maybe, they should go back to where they were before when they were just learning how to organize events!

What a shame!

I call it pathetic.

The EVENT

As I kept "vigil" over the imminent arrival of the F4, or more aptly called F2 at this time, some news have gone overboard. Sometimes, it is kinda pathetic to exist in the media world.

Other communication networks were banned from covering the arrival of the stars of "Meteor Garden", the popular chinovela. So the battle for supremacy and who is the best network still rages on. Still trying to outdo each other, hah! As I have learned about the intricacies of competition through economics, advantages and disadvantages abound. As networks clash with each other in a cutthroat competition, I only observed how it become too unhealthy for both parties - the networks themselves and the viewers. I beg not to discuss them so figure it out.

Such a mere ploy to earn more profits than to give the viewers a better perception of almost about everything.

Two of the F4 pop quartet, Vanness Wu portraying the role of Mei Zhuo and Ken Zhu who is Xi Men, plus Barbie Xu as San Cai, arrived in Manila's international airport on board 2 China Airlines flight from Taiwan on the same fateful day of the 9/11.





NAIA security was so tight that a separate exit was given to the F4 stars and can only be accessed by ABS-CBN's media personnels.

What was more unbelievable was these stars were given a welcome arrival that's only befitting for diplomats and dignitaries! I even read that Hollywood stars Lou Diamond Phillips and Tia Carrere who recently flew to Manila to grace the CineManila Film Fest did not get get to use the presidential lounge in NAIA.

I have admittedly declared I am an F4 fanatic but not that go over the bounds of irrationality. Come on, let us be practical here.

I got the thinking that the reason for this very VIP treatment was because the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office or the TECO requested NAIA to provide the necessary security measures for the much-crazed about Taiwanese icons.

Okay! Call me a hypocrite, bitch or whatever. I like F4 yes, I do not even deny that [even though my friends call me "jologs"].

Is this kind of craze a form of colonial mentality? Since time immemorial, we have glorified imported products or any things that come from overseas as something more worthy of our own. It is such a pity that this kind of thinking still exist in our burned sentimentality.

Or on the other hand, zealousness over these ironed-straight haired pop stars may not be so bad at all. At least, they are Asians, not that archetypal beings from the Western world. What do you think?

Okay, so I sometimes sing the F4 songs in the native Mandarin words being played on air. I can almost memorize them. True, I cannot fully understand them [I can understand a few lines of it] and yes, it is so funny to sing songs with lyrics you cannot even comprehend. But I would rather sing them as they are than have them translated to Tagalog or English. I find them so "baduy."

The media can also be blamed for the humongous popularity that it had generated for the Taiwanese stars. Capitalizing on their bankability to create more money, huh!

It only emphasizes the gargantuan power local TV can obtain from the viewers. It entirely works on the subliminal nerve of the mind.

It is such a pitiable state to realize that while we capitalize on the bankability of these imports (which our very own local media had created), why cannot we do the same to our very own, with much potential and better talent, local wanna-be stars?

I hope we will be able to get past this kind of merciful predicament.

Love and Friendship

Some thoughts and perspective about love and friendship - the 2 most powerful composition of human relationships in this side of the earth. I am posting this which I received from my inbox but it does not mean that I agree to all of it.

Learn to love the people who are with you at present.

Forget the people in the past and thank them for hurting you, which led you to love the people you have right now.

When you love someone, you'll do crazy things you can't explain, you'll deny the truth and believe in lies.

When you love someone, you sacrifice, give everything you've got and don't think twice. You risk it all no matter what.

Everything in life is temporary because everything changes. That is why it takes courage to love, knowing it might end anytime...having faith will make it last.
Friends are not the one who laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry. They are the ones who make you laugh and stop you from crying.

Love is the feeling we fall in and out of, and every time we fall off, we learn to hold on tighter...hoping that next time, we may never have to let go.

They say when love knocks at your door, open it. But do you know that sometimes love enters through the back door and before you begin to notice it, it's on it's way out.

Have you ever loved only to let it go? Have you ever hated someone and loved him so? Have you ever missed someone so bad it made you cry? Have you ever seen someone left alone without knowing why?

True: Lucky is the man who wins the first love of a woman but luckier is the woman who wins the last love of a man.

Love is not the right word to say when you feel guilty nor the right word to say when you like a person but love really matters when we share our thoughts, our minds, and our hearts...

Life has a way of changing things but not the joy that friendship brings, for friendship is like the shining moon, makes each night a brighter one.

Love is not for beauty or color of the skin, but for a heart that is loyal within, for beauty fades and the skin would grow old but a heart that is loyal will never turn cold.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

A love is easy to feel, so hard to explain; so easy to get, so hard to let go; so easy to spell, so hard to define...and yet everyone is still taking the risk. That's love!

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in love in mutual weirdness and call it LOVE!

Never be afraid to fall in love. It may hurt a lot, it may give you aches and pain, but if you don't follow your heart; in the end you will cry even more for not giving love a chance.

Don't run ahead of God. Let Him direct your steps. He has plans and He has His time. God's clock is never one minute early nor one minute late. It always strikes right on time.

If someone loves you, love them back not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you have never seen or felt without them.

The past is meant to be used as a tool for the future. Bad experiences indeed make you bitter but the lessons learned should make you better.

On letting go: it hurts to see someone you love happy with somebody else; but wouldn't it hurt you more to see that person unhappy...with you?

When you find arms that will hold you at your weakest, eyes that will see you at your ugliest, lips that will kiss you in both instances, and a heart that will love you at your worst, then you have found true love.

Someday, someone might come into your life and love you in a way you always wanted. If your someday was yesterday, LEARN; if your someday is tomorrow, HOPE; if your someday is today, CHERISH.

Let go of the hand of the person you love, but don't let go of God's hand. For when you hold on to His hand, He may be holding the person you love on the other hand, to let you hold each other again.

Why do people say loving too much makes you stupid? It's because you'll always be wrong even if you're right. You're weak even if you're strong.

You give without receiving. You cry, get pains but still say you're happy.

How would you know if you've fallen in love real hard? It's when someone hurts you and you love him still. Then he hurts you again to find out that you love him even more...

We only have one heart, but there are many places in it wherein we keep every person we meet. Somebody whom we know we might never meet again, but will never be forgotten.

Your friends are like buttons on the elevator --- they will either bring you up or take you down.

Choose the people you want to call friends, but be sure to get yourself on the right floor.

If you're afraid to love a person because of friendship, you have two choices; either tell what you feel and let love take its place or forever hide the feeling under a friendship full of pretenses.

It's best to wait for the one you want than settle for the one available. Best to wait for the one you love than the one who's around. Best to wait for the right one 'cause life's too short to be wasted on just someone.

If you feel love, don't lose a grip on it, you'll never know the one you let go was the one you waited for all your life.

We can never understand joy till we feel sorrow, faith till we're tested, peace till we're faced with conflicts, trust till we're betrayed, and love till it's gone.

Love is not a matter of finding the right person but rather creating the right relationship. The important question is not how much love there is at the beginning but how much there is at the end.

Sometimes no matter how secure you are in someone's arms and no matter how tightly you hold on to this person's hand, you'll find yourself falling...dangerously in love with someone else...

There are some who catch our sight and only few who touch our hearts. Look into your heart and pursue the person you love for it's better to risk than just let love pass you by.

When everything seems to be unfair, when all that you do isn't appreciated, I'll take your hand, wipe away your tears, take you for a walk and tell you everything will be fine.

Sometimes in life you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh till you can't stop. Someone who holds your hand and never lets you go alone in life.

This is funny...

I have read this many times before in my email but it always amuse me to read it again and again. Why? Because it reminds me of someone who made the same mistake...Hahaha!



I was barely sitting down when I heard a voice from the other stall saying: "Hi, how are you?"

I'm not the type to start a conversation in the men's restrooms at a rest stop but, I don't know what got into me, so I answered, somewhat embarrassedly: "Doin Just Fine!"

And the other guy says: "So what are you up to?"

What kind of question is that? At that point, I'm thinking this is too bizarre so I say: "Uhhh I'm like you, just traveling east!"

At this point I am just trying to get out as fast as I can when I hear another question.

"Can I come over to your place after while?"

Ok, this question is just wacky but I figured I could just be polite and end the conversation.

I tell him, "Well, I have company over so today is a bad day for me!"

Then I hear the guy say nervously...

"LISTEN, I'll have to call you back. There's an idiot in the other stall who keeps answering all my questions!"

Yesterday...

I experienced 2 kinds of negative emotions yesterday. The first one was: ANGER. I woke up early, left the house very early, only to find myself cueing at a long line for a ride at the fx station. Well, I understand that this was because of the heavy downpour that caused the access roads to be flooded and in turn, make traffic movement very slow. But still, it made me curse for the never-ending line that happens almost everyday.

The second one was: ANXIETY. The reason why I went to the office early was because I had to prepare for a little presentation. I knew it was easy but it had been a long time since I did that. I thought I lost my confidence to stand in front and deliver my lines. Anyway, everything was okay.

Later in the afternoon {after ffice hours}, together with Dex, we went to the grocery to buy some essentials of mine. It turned out that I was also planning to buy something aside from my essentials. Added to it, I bought my favorite Gardenia loaf of bread, a ham spread {I decided to buy these 2 since every night, I am craving for a ham sandwich}, a pack of Yakult {I always drink this every morning thus replacing my 4 cups of caffeine intake} and Argentina corned beef {I was craving to have corned beef for dinner last nite, cooked with calamansi, tomato, potato and onions. Yummy!}

Anyway, I cooked the corned beef as I crave for it but minus the onions for there was no supply anymore in the house. Too bad!

Too Much Studying Makes You...

Mga Senyales na Sobra ka na sa Pag-aaral:

1) Ilang buwan ka ng hindi nakakapunta sa mall.

2) Wala kang pakialam kung bagay ang color ng top, pants and shoes mo pag pumapasok ka sa school.

3) Kumakanta ka ng "CTG kita miss miss pakipot...." ng walang dahilan... bigla na lang pumasok sa utak mo and you even invited your friends to sing with you.

4) Na-aappreciate mo ang gray skies tuwing umaga dahil malaki ang possibility na bumagyo at mawalan ng pasok.

5) Nagseselos na ang iyong friends dahil lagi mo na lang "ka-date" ang mga authors ng mga libro mo.

6) Pag-uwi mo sa bahay, chaka mo pa lang madidiscover na hindi ka pala nagsuklay ng buhok buong araw.

7) Meron ka ng 4 empty ORANGE stabilo sa drawer na nagamit mo for this sem (orange dahil naniniwala kang this color can make you smart and help you remember things easily) at maraming correction tapes na ubos na.

8) Halos di mo na nakaka-usap ang parents, bros and sis mo dahil lagi ka na lang nagkukulong sa kwarto pag maraming naaral.

9) Naka-smile ka kahit mag-isa ka lang dahil naiisip mong malapit ng matapos ang sem kahit na matagal pa talaga siya.

10) Hindi terno ang socks na nasuot mo sa school.

11) Napapabayaan mo na ang orgs mo.

12) Hindi mo madalas napapansin na di ka pa pala nakakain ng lunch or dinner.

13) Sobra ka na sa coffee. Pagkatapos pa ng exam, pumunta kayo sa isang coffeeshop ng friend mo at walang ginawa kundi tumawa lang buong hapon hanggang 9pm. Epekto yata ng sobrang coffee for the past few weeks just to make sure na GISING ang utak mo while reading your books.

14) Pwede ka ng magbenta ng mga white papers sa magbobote dyaryo dahil sangkatutak na ang mga "xerox" stuff mo sa drawer.

15) Lumalaki ang eyebags and dumadami ang pimples mo. Sarcastic na rin ang mga friends mo pag sinabi nilang, "blooming/ inspired ka yata ngayon." This only means na hindi ka talaga blooming/inspired... ang totoo, mukha kang expired. They just want you to feel good.

16) Ilang pencil na ang napuputol mo everytime hindi mo magets ang ilang bagay.

17) Bigla mong nagustuhan ang Meteor Garden. You consider it as an outlet... a good way to release the negative energy inside your tired body.

18) Your frequent ____expression: "Kulang ako sa oras" or pag naasar talaga, "PAKSHET, balance SHET."

19) Kahit super corny ang joke, tinatawanan mo pa rin ito para lang masabing happy person ka and "I'm not yet insane!"

20) Short ang temper mo. Dami kasing iniisip na bagay palagi.

Hindi ko ikakaila na minsan ay may ginawa ako ng tulad ng mga nabanggit sa itaas. Hehehe! Those were the days, 'ika nga.

The BookFair...

After the meeting with our ED, I went back to my work station and tidied my place. I called the security thru the intercom if the person I was waiting for was already around. He said yes.

Dex was already 'camped' out in the office lobby when I came out. I requested him to accompany me to go to SM Megamall. I told him that I would like to check-out the event happening at the MegaTrade Hall.

I was too glad to have visited the ongoing 24th Manila International Book Fair. I felt so overwhelmed by the countless of books that surrounded me. I was money-broke but the few hundred bucks that were stashed in my wallet did not deter me from buying a couple of books.

Lots of books were on the shelves and one can choose from the vast arrays of genre. I was on the look-out for poetry, prose, documentary, other non-fiction books. I also saw varied books on the Philippine economy, politics and the likes but I stayed away from them. They are nice reads but the thought that I have been reading such kind of books since college and even now in my job in research brought out a woozy feeling.

The prices of the most-sought-after books are really amazing. One can even find the best buys ever.

*hmm* I will be checking it out again since the Book Fair will run till September 7th, Saturday. The event started last August 30th.

Transition...

As mentioned a few hours ago, all national staff {that includes me}, had a meeting with our Executive Director. Together with the Deputy Executive Director and Associate Director, our meeting lasted for about 30 minutes or so. There were two (2) issues or concerns raised in the meeting. Our ED did almost the talking. Basically, our organization {as it is aptly referred to} will change its status in October. From being a foreign government agency, we will be acquiring a much different status. They call it: the IAA or the Independent Administrative Agency. From thereon, we will not be under the Japanese Government anymore. In short, we will be independent of decisions and management from the concerned government agencies. From being a public government entity, we will now undergo a transition to being part of the private business community.

In the course of this transition are advantages and disadvantages. It is always the same, among other things though. The only difference is: which outweighs which? In shorter elaboration, will the advantages outweighs more the disadvantages or is it vice-versa?

The second issue that was discussed was regarding our salary increase. We were supposed to receive it last July but for reasons beyond us, we did not get it. We did not received any word about it, until this day.

Our superiors had been "fighting", negotiating and arguing with our Head Office in Tokyo that we should have increments in our salary. Throughout our ED's explanation, we really had no idea what the matter will be. While listening to him, I have been guessing in my mind that we will not receive any increment at all. I got my thinking, too. I was weighing his words.

To cut the story short, we will be receiving something after all. A mere 3% increase in our salary. We used to enjoy {as far as I can recall} at least, 6% every year. Another cut will be in our 14th month pay. From receiving a one month's salary, all we will be getting will be 50% of it.

I know there will be other cuts to other privileges we are still enjoying right now. But whatever they may be, I just hope it will not be too much of a burden for us.

On the contrary, I do not want to elaborate how I perceive everything but there is this nagging feeling that we {the national staff} are at the losing end. I understand their points and suggestions but during these hard times, I wonder if any of us will even stay for the next 2 years...

Well, I already have my plans even before this meeting materialized in the head of our ED. I am just awaiting some opportunities to "pop up" in the next few months within the year. The coming months will be the deciding point if I will stay or not. Honestly, I had already hatched this plan in my head since last year but some factors keep coming up. Things blew off because other things kept on happening, too.

What I really have in mind is: this is a MAKE or BREAK for me!

The right fix?
1 Sept 2003
The Economist
Global Agenda

India and Brazil are good at making cheap copies of life-saving drugs. Now they are allowed to export them too.


Patented or generic, they all taste the same.

SINCE 1996, Brazil has cut the number of people dying of AIDS in half, by providing patented anti-retroviral drugs to 150,000 people free of charge. It can do so because it either makes cheap, generic versions of the drugs itself or it gets the drugs cheap from the patent-holder by threatening to make them itself. Brazil's patent-busting has withstood the grumbles of big western drug companies and American trade representatives at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). At the Doha trade talks in November 2001, ministers confirmed that patents could be broken in cases of national emergency and that public health crises, such as AIDS or tuberculosis epidemics, counted as just such an emergency. Intellectual property rights, the Doha declaration said, should not stymie efforts to "promote access to medicines for all."

Unfortunately, not every poor country can emulate Brazil's success, because not every country that needs anti-AIDS drugs can make them itself. The Doha declaration affirms a country's right to copy these drugs, but it does not give countries the right to export them. As they stand, the WTO's rules leave the vast majority of poor, disease-ridden countries in a pickle. They cannot afford to buy the patented versions of essential drugs; they do not have the resources to make cheaper generic versions; and they cannot import generics, because the countries that make them are not allowed to export them. Tucked away in paragraph six of one of its annexes, the Doha declaration briefly acknowledges this problem and resolves to find an "expeditious solutions". Twenty one months later, and with less than two weeks to go before trade ministers meet again in Cancun, Mexico, the "paragraph six problem" has a solution.

On Saturday August 30th, the WTO's 146 member states finally approved a deal on access to cheap drugs struck a few days earlier by America and four much poorer countries (India, Brazil, South Africa and Kenya). The deal attempts to square the aspirations of potential exporters of generics (such as India and Brazil), the needs of importers (many of them in Africa) and the commercial interests of the patent-holders themselves, principally American pharmaceutical companies. The Americans do not want to be accused of blocking poor countries' access to essential drugs, but they are keen to set limits on which drugs are seen as essential, and which countries can count themselves poor. They walked away from a deal last December arguing that paragraph-six exceptions should apply only to a short list of the most infectious diseases. Saturday's agreement does not do that. But it does list a number of rich countries that will refrain from importing generics and a second list of less-rich countries that will import them only in a national emergency or "circumstances of extreme urgency".

Even if richer countries do not import generics directly, the pharmaceutical industry fears that generic drugs ostensibly exported to poor countries will find their way back into richer markets. To discourage this, the agreement requires that generic drugs be labelled, packaged, shaped or embossed differently from the patented original. The big pharmaceutical companies also worry that patent waivers granted for life-saving drugs, such as efavirenz (an AIDS treatment), will be abused to make lifestyle drugs, such as Viagra (no introduction needed).

The generic threat is not entirely idle. India's pharmaceutical industry, in particular, is a wonder of the third world, making high-quality, low-cost copies of the latest drug innovations. Thus far, the industry has catered mainly to the domestic market, taking advantage of longstanding holes in India's patent laws. When those holes are plugged in 2005, Indian companies plan to move aggressively into the American and European markets, selling cheap versions of drugs whose patents have expired and challenging patents that haven't.

Saturday's agreement exhorts countries to use paragraph six only "in good faith to protect public health" and not in order to "pursue industrial or commercial-policy objectives". The agreement will be monitored by the WTO to ensure it is not abused. But is it necessarily bad faith to mix private commerce and public health? As Medecins Sans Frontieres, a humanitarian group, points out, the quickest route to cheap drugs is not charity but competition. Boehringer Ingelheim, a large pharmaceutical company, offers its anti-AIDS drug, nevirapine, at the discounted price of $438 per person per year. The market price of the generic version is only $166. This shouldn't surprise anyone. Patents are crucial to the pharmaceutical industry precisely because drugs are dauntingly expensive to invent and to test, but delightfully cheap to make.

The agreement tries valiantly to balance the commercial interests of the large pharmaceutical companies with the public-health needs of the world's poor. But is such a balance possible? A generic-drugs industry small and narrow enough for the comfort of the patent-holders may not be big and broad enough for the enormous task of tackling the world's epidemics. Without some relatively lucrative markets in places like South Korea or Mexico, the industry may never achieve the economies of scale necessary to make its drugs affordable to countries like Uganda or Tanzania. The industry may also be reluctant to enter export markets in a big way if its patent waivers are constantly under review by the agreement's monitoring body.

Some think the safeguards proposed in the agreement are not safe enough; others think them too onerous. India's pharmaceutical companies complained that paragraph six was "practically inoperative" even before the latest safeguards were introduced. The American drug companies, however, think even the new safeguards are far from perfect. They are set out, not in the formal text itself, but in a chairman's statement accompanying the text -- a kind of gentleman's agreement in a cut-throat, ungentlemanly world. One industry source, cited last month by Inside US Trade, suggested that the American trade representative, Robert Zoellick, wanted to be seen to be fighting their corner, but wasn't really.

There is no doubt that Mr Zoellick was under considerable pressure to come to a deal. Without agreement on paragraph six, the WTO's poorer members might have walked away from the entire Cancun trade summit, jeopardising its vast agenda on agriculture, services and investment. Indeed, the long tussle over generic drugs shows that a united front of developing countries can hold its own against Big Pharma. If they can only do the same against Big Farmers, Cancun might be a success after all.

Where Did Your Soul Originate?


You come from the Night Sky.
You're drawn to the stars and planets,
and it's no wonder why you came from them.

What's YOUR deepest secret?



Oh! This is so frightening! I don't think I am ever capable of this...And just a thought: I don't even know how to drive much less own a car...*hmm*

What type of eyes do you have?

You have: Mysterious eyes. All in the title. You're independent, secretive and mysterious. You appear cold and distant, but hey, at least no one messes with you.

What Chinese Symbol Are You?


EARTH is your chinese symbol!

What Emotion Are You?


You are Peace.

You are at peace with your self and the world around you.
You have balance in your life and
exude tranquility from every pore of your body.
People are constantly asking you "what is your secret?"

What sign of the Black Zodiac are you?


The Lost Soul

What color do you see the world in?


Pink:
You see the world in bright pink.
The world is a happy, happy place!
You love all people and things!!
Life is great!
You're just like a happy child.
Spread the cheer.

I am 3Bs...Bored But Busy...

I can hear the blasts of raindrops hitting the glass window, just a mere 5 steps away from me. I know I am pretty loaded with tasks but I cannot seem to bring my concentration on it. *hmm* Admitting it, I am damn bored.

Maybe Quizilla can perk me up...


What Is Your Animal Personality?

Arsenic poisoning in Mt. APO geothermal area confirmed

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato -- Five-year-old Richard of Barangay Ilomavis here is severely malnourished.

But it was not his thin body that caught the attention of a team of poison, health and environment experts that came to conduct a study in his village, but the prominent white transverse lines in his fingernails.

The study, called "Health and Environment Impact of Arsenic Exposure Among Residents Near Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant" was conducted with 47 mothers and 47 children from barangays Ilomavis, Mua-an, Kisandal, Meohao, Sayaban and the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) Village as subjects, since May 2000.

Its result was released only last week.

The villages are within a radius of 10 kilometers from the geothermal plant.

Technically called Mee's lines, the lines on Richard's fingernails was a manifestation of arsenic poisoning.

When the experts from the National Poison Control and Information Service and the Department of Health, led by Dr. Nelia Maramba, a toxicologist from University of the Philippines, ran a series of tests on Richard, they confirmed their worst fear.

The boy, who regularly wriggles because of convulsions even without a fever, has a high concentration of arsenic in his body.

And the experts agreed that arsenic was slowly "eating" him.


Poison

Arsenic, a silver-gray crystalline solid, is a very poisonous element that naturally occurs in volcanic areas. It easily dissolves in water and can also exist as a compound with carbon, chlorine, sulfur or hydrogen. It has no taste and no smell so its presence would not be readily detected.

While the element naturally occurs and might find its way into food and drinking water, the standard acceptable level of arsenic in a human body is only three micrograms (mcg) per deciliter of blood.

Richard's arsenic level reached 22.07 mcg.

But Richard is only one of the seven children from six villages found positive of arsenic in a 10-km radius area within the geothermal plant.

To find out how bad the arsenic poisoning among villagers was, the research group used Barangay Pangao-an, which is outside of the 10-km radius study area, as a control area with 24 mothers and children respondents.

Only one child from the controlled area was found with a high level of arsenic.

Maramba said they suspect that the child may have acquired the arsenic from the villages exposed to the substance.

Maramba said headaches, confusion, sleepiness and convulsions are only some of the effects of arsenic poisoning.

Affected individuals also experience vomiting, diarrhea, kidney, liver and lung problems.

But the long-term effect of arsenic poisoning is cancer, according to her.

During the study, Maramba said they found that mothers in the six villages have facial lesions, Mee's lines, skin lesions, gingival lines, retracted membranes, hyper-pigmentation and skin rashes. These things were not present in mothers from the control village.

Engineer Anna Rivera said aside from toxic levels of arsenic in the residents, they also found that the level of arsenic in the soils of four of the six study barangays -- Mua-an, Meohao, Matingaw and Sayaban -- was high.

The United States standard for arsenic in the soil is only 0.09 milligram per kilogram of sample. But samples, such as from Mua-an, showed that the arsenic level reached 4.87 milligrams.

Rivera said there was also high concentration of arsenic in the air of Mua-an.

But the team said it could not conclude if the high level of arsenic in the study area was due to the presence of the geothermal plant.

Rivera explained there are three possible sources of arsenic.

"It could naturally occur especially in volcanic areas, or caused by pesticides and could be caused by the geothermal operation of the PNOC," she said.


Banned chemicals

But Maramba said pesticides could be the least possible source of arsenic poisoning in the area because farm chemicals containing the element had already been banned since 1978.

She said the team was not discounting the possibility that the state-owned power generation company was to blame.

With the findings, the PNOC, through its environmental superintendent Ferdinand Santos, said they were willing to cooperate so that an "objective" study to find out the source of arsenic contamination could be conducted.

But then, he said that PNOC has been very strict in the operation of the power plants that it was constantly ensuring a zero-waste water discharge.

It also has a program to protect the area's forest cover.

Santos pointed out that these efforts won the PNOC the 1995 Gawad Kalikasan for most Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Impact Assessment by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Santos believed that the "high concentration" of arsenic as found in the study area is naturally related as arsenic is naturally occurring in volcanic areas.

"I'm sorry to make the PNOC as the marker but we are not (directly) saying that it is the source," Maramba said.

Source: inq7.net dated 31 August 03

Death by chemical poisoning...you never know that you're being killed slowly...

F1 updates...Renault's Alonso wins Hungarian Grand Prix

BUDAPEST -- Fernando Alonso became the youngest Formula One winner in history after securing victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday as world champion Michael Schumacher saw his lead in the world championship cut to one point.

Spaniard Alonso, who began racing for Renault at the start of this season, outpaced all the championship contenders to finish ahead of second-placed Finn Kimi Raikkonen and third-placed Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

His victory, at the age of 22 years and 26 days, put him ahead of New Zealander Bruce McLaren, who claimed his first win in the USA in 1959.

But while it was celebrations for Renault and Alonso, it was glum faces at Ferrari as the Italian giants saw Brazilian Rubens Barrichello retire in a high-speed crash and Schumacher manage to claim just one point for eighth place.

Montoya and Raikkonen are now just one and two points respectively behind Schumacher in a three-way fight for the title and Ralf Schumacher's fourth place helped move Williams eight points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' world championship.

Scot David Coulthard finished fifth for McLaren to help the British team close to within six points of the Ferrari squad who were so impressively dominant last season.

Australian Mark Webber finished sixth for Jaguar after a strong drive from third on the grid while Italian Jarno Trulli's seventh place secured fourth in the championship for Renault.

Alonso had started from pole and made a clean break off the line as second-placed Ralf Schumacher and fourth-placed Montoya made slow get-aways on the dirty side of the track and dropped back.

Webber made it through to second with Barrichello moving to third as the two Williams grappled with Michael Schumacher before Ralf Schumacher lost out when he spun at turn two.

Cristiano Da Matta, who started from 15th on the grid, was pushed into the pitlane after failing to start but managed to get his Toyota out on track before the end of the first lap.

Raikkonen and Trulli both passed Barrichello on the third lap when he went straight on at the chicane after a failed passing attempt on Webber, who was slowing the field.

By the tenth lap, Alonso had built up a lead of 18.4 seconds on second-placed Webber while Schumacher, last but one at the end of the first lap, had already moved up to 11th place.

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve's run of bad luck continued with his seventh retirement in 13 races when he coasted to a halt in the pitlane after completing 14 laps in his BAR-Honda.

Barrichello survived a frightening crash when the rear left suspension on his Ferrari snapped and his tyre fell off at 290kmh under braking for the first corner.

His car, out of control, went straight on into the tyre barrier, but astonishingly, he was able to climb out and walk away with a thumbs-up gesture to the crowd.

"I was just a passenger," said Barrichello. "There was a suspension failure. I lost the brakes and there was nothing I could do about it. I just thank God that I am alright."

With the first round of stops completed, Alonso retained the lead with Raikkonen second, Webber third and Trulli fourth. Quick pit work allowed Montoya to pass Schumacher for fifth, while Ralf Schumacher was in the points.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was forced to walk back to the pits after completing 30 laps when he parked his Jordan at the side of the track at turn four following an engine failure.

On the same lap, Ralf Schumacher passed his Ferrari-driving brother Michael when the pair were slowed by Hungarian debutant Zsolt Baumgartner as they came up to lap him.

Alonso pitted for a second time at the end of lap 30 but retained the lead ahead of Raikkonen after slick pit work from his team left him stationary for just 6.9 seconds.

Frenchman Olivier Panis was forced to retire his Toyota on lap 34 when he failed to get away from his second pit stop and Baumgartner's home race came to an end two laps later when the engine in his Jordan failed.

Briton Justin Wilson was the next man to suffer an engine failure when the Cosworth in the back of his Jaguar expired on lap 44. German Heinz Harald Frentzen retired his Sauber four laps later.

Alonso made his final pit stop, his third in total, at the end of the 49th lap and, after being stationary for 7.7 seconds, he returned to the racetrack comfortably ahead of second-placed Raikkonen and on course for victory.

Montoya almost threw away third place when he spun on lap 63 but he collected it in time to stay ahead of team-mate Schumacher and retain his place alongside Alonso and Raikkonen on the podium.

Alonso's victory made him the eighth different winner from five different teams-- Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Jordan and Renault--in 13 races this season and gave Renault their first victory since Alain Prost won in Austria in 1983. -- AFP

I wonder if my all-time fave F1 race, Michael Schumacher, is losing his streak...*hmm*

COFFEE Announcement!!!

In support of the National Coffee Development Board’s thrust to promote the Philippine coffee industry, the Makati Business Club is encouraging members and the general public to visit the Asia Food Expo 2003 at the World Trade Center, Manila on September 3-6, 2003. Now on its 12th year, AFEX is the biggest and the most successful exhibition in the food and beverage industry in the Philippines.

The National Coffee Development Board is a private sector-led group originally sworn into office as the National Task Force on Coffee Rehabilitation by President Arroyo on 29 May 2002. MBC currently serves as its secretariat.

Aside from information about the local coffee industry, the Coffee Board pavilion inside AFEX will showcase the best locally-grown coffee varieties through the various participating merchants. The Coffee Board also offers seminars on coffee.