People & Power

Since the biggest issue in the Philippines right now is the Reproductive Health Bill and the threat of President Noynoy Aquino being excommunicated by the church. I think this video is explains pretty well the state of the nation in regards to its population.

Be Careful Guys

Bob Burnquist Grand Canyon Jump

Skateboard grind then base jump into the Grand Canyon. Damn! This guy is crazy! But it's amazing to watch.

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson

Tagalog Dictionary for the Rich and the Poor

Kung mayaman ka, meron kang "allergy".
Kung mahirap ka, ang tawag dyan ay "galis" o "bakokang".

Sa mayaman, "nervous breakdown" dahil sa "tension and stress".
Sa mahirap, "sira ang ulo".

Kung mayaman ka, "pneumonia" daw ang sakit mo.
Kung mahirap, "TB" yon.

Sa mayaman, "hyperacidity".
Kapag mahirap, "ulcer" dahil walang laman ang tiyan.

Sa mayamang "malikot ang kamay", ang tawag ay "kleptomaniac".
Sa mahirap, ang tawag ay "magnanakaw" o "kawatan".

Pag mayaman ka, you're "eccentric".
Kung mahirap ka, "may toyo ka sa ulo" o "may topak" o "may sayad".

Kung mayaman ka at sumakit ang ulo mo, ikaw ay may "migraine".
Kung mahirap ka naman at sumakit ang ulo mo, ikaw ay "nalipasan ng gutom".

Kung mayaman ka, you are referred to as someone who is "scoliotic".
Pero kung mahirap ka, ikaw ay "kuba".

Kung ang señorita mo ay maitim, ang tawag ay "morena" o "sun-tanned".
Pero kung isa kang domestic na maitim, ikaw ay "ita" o "negrita" o "baluga".

Kung nasa high society ka at ikaw ay maliit, ang tawag sa iyo ay "petite".
Kung mahirap ka lang, ikaw ay "pandak" o "bansot".

Kung socialite ka, ikaw ay "pleasingly plump".
Kapag mahirap ka, ika'y "tabatsoy" o "lumba-lumba" ...pag minamalas ka pa, "baboy".

Kapag mayaman, "fasting" ang hindi kumain.
Kung mahirap, "nagtitiis".

Kung well-off ka at date ka rito, date ka roon, ang tawag sa iyo ay "socialite".
Kung mahirap ka, ikaw ay "pakawala" o "pok-pok".

Kung mayamang alembong ka, ang tawag sa iyo ay "liberated".
Pero kung isa kang dukha, ang tawag sa iyo "malandi".

Kapag mayaman, "misguided" o "spoiled" ka.
Kung mahirap ka, "addict" o "durugista".

Kung may pera ka, ang tawag sa iyo "single parent".
Pero kung wala kang trabaho, ang tawag sa iyo "disgrasyada".

Kapag mayaman ka at sexy, "fashionable" daw.
Kung mahirap, sigurado "GRO" o "japayuki" ka.

Ang tawag sa mayayamang puro gulay ang kinakain, "vegetarian".
Habang kakaawa ang mahirap na "kumakain ng damo.".

Sa exclusive school, "assertive" ang mga batang sumasagot sa mga guro.
Pero pag ang mga mahihirap na bata ang sumasagot sa mga guro, ang tawag sa kanila ay "bastos!".

Ang mayamang tumatanda, "are graduating gracefully into senior citizenhood".
Ang mga mahihirap ay "gumugurang".

Ang anak ng mayaman ay "slow learner".
Ang anak ng mahirap ay "bobo" o "gung-gong".

Kung mayaman ka at marami kang kumain, you flatter your host who says, "masarap kang kumain and I like you, you do justice to my cooking".
Kung ghastly peasant ka eating the same amount in the same house, your host will say to himself na ikaw ay "patay-gutom".

Kung graduate ka ng exclusive school at sa ibang bansa ka nagtatrabaho, ang tawag sa iyo "expat".
Kung mahirap ka lang, ikaw ay "contract worker".

Kung boss ka at binabasa mo ito sa office mo, "okay lang".
Pero kung ikaw ay hamak na empleyado lamang, ikaw ay "nagbubulakbol"...

Georges St. Pierre Wows Pinoy Fans at Mall of Asia

Blackberry Playbook

Blackberry's answer to the Apple iPad. Wifi only for now. Now 3G or 4G. Dual HD camera, 1024-by-600-pixel display and 7 inch screen.

GLEE - Telephone (Sunshine and Rachel)

So is this Shariz?

Making A Baby

There is not one dirty word in it --

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, 'Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon...'

Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. 'Good morning, Ma'am', he said, 'I've come to...'

'Oh, no need to explain,' Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, 'I've been expecting you.'

'Have you really?' said the photographer. 'Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?'

'Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat!

After a moment she asked, blushing, 'Well, where do we start?'

'Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.'

'Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!'

'Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.'

'My, that's a lot!', gasped Mrs. Smith.

'Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be in and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that.'

'Don't I know it,' said Mrs. Smith quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. 'This was done on the top of a bus,' he said.

'Oh, my God!' Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat...

'And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.'

'She was difficult?' asked Mrs. Smith.

'Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look.'

'Four and five deep?' said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.

'Yes', the photographer replied. 'And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.'

Mrs. Smith leaned forward. 'Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?'

'It's true, Ma'am, yes. Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.'

'Tripod?'

'Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long.'

Mrs. Smith fainted!

First Report of the IIRC on the Rizal Park Hostage-taking Incident

Here's the report of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee on the August, 23, 2010 Rizal Park Hostage-taking Incident: Sequence Of Events, Evaluation and Recommendations.

Here is a part of the report.

FACTS and SEQUENCE of EVENTS

The Tour Group

The Hong Kong tour group held hostage by Police Senior Inspector (Captain) Rolando D. Mendoza inside the Hong Thai tour bus on August 23, 2010 in front of the Quirino Grandstand along Independence Ave. of Rizal Park consisted of three families, two couples, a mother and daughter, and the tour leader.

The LEUNG family consisted of the 58 yr. old father LEUNG Kam-wing (Ken), the 43 yr. old mother NG Yau-woon (Amy), a 21 yr. old daughter LEUNG Chung-see, an 18 yr. old son LEUNG Song-xue (Jason), and a 14 yr. old daughter LEUNG Song-yi (Jessie). At the end of the tour, Amy will lose her husband and two daughters, and will be left with a comatose son.

The FU family consisted of the 39 yr. old FU Cheuk-yan, the 40 yr. old mother TSANG Yee-lai, a 10 yr. old son FU Chak-yin, and a 4 yr. old daughter FU Chung-yin. At the end of the tour, every one of the FU family will be released except for the father, who will die trying to save the rest of the tour group from a mad hostage-taker.

The WONG family consisted of the 51 yr. old father WONG Tze-lam, the 44 yr. old mother YEUNG Yee-wa, the 45 yr. old sister-in-law YEUNG Yee-kam, the 15 yr. old daughter WONG Cheuk-yu (Tracey), and the 12 yr. old son WONG Ching-yat (Jason). At the end of the tour, the WONG siblings will be orphans.

The mother and daughter duo of 66 yr. old LO Kam-Fun and 36 yr. old LEE Ying-chuen will both survive.

The elderly LI couple, 72 yr.old LI Yick-biu and 66 yr. old LI TSUI Fung-kwan will be both released.

The couple, 46 yr. old CHAN Kwok-chu (Joe) and 34 yr. old YIK Siu-ling, will both survive but heavily injured.

The tour leader 31 yr. old TSE Ting-chunn (Masa) will receive the first bullet from the hostage-taker.

The full report is posted on the www.gov.ph website.

I Love You Sabado

Zaldy suggested sacrificing Unsay

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

MANILA, Philippines—In the aftermath of the massacre of 57 people, brother turned against brother in the Ampatuan clan as the family faced multiple murder charges and pondered whose head should roll, a court was told Wednesday.

Afraid that he would be jailed, Zaldy Ampatuan was prepared to tag his younger brother Andal Ampatuan Jr. as the man responsible for the worst political violence in the nation’s history, said former househelp Lakmudin Saliao.

Continuing his testimony before Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Saliao testified that lawyer Sigfrid Fortun advised Zaldy, then governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), not to admit anything and leave the matter to the lawyers.

Last week, Saliao testified that Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay town nicknamed Unsay, carried out the family decision to waylay on Nov. 23, 2009, a convoy of a political rival contesting the gubernatorial seat in Maguindanao in the May elections.

Saliao said the family patriarch, former Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., gave the order to kill relatives and supporters of Toto Mangudadatu, along with at least 30 media workers.

The group was en route to file the certificate of candidacy of Mangudadatu, who had sent his wife and sisters, thinking they would not be harmed. Mangudadatu subsequently won as Maguindanao governor.

“Father, I will accept that it is only Unsay who did this. I can’t afford to be inside the jail,” Saliao quoted Zaldy as saying.

The elder Ampatuan was then under military custody in Camp Panacan, Davao City, but Saliao was still attending to him.

Nagka-traydoran na, lumalabas na rin ang mga baho.

Read the rest of the article here.

Call Center Agent - Ek ek Brekker

Bruce Lee's Adventures in Oakland

Short documentary about Bruce Lee's time in Oakland where he opened his first martial arts school and taught it to white people.

Baby Carrots | Eat 'Em Like Junk Food | Indulge

Does this make you want to eat baby carrots?

PadTab - Tablet Mounting System

I wish I thought of that!

Jim Henson on Making Muppets 1969

It's nice to learn from the master.

As PAL strike looms, Aquino threatens to open RP skies

From GMA.TV.

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III on Friday renewed his threat to open Philippine skies to other airlines if the country's flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), fails to resolve its row with its flight attendants.

In an ambush interview after a Navy counter-terror demo in Cavite, Aquino said the policy review about opening Philippine skies is now being "fast-tracked."

"The open skies policy, the review is bring fast-tracked and if it is necessary we will do it to minimize disruption to the riding public," Aquino said.

Aquino made the statement a day after the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) filed a notice of strike at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). According to FASAP president Bob Anduiza, their strike may start either late October or November.

FASAP is a labor union representing 1,600 flight attendants. FASAP earlier questioned PAL's mandatory retirement for flight attendants who reach age 40. PAL, however, claimed that this was part of their collective bargaining agreement with them.

This is a touchy issue. One is do we maintain our sovereignty and protect PAL at all cost or do we globalized and open up the sky to other airlines?

By far, PAL's employees are pretty well paid compared to the majority of the Filipinos. Some may not be to international standards, but I believe international pay standards has to come with international standards service. PAL is really lagging behind in this department.

I've flown with PAL and other airlines. By far, for international travel, specially for long haul flights, PAL has older stewardesses compared to other carriers. I don't mind the age and I don't believe age is a factor as long as the performance is the same. The problem I have with PAL is that they usually have lousy service. A lot of them looks annoyed if you ask them for something. Like it's a bother to ask them for water or food. They could do well to smile a little bit too.

For too long, PAL's service while showing improvement I feel is still not up to the standards of other airlines. They charge a lot, but it doesn't feel like what they charge is worth what you're getting when you compare them to Cathay Pacific or other airlines. They sometimes feel like budget airlines and budget airlines actually have better service than PAL at times.

Like any monopolies, they get complacent and whatever improvement they say they do, it's mostly talk with very little action. Perhaps opening up the sky to other airlines and bringing in competition will finally kick PAL to change its ways and improve their efficiency not just in terms of service but also financially.

Read the full article here.

Missing bank exec had taste for high life, ‘new shiny things’

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

THE BANK OFFICIAL reported to have made off with at least P300 million in deposits of mostly Chinese-Filipino clients is said to enjoy the high life.

Francis Bryan Ang, who has been relieved of his post as assistant vice president of Citibank’s Citigold wealth management unit, is “addicted to new and shiny things,” according to a schoolmate at Xavier School.

“Maybe he got a taste of the high life, liked it, but found he couldn’t afford it. So this is what he did,” said the schoolmate who asked not to be named for security reasons.

But Ang’s father, Manila Councilor Bernie Ang, told the Inquirer that his son was being persecuted in an effort to prevent him from exposing purported irregularities in the American banking giant.

“There is a concerted effort to destroy him because Bryan was about to expose something he could not take...He was about to reveal those things and told the management about what he found wrong in the system, and they jumped the gun on him,” the father said.

In a statement issued Friday, Citibank said it was looking into “questionable” transactions initiated by a wealth management executive suspected to have swindled some depositors of its branch in Binondo, Manila.

Ang, 36, was not named in the statement. But banking sources confirmed it was he, and said he was believed to have slipped out of the country.

“We have filed criminal and civil cases against him, supported by his own admissions and very strong documentary evidence. We are working closely with the relevant authorities who are assisting us in this matter,” Citibank said.

Flashy cars

Ang drives around in expensive European cars, including a Peugeot convertible, a two-door Volvo sports car, and a Mercedes Benz CLK coupe, the schoolmate said.

He is known to wear expensive watches and has been seen using a Vertu, a high-end cell phone.

As an officer handling bank accounts of around P4 million, Ang might have been driven to acquire fancy cars and high-end items no matter the price, the schoolmate said.

Ang was described as low-key, mild-mannered and coming from a respectable family “na may kaya” (with means).

He was popular and well-liked by his co-alumni at Xavier School, an exclusive school catering to Chinese-Filipino families based in Greenhills, San Juan City.

Ang graduated from Xavier in 1992 and went to the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, for his degree in economics.

The schoolmate said he was very active in Xavier’s alumni association and once ran for president of the group but lost by one vote.

“A lot of people know him, and he knows a lot of people. Of course, this is where he sourced his clientele. But he was respected and trusted,” the schoolmate said.

At one point in Ang’s career at Citibank, the schoolmate said, his superiors imposed on him a quota of P2 million a month in deposits.

“Having that kind of a quota can be very stressful,” the schoolmate said. “A lot of the alumni are very disappointed. The name of our school is at stake. We can’t believe one of our own would do such a thing.”

Councilor Ang said his son was prepared to answer the charges.

From the article, it also said that Councilor Ang said that his son

"had realized that his wealth management job at Citibank was not doing the country any good because he was siphoning money abroad."

Early this month, Ang decided to inform Citibank of his misgivings—a move, the father said, that brought trouble for his son.

Ironically, the father said, Citibank issued a letter to its clients last month that it was to deal with Ang, but reportedly withdrew the letter this month after his son expressed his misgivings.

“They might have been scared of the exposé that Bryan was planning to do. Their intention now is to discredit him at all cost even if it makes the bank look stupid,” the councilor said.

“He is doing this (exposé) for the country,” the councilor said, adding that his son was open to testifying in a congressional inquiry should legislators decide to conduct a probe into Citibank’s alleged anomalies.

I find those statements to be funny. Mainly because every single bank in the country does this for their wealthy clients. Metrobank, BPI, Chinabank and all other banks do this. What kind of exposé is he talking about? So he's now painting his son to be a patriot?

I don't want to be judgmental but haven't we heard this kind of talk before? Mostly from politicians, which is father is one.

Read the full article here.

Father of Citibank executive accused of bank fraud defends son

Here's more news about Francis Bryan Ang who was reported to have stolen millions from Citibank Binondo.

MANILA, Philippines - Manila 3rd district Councilor Bernie Ang on Monday defended his son Francis Bryan Ang, former executive of Citibank who was accused of bank fraud, and stressed that “he is not guilty and not in hiding.”

In a statement, Ang guaranteed that his son will face all the accusations “unjustly hurled” against him at the proper time and forum.

Ang’s statement came in the wake of reports that Francis is “wanted” for having “stolen” millions of pesos from the bank’s rich Chinese-Filipino clients.

“How could he be wanted when there is yet to be a preliminary investigation and no arrest warrant has been issued against him?” the councilor said.

Ang said that while his son now fears for his life for going against a big, multi-national company, he gave assurance that Francis is ready to talk about what he knows to prove his innocence.

Bryan Ang, a former assistant vice president for the Citigold Wealth Management unit of Citibank Binondo branch, was charged with allegedly running off with millions from wealthy Citibank depositors.

Ang said that Francis “is a powder keg ready to explode anytime kaya inunahan siya (so they jumped the gun on him).”

Before his son was accused of duping rich bank clients, Ang said Francis made known to his superiors his disappointment over some alleged bank “anomalies” and threatened to expose the same before the media if nothing is done about it.

He said that his son’s supposed uncovered anomaly came out in the open even before an investigation could start.

Ang said normally, banks would keep everything under wraps since issues like this will create a bad impression and will scare off bank depositors.

The councilor said that rich Chinese-Filipinos, such as those mentioned as sources, would not dare go out in public and expose their wealth.

He expressed doubts about reports that the other complainants would not come out in the open as they are yet to be paid by the bank.

Ang noted that under Central Bank regulations, a bank is mandated to pay its clients should they be victimized by any of its employees, whether or not they come out in public.

He also revealed receiving threats through his cellular phone after releasing the statements.

He said that he received a text message around 10 a.m. yesterday asking what he and his son are planning to expose.

“Ano ang balak ninyo i-expose ni Francis? Magdahan-dahan kayo baka di kayo tumagal (What are you and Francis planning to expose? You should slow down lest you don’t last),” said Ang quoting the text message.

He said he is trying to track the number of the texter, although he doubts if it came from Citibank itself.

Ang said he suspects that the text message must have come from someone who will be adversely affected by his son’s supposed exposé.


Full story at Philstar.com.

The Eleven Rules of Life by Bill Gates

Here is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school. These rules are usually attributed to Bill Gates from forwarded e-mails. But it wasn't written by Bill Gates. It's an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.

Regardless of who wrote them, it's very good advice.

Here's the full list.

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Whether you like Bill Gates or not...this is prettycool. Here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teaching has created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how
this concept sets them up for failure in the real world.

RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.

RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.

RULE 6
If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.


RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as
you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Chen Zhen

Looks like a great movie.

Top 10 Oldest Restaurants in Manila

I saw this list from Yahoo! News Philippines about the Top 10 Oldest Restaurants in Manila.

Here's the summary of the list.

10. Savory (1950).
9. Little Quiapo (1949).
8. Max’S (1945).
7. Ongpin Manosa Restaurant Co. (1940).
6. Boy Ching Woo (1939).
5. Aristocrat (1936).
4. Ramon Lee's Panciteria (1929).
3. Ma Mon Luk (1920).
2. Ambos Mundos (1888).
1. New Toho Food Center (1888).

Here's the complete list and details of each restaurant. Yum!

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis

Lee Seung Gi - Words That Are Hard To Say