The Onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy VS The Filipino People. Filipinos, Unite!

Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, the Philippines experienced one of the worst typhoons in almost half a century. Ondoy (international code: Ketsana) poured in 455 mm in just 24 hours, worse than that of Hurricane Katrina (200 - 380mm) that hit the southern part of the United States on 2005. The catastrophe struck swiftly, giving very little time for the residents of Metro Manila and the nearby provinces to prepare for the onslaught.

Grabbed from rembcc’s Flickr

As of press time,  the death toll have reached up to 90+ already. Several hundreds are reported missing and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the densely populated areas of the metro. Some of my family members who lives in those areas are part of those badly affected. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have barely escaped with their lives. My dad was able to contact them earlier and we found out that they were safe but with minor injuries. Their houses were completely submerged along with the cars and all their belongings. Good thing my uncle who recently came home from Dubai was there to help manage things.

There’s a ton of things I’d like to rant write about when it comes to politicians taking advantage of the situation, the reportedly slow mobilization of the government’s rescue and relief operations among others. But that would have to wait. Right now, the primary concern of everyone should be helping out those in need. Scrap all those rivalries and whatnot. What we need to do right now is to stand united and address how we can help all those in need. We can’t just stay cooped up in our houses while watching the news on what’s happening outside. We need to take action. We need to make things happen.

Inappropriate.

Some solipsist posted a very rude statement on why she would only want to help her personal friends and NOT those she doesn’t even know. I’m sure some people share her sentiments. But really, YOU know these people. You may not know their names and what their favorite colors are or if they have a dog or a cat for a pet…but you know who these victims are. They are FILIPINOS like you.

Kapwa Pinoy. Kalahi. Kababayan. And they need your help. Do something to help out.

If you need to get the list of emergeny hotlines, you can get them here. If you want to help out and have something to donate, you can read this very helpful article by one of my friends. So far she has done a good job in disseminating information online. 

I’m gonna go out and do some offline help later. I suggest everyone to do the same. Donate, volunteer, whatever. This is a call to action. 

EDIT: The battle is not yet over. The weather map below shows that there’s still another wave of terrible weather conditions in the next 2-3 days. We must all be prepared.

Busy Abusing My Body

If there’s a word that would best describe how I’ve been the past few weeks, it must be : BUSY. My brain and body have been working on “extended overtime” recently that there would be times when all of a sudden I feel like I’m going down with a flu. I’ve been pushing my limits recently - mentally and physically - to a point that I can even consider it already as abuse. Some people are even noticing that I look tired all the time. Well, I don’t blame them. I have been tired a lot. I work almost 11 hours a day for my day job. My brain doesn’t stop thinking about work after that. I also have been experiencing sporadic headache attacks. I know it’s caused by stress and all but I really can’t help it since I have to work and work and work. And here we are working to make a living and yet it is ironic that it’s also work that slowly kicks our immune systems to a pinch. Don’t get me wrong though. I still have a life outside work. And that takes a toll on my body as well.

I’ll keep this post short. I won’t even think about blabbering a lot in this ungodly hour. I’m just expressing my health concerns. Truth be told, I am a little bit worried. And I guess I really need to do something before my body realizes that I’m only human.

Globe Tattoo : Another Step For Mankind In Mobile Technology

ImmortalTXT. YOUniverse. Tattoo.

But if there’s something probably most deserving of praise in that whole event, it has to be how the event was executed and implemented. We were invited to M Cafe, one of the more posh restos / cafes in the metro and were asked to “dress to impress”. I didn’t really know how to qualify “dress to impress”. It was a dilemma that took me several hours looking at my closet and staring at my limited number of presentable clothes. By presentable, I mean clothes that would not make me look like a douche.
(more…)

On Healthy Living : Start By Looking Into the Grub You Stuff In Your Mouth

 Lunch. Yum or Yuck?

Some of my officemates saw me preparing lunch a few days ago and almost fell of their seats when they saw I was actually preparing salad - herbivore food. They immediately think something is wrong with me, one even putting a hand over my head to check if I had a fever. Another even commented that I must be undergoing through terrible amounts of stress that I’m actually going bonkers and being overly dramatic with the food I take. I just laughed it off. Because really, I’m just starting to look after my physical well-being and all. Best way to start is by looking into the kinds of grub I stuff in my mouth. And hey, preparing a tupperware-full of salad is fun! (more…)

Life Lessons

I’ve learned…
By Omer B. Washington

I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can be loved.
The rest is up to them.
I’ve learned that no matter how much I care,
some people just don’t care back.
I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust
and only seconds to destroy it.
I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life
but who you have in your life that counts.
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you’d better know something.
(more…)

Tags: life notes

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The Unstable Weather Is A Pathetic Fallacy

The weather is awful the past few days. One minute it’s hot as hell and the next it’s raining as if it was a scene in Roland Emmerich’s Day After Tomorrow. I’m starting to believe that the universe is doing this to spite all of us. Or maybe it’s just sad with the way things are going on right now. Pathetic fallacy? Maybe.

Lots of crappy stuff happening lately. I’m blaming them for the weather.

Groudon and Kyogre in an epic battle that caused constant weather changes in the Pokemon world. Rayquaza looks on.

The A(H1N1) virus  has been spreading around at an alarming rate. Yesterday, it was reported that an analyst who recently came back from a trip from the US was confirmed to have been infected by the virus. That same analyst works at the building adjacent to ours. The reality of this problem has never been ever so present. Before, I used to dismiss the issue as a mere headline in the news. Something to talk about during dull moments and the elevator. Something to laugh about, with all the “swine flu” jokes running around. Well now, I’m actually worried I might get infected. It’s too close for comfort. Also, being infected is also equal to endangering my family with the virus. It’s like a zombie virus infection already.

And the bright and sunny day transforms into strong winds and heavy rain. (more…)

Things To Do Today

Lots of stuff to do today. And I’m actually excited to do #4. Not only once. But as many times possible. =]

On Sex Scandals, Misplaced Patriotism and Swine Flu

To those who may have been thinking what I’ve been up to the past few days, well, suffice to say I’ve been extremely busy with work and found it hard to find time to write in this humble online abode of mine. My personal time has been largely devoted to sleeping and resting after a day’s worth of work and crap. My day’s work usually ends at 3 AM. I start working at 10 AM. You get the picture. At the end of it, I’d rather rest my brain than brew and write about some pseudo-intellectual blabberings and other stuff that may bore your wits out. No pun intended. To myself.

A totally unrelated photo. 

But since the opportunity presented itself today, I will allow my mind to speak and let you inside my brain’s inner workings once again. I’d just probably throw in my short two cents on the prevalent issues today.

On the Hayden Kho sex video scandals… (more…)

Advertisement Wars : Some Just Don’t Get It

I just wish the marketing and advertising department of the car companies here in the Philippines are as creative and as hilarious as these ones. It’s competitive, yes, but somehow I get the feeling that these companies enjoy what they are doing. This is exactly the kind of ads I’d want to see along EDSA. All I see whenever I get stuck in traffic are billboards of those half naked men trying to upsell some cheap cologne or over-priced underwear. Or various celebrities inviting us to look “perfect” like them by undergoing cosmetic surgery. Then we see another set of celebrities doing the same for another cosmetic surgery clinic. Tsk. Superficial I tell you. Just goes to show what we value nowadays, eh?

All the local ads we see are for consumer goods directed towards the target market’s superficial “well being”. They don’t even talk about the product or the service anymore. It’s all body and a little piece of logo in the corner and that’s it. Not even a tagline that says something awesome about your product. Well I *intentionally* don’t get your ads, Mr. and Ms. Brand Managers. All I see is male celebrity wang and I don’t even want to be anywhere near that. So yeah, advertising FAIL. Heck, even the politicians beat you come election period when it comes to these things. They have their face and they have a little something there to actually do some brand awareness. You can’t rely on mindshare alone if you don’t even know how to make it happen.

On the other hand, these ads have been circulating around the net for a while now. These guys are different. Because unlike the ads here, they talk about their product and more importantly, they have a sense of humor. I just felt it was appropriate to repost them here since I came across another ad war between Audi and BMW. They seem to love to poke fun at one another. Another priceless set of ads from these brand goliaths.

Audi retaliated. 

Let’s see what Subaru had to say… (more…)

Note To Self

FOCUS. STOP PROCRASTINATING.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SO BAD, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

 NO REGRETS. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

WORK YOUR ASS OFF. WORK LIKE YOU’VE NEVER WORKED BEFORE. SWEAT LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SWEAT BEFORE. IF YOU HAVE TO KICK YOURSELF IN THE FACE, DO IT.

ONLY LOSERS QUIT.

BELIEVE.

now stop blogging and start getting some shit done.