Looking at Two Sides

It's almost a year now since I wrote my last entry here. There are so many things that have happened lately that I don't want to talk about but what is happening around me can't just be set aside in one corner. I know for a fact that each person is entitled to have his or her own opinion on things that are happening around. So, here I am writing and giving my opinion to what happened for this week. My mind is screaming and telling me that I should get these things in writing. So here it goes...

I know how delicate it is to talk about the hostage crisis that everyone tuned in to last Monday, August 21. News team from around the globe like CNN, BBC, ABC, and Hongkong local news are all simulcast and bringing live coverage of the Ex-policeman who held up a tourist bus and passengers are mostly Chinese nationals in Manila. The hostage lasted I think 10 or 11 hours. I won't elaborate more on what happened within those hours for I'm sure many know what happened. I would like to elaborate more regarding how our local government handled the situation on my own opinion. I'm no policeman or related to any of those investigators or any committee involving taking control of the situation. But what I don't understand is that why it took so long for the authorities to negotiate with the hostage taker? The hostage taker is asking for the police force to give him back his job and to go over or review his charges for misconduct in the office of the Ombudsman. Would it be simple that the negotiator told the ex-cop that they will look into it ASAP? And that they took it into writing or legal documents that they will review the charges or look into what they can do to get him back his job. Legal document that would be signed by people in authority that could help the ex-cop in this situation. I would think that if the ex-cop have a legal document at hand, it have ended up the hostage peacefully. Yes, they did shown him a document from the Ombudsman but the hostage taker just said that it is all trash! At that time they should have not let the hostage taker look at the document that even the authorities know that it won't do them any good. I think they only showed that document thinking that they could buy more time for negotiation or the hostage taker will take the document and just surrender. The incident might have ended up around 5:00 in the afternoon if not for the incident happened to the hostage taker's brother. The hostage taker's brother is also a policeman but seen near the tourist bus wearing civilian clothes and carrying a pistol. Later on, the hostage taker's brother was disarmed and arrested for authorities think that he is an accomplish. The hostage taker seen all these on live television because the tourist bus has a television installed in. This provoked the hostage taker to kill the 8 Chinese nationals ending the hostage crisis sadly after a sniper took shot of the hostage taker when he appeared unintentionally at the door of the tourist bus.


If you look at the whole situation from start to finish, both the hostage taker and the passengers of the tourist bus are all victims of injustice system in the country. Why you ask? Because first what provoked the hostage taker former Senior Inspector Rolando del Rosario Mendoza to do such thing is the slow movement of his case in the Ombudsman regarding charges such as robbery, robbery-extortion, grave threats and physical injuries. All the neighbors, friends, and former colleague of the ex-cop are telling people how kind he was and that he is planning to run as Barangay Captain this coming barangay elections. So what he has turned out to be last Monday is a shock to many who knew him. So it's not the media or ground commander nor the negotiator be blamed for this incident. If not for the slow movement of the case of the former cop, no 8 Chinese nationals were killed including Mendoza. The ex-cop is just seeking justice. I hope that something good will turn out after all these incident.

Let's go for the lighter side of week. August 22, all are watching and stay tuned again to their television and on the internet but not for what happened yesterday. All eyes as the beautiful ladies of 83 countries strutted their way on stage for the Miss Universe pageant. Of course with the news regarding the online poll voting, all Filipinos are excited that the country's representative Maria Venus Raj will win the title. As the top 15 were called in, excitement drew all Filipinos to stay tuned until the end of the pageant. All across the globe, people are waiting who will be crowned as Miss Universe 2010. And so the top 10 are called in, Venus Raj is among them and all Filipinos are cheering and jumping. Before Miss Venus represented our country for the Miss Universe, she had undergone some problem because of her nationality. She was born out of wedlock in Doha, Qatar but when her parents separated, she was brought to Bato, Camarines Sur in the Region of Bicol in the Eastern part of Luzon, Philippines. She went through legal matters to fight for her crown after she was declared Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe. The organizers of the Bb. Pilipinas said that they will return the title Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe to Miss Venus Raj, if she will be able to get a Philippine passport from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). After I think 3 to 5 months of undergoing legal matters, she finally got her Philippine passport and got her crown back as Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe and the rest is history.


As she was called in for final questioning for the Miss Universe pageant and as one of the top 10 finalists, everyone is at the edge of their seats. Judge number 2 William Baldwin, one of the foreign actors asked the question to Miss Venus, "What is the one big mistake you've made in your life and what did you do to correct it?". And Miss Venus answered "You know what, sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say that there's nothing major, major, I mean, problem that I've done in my life because I'm very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I'm here. Thank you, thank you so much!". That lead her to 4th runner-up Miss Universe 2010. Even though Miss Mexico is the winner of the title Miss Universe 2010, Miss Venus Raj is the much talked about contestant in the said pageant.

Because of the word "Major Major" that she said, she became world wide famous as of this writing. Hmmmm... it means no big deal? bonggang bongga? Because she's nervous, she just spilled the words that came first into her mind to answer the question. I know the feeling how it is to answer a question when you are nervous.. Congrats Venus! Filipino people are proud of you! Mabuhay!

You can see her Facebook Fan page here

Toys and Collectibles

This is the toy and collectibles exhibit that I am referring to on my post July 8. Young, old and young at heart gathered to see the exhibits. There were lots of people at the Event Center of SM City Clark, Angeles City, Philippines. I remember when I was a kid, I keep a toy collections of G.I. Joe's, matchbox and little toy soldiers with battle tanks and some Ghostbuster action figures. I don't know where I have put those now. Here are some of the toys and collectibles I have taken at the exhibit last month. Sorry I don't have a high end camera for some of the photos are a bit dark and blur.

Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman


Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Iron Man


Batman on Batcycle

Superman/Clark Kent

Yes, Captain Barbell has it's own action figure. Captain Barbell is our local super hero here in the Philippines. He is like Superman.

Batmobile

There you go. Those are some of the action figures at the exhibit. There are also NBA players, characters from Disney like Lion King, Disney Princesses, Tarzan, and much more. I can't get photos of all the action figures at the exhibit because kids all around me especially those who are near the toys won't budge, LOLz!

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Happy 6th Anniversary yesterday Tsinantsinku! Love you! Mwah! Nope I won't post our very first photos together here nor those some years back.. I know what your thinking hehehe...

The Foundation and Man of the House..

Last year on my post about Father's Day, I have told you about my Father and the things that he did and taught to me when I was still a kid. My Father is a quiet person and one thing that he don't want to do, is to pose for the camera to get his photo, LOLz! He just simply shrugged or hide whenever I am holding the camera on him to get his photo that is why some of the photo I took where he is in them are mostly stolen shots hehehe!

Today is not only Father's day, I mean biological father's day but also for our Uncles, Big Brothers and Grandfathers who are there and stand as our Daddy or takes care of us like a father does. I remember my Grandfather, my father's daddy. When my Tatay is not around, he is there to be my daddy for a day. He died in March 1998 after his 73rd birthday due to complications and he was undergoing dialysis at that time. It was like losing a father at that time. He was a good adviser and as I was growing up as a teenager, he never let a day pass without checking on me and my siblings. I remember that after Tatay taught me how to drive, he goes out with me driving since I don't have a license at that time just a student license. We drive around Clark Air Base and go to duty free shops. Sometimes when he has to go to the doctor for a checkup he lets me drive. By the way, my Grandfather was a retired veteran. He was an Airplane mechanic back then. Tatay told me that when he was still a child, my Grandfather is out of the country mostly and stays in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and sometimes in Thailand. There was a time that my father's whole family were migrated to Laos. Laos, formally known as the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is one of the poorest nations in South-East Asia. A mountainous and landlocked country, Laos shares borders with Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar and China to the north. I think my Grandfather was one time assigned at Laos that's why my Tatay with my Grandmother and two uncles were migrated there.

When I was born, Grandfather always come home from abroad to see me and bring me lots of toys. He retired in service when I was in grade 3 I think that was in the late 80's because that's the time I remembered that I was always being taken care by him almost everyday and drops me off to school. I learned how to whistle at the age of 5 through my grandfather.

To my Tatay, my BFF's dad and my Grandfather... Happy Father's day to all Dad's, Grandfather and Uncles out there!





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Remembering... Stand Up! Act Now!

Today marks the 111 year of Philippine Independence. June 12, 1898 concludes the Spanish-American war. Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain. The declaration, however, was not recognized by the United States or Spain, and was not generally recognized by other nations. The Spanish government ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, in consideration for an indemnity for Spanish expenses and assets loss.


The Philippines celebrates its Independence Day in recognition of June 12, 1898, when the Philippines declared its independence from Spain, although its independence was only recognized on July 4, 1946, by the United States. From 1946 to 1961, Independence Day was observed on July 4 each year, but then President Diosdado Macapagal, upon the advice of some historians, reverted to the June 12 date, which up to that time had been observed as Flag Day in the Philippines. In place of the old Independence Day, President Macapagal created Filipino-American Friendship Day on July 4.




Everyone wants to be free. Freedom and Peace is what everyone wants regardless of nationality. Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise, within a specific territory, the functions of a Nation-state and be answerable to no higher authority. It is an important part of the three main political perspectives of realism, rationalism, and internationalism, as these three theories differ most in their views on sovereignty. Sovereignty has existed throughout history, from the time of the Romans through to the present day, although it has changed in its definition, concept, and application throughout, I won't dig in through further because it might just cause confusion in the end.



I think almost everyone exercise their freedom by choosing what they want. But not all that everyone wants are acceptable. There are rules and laws to be considered and followed. But for me, I exercise my freedom to chose when it's election time here in the Philippines. I can chose who I want to lead in this country. I'm not into politics but ofcourse I chose wisely who I want to lead. Next year, in the year 2010 of May, we will be voting/electing a new president for the republic of the Philippines. I cannot say who I wish to be the next president at this time but ofcourse it is best to chose wisely. At this time, those who wish to run for candidacy are already giving hints to the public that they wish to be next president and vice president. Aside from those seats, I think we will also be voting for other local government position. What's new in the coming 2010 elections is the automated voting. I hope through this one, there will no longer be flying voters or switching and adding of votes.




What just scares me is that hackers might hack the system and poof! everything changes and manipulated in just one click. Remember that the highly secured system of Pentagon was hacked before. Some people are under estimating the power of the world wide web. This system is very much powerful and if one knows the ups and downs of the internet, it will just be easy peasy. I just hope that all precautionary measures are handled properly by our Commission on Elections (COMELEC). I'm not under estimating their capability, but it's best that they have plan B. Also, 7 Billion pesos of equipment to be used for the automated voting must be worth it.




Last Wednesday, June 10, thousands of people gathered in Makati City the business capital of the Philippines to make a stand and voice out their thoughts and feeling about the Constituent Assembly of the Philippines. Constituent assembly or "con-ass" is one of the three modes in which the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines could be amended or revised. The other two modes are via People's Initiative and Constitutional Convention. The bicameral Philippine Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) is in a Constituent assembly mode when they formally convene to propose amendments or revisions to the 1987 constitution; and under Article XVII of the Constitution of the Philippines, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members. The process of amending or revising the 1987 constitution of the Philippines is popularly known to many Filipinos as Charter Change. Any proposed amendment or revision to the 1987 Constitution shall only be valid when ratified by the majority of Filipinos in a plebiscite.




Personally, I don't agree in changing the constitution of the Philippines. I think it will just make things worse in the Philippines' Government. Why not do or act on other things instead of making amendments in changing the constitution? There are still people who are jobless and those who cannot bring food to the table. There are still many who are homeless. Others have homes but the land they call home do not belong to them. What happened to free education? My brother cannot finish his course for four straight years because we cannot pay his tuition fee so he has to stop atleast one year. One time someone asked me, isn't it there is study now pay later? I replied there is none! That only appears on the 500 pesos bill but I don't see that into reality. There are a lot of things that our country need. I hope those who will be elected in the 2010 elections can do more..... this time....

It's Independence Day
to all Filipinos World Wide

Photos taken from
Abacan Bridge, Angeles City, Philippines

For the Light and Lady of the house

I believe in actions speaks louder than words. But in times like this that I would like others to know how do I feel... Words are golden *wink*

These are the messages I say not only to my Mom, my BFF's Mom and my BFF but to all the Mommy, Mother, Nanay, Mudra, Mamang, Mom in the whole wide world. Also to those non-biological Mothers out there. Here are my messages,





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Have you hug your mom today? Well what are you waiting for!

There are lots of things we can do for our Mom's today. They are there 24/7 for us and this is the only day for them so let's give them a break on home chores and pamper them. Treat them for a dine out or a massage. For those of you that their Mom's have passed away, you can visit them, say prayers and light candles. You can stay with them for the whole day near their graves. Even if they are already on the other life, they are still there watching for you. God Bless all the Mothers in the whole world!

First of all...

This month of May is my first year anniversary as a blogger. I would like to thank my friend Jules for advising me to create my own blog. I was reading his blog before I made my blog and he told me why don't you make your own blog and it will be your own world. True! This blog of mine became my own world in the Internet. It is a window of my personality and what I am thinking, seeing and feeling. I don't know what title shall I give to my blog and since everything in here is what is one my mind, I finally decided to call it WRITING MIND.

There are times that I wish to write an entry here in my blog but can't find the correct words to express it. I'm not a writer but I am trying to. This is also a training ground for me to learn how to write. If you think I have typing errors on my post, don't hesitate to shoot me a comment and tell me which one I should fix. You can also shoot me some suggestions that you wish to read here at my blog.

I met so many people here in blogosphere. People that became my online friends and some shoots me an email and we chat through email or yahoo messenger. I won't tell who they are and I might miss one of them, LOLz! Anyway, you guys know who you are. I like to thank people all over the world that are visiting my blog and taking time to read my entries. I didn't expect to keep up with posting here because I thought I can't write so many things. I like to share things that I know and this blog gave me the opportunity to do so.

How time flies and already it's my first year in the blogging world. I hope I could post lots of things here as the days move and go by. And I hope you will keep on visiting and reading my entries.

To you who read this Thank you for your time =)

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Today is also Labour/Labor Day here in the Philippines. The first Labor Day celebrations took place on May 1, 1903. I know that crisis affected every country that I know of. Many are still jobless even if our government is telling us that there are lots of companies who are hiring people. Yes, there are companies hiring but not all are qualified for the job.

I was watching the noon time news and companies are telling their workers that there is no wage hike for Labor Day. Previous years, workers get their wage hike every year aside from compensation. Every Labor Day, workers gather and rally around the city of Manila to voice out their needs to the government. It's not that the government is not doing anything with their requests especially about wage hike but there are things that the government cannot handle anymore and there is nothing to be done. I know that it's not easy to find a job. A job that you want. They say that find a job that you want will make your work everyday like playing in a playground. It's easy to say but not easy to find.

There are some companies that are not following the Labor code and taking advantage of their workers. Workers that are working in these kind of companies are afraid to voice out what is happening in their company to the government because they are afraid of losing their jobs if they will reveal the anomalies going on. I hope employers will realize what they are doing and give what is really for their workers. Workers are not slaves. They are here to work in order to live in this country.

May 1 is a national holiday in Albania, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, the Philippines (spelled as "Labor Day"), Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Happy Labour Day!

Good Friday: Church and Flagellants

I was sick the moment I woke up last night I have a few rashes on my right arm some on my left arm and on my back. I don't know how I got them. Luckily they are not itchy or else they would become wounds because I can't help but scratch them.But I had to get to work. I couldn't afford to absent myself. Even if I'm chattering my teeth because I am cold at work, I was able to surpass and finished my shift at work. I was praying the whole time asking to get me through my shift. At the end of my shift I no longer feel dizzy and cold. Since I was not able to do Visita Iglesia, I decided to drop by at the church before I went home.

There are lots of people in the church. I reached the church by 7:30am and there will be station of the cross by 8am and the parade of saints later in the afternoon. I can't attend the parade because I need to sleep and equip myself for another night at work and I could not be going to work again dizzy and cold. Actually my head still hurts as I am doing this entry. But I still managed to take some photos at the church before I went home.

Here are the photos of Sto.Rosario (Holy Rosary) Parish Church in Angeles City, Philippines.

The Exterior of the Church

The Interior of the Church

This one above will be used later at the parade

Holy Rosary Parish Church is the biggest church here in Angeles City. It is in the heart of the City. You won't miss it if you go here.

As I am walking home from church, I saw many flagellants in the street near our barangay and people mostly by-standers are in the streets. Every year there are about more than a 100 flagellants that devot themselves to this practice. Good Friday is where most of the flagellants in our barangay lined up to go to pabasa (literal meaning to read or reading) and tell their intentions to God. I think they visit 9 pabasa in one day, some 12. I remember when I was still about 4 or 5 years old, I used to be scared of flagellants and I hide myself from them thinking that they would get me.This time, I followed them going to the pabasa build by my relatives infront of their home. And took a few shots.

First Batch of Flagellants

The KIA service vehicle above is covered with plastic to protect it from the blood stain

Second Batch of Flagellants

Actually I missed another batch of flagellants. The street above is one block away from where I live.

Let us not forget the true meaning of Holy Week. Let us remember that Jesus Christ gave his life for us to live in this world. I know we have different beliefs but nonetheless, faith strengthens ones belief. This Sunday will be Easter Sunday. The day that Jesus Christ came back to life and renewed our faith in Him. Advance Happy Easter to all!