Monthly Archives: January 2008

19
Jan

Paranoia, 2

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For those who still cannot accept the fact that EDSA 2 was actually a planned maneuver by Mike Arroyo and the gang, go Google for an article by Nick Joaquin for the Philippine Graphic dated March 5, 2001.

Anyway, paranoia brings the best worst in us. A paranoid person anticipates all the wrong things that could happen, plan carefully, and execute with precision. A good paranoid knows that she should not give her enemies a chance to mount an attack.

Around 6PM yesterday, I passed by EDSA Shrine on my way home. The bus took the Ortigas flyover, so my view was limited. I saw some police riot gear stacked at the Ortigas side walk of the Shrine. Some policemen were taking shelter – it was raining a bit. I saw around 20 policemen, but obviously there were more, most likely below the flyover or at the back of the shrine. I also saw a firetruck.

At the People Power monument in White Plains, I saw three police cars.

She is really prepared. There was an EDSA 2 commemoration event at La Salle Greenhills yesterday, and one of the activities was to light candles at the Shrine. They were blocked by the police, of course. EDSA 3 haunts her still.

18
Jan

OH NOEZ, Y HALO THAR KITTEH RIFLE!

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Joyfulchicken of the Chicken Mafia always claims that Hello, Kitty is evil.

Well, seeing this, I am fast becoming convinced:


(nicked from Engadget, original from here.)

And read this blog using the LOLinator!

18
Jan

Isang kandila para sa EDSA Dos

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Gustuhin ko man magsulat ukol sa EDSA People Power 2, mas mabuti pang magsindi na lang ako ng kandila.

Sa aking pagbabasa ng mga sumulat ukol sa EDSA Dos, nakakalungkot isipin na karamihan sa kanila ay nawalan ng gana. Sa wikang Ingles, they were badly burned. Iyung iba, talagang nag-isip pa pero isa lang naman ang patutunguhan ng kanilang mga sinasabi. Sa sikolohiya, meron tayong tinatawag na defense mechanisms, at sa aking palagay, sa mga nabasa ko na, nangingibabaw ang rasyonalisasyon.

Kung mabuti ang EDSA 2, bakit hindi natin ito magawa upang mapatalsik si Gloria Arroyo? Ang ilan sa iba, nagsabi na hindi ang pagpapaalis sa pinuno ng bansa ang solusyon. Ibig sabihin ba nun hindi tamang solusyon ang EDSA 2?

Ang iba naman ay nagsabi na mas mabuti na tumulong na lang sa ibang paraan upang mas mapabuti ang lipunan. At pabayaan na lang natin ang pulitika at iwan ito sa mga pulitiko? Parang nabalewala lang ang pagpunta nila sa EDSA. Para na rin nilang sinabi na hindi nakabuti ang EDSA 2. Eh bakit kailangan mo pang sabihin na tama ang EDSA 2 kung ganyan din lamang ang sasabihin mo?

Porke ba napaso tayo ng mga nangyari pagkatapos ng EDSA 2 eh susuko na tayo? Kung ganyan lahat ng pag-iisip natin, wala talagang mangyayari.

Kaya nga ayaw ko na magsulat ukol sa EDSA 2. Sasama lang ang loob ko. Dahil kahit anong gawin ko, kahit anong isulat ko upang ipaalam sa madla kung bakit dapat tayo makialam sa pulitika, wala ring mangyayari. Dahil mahirap makipag-usap sa taong nagtutulug-tulugan.

17
Jan

Poll: Opposition’s standard bearer in 2010

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It is time for a new poll.

The opposition always brags about its deep bench of presidentiables. However, this is also its biggest problem. With so many presidentiables, all with big egos unwilling to give way to anyone, a scenario worst than 2004 is in the offing.

So who do you think should be the opposition’s standard bearer? Vote in this poll.

[poll=3]

If you have another person in mind who is not on the list, please leave a name at the comments. You may also want to explain your vote, the comments are open for that.

17
Jan

Smart 3G network problem?

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Last night, I was having trouble with my Smart postpaid line. I was on the bus when I took a peep at my Sony Ericsson P1i. At the status bar, an icon appeared. So I tapped on it, and a window appeared. It said that “Incoming calls not allowed” and a Settings button appeared. Tapping on the button led me to the Internet accounts settings page. I ignored it and went on with the trip home. BTW, I sent a text message, and at first the sending failed, but on the second attempt, the message was sent. It was 10 minutes before 6PM.

I got home by 7PM, and after dinner, I checked the phone again. The icon remained, and out of curiousity I made a call to our landline. So I keyed in the number and tapped Call. After two seconds the phone returned to standby mode. So I turned off the phone, took off the SIM, and inserted the SIM into a Nokia 3660. I made a call to the same number, and our landline phone made its usual ringing sound. So I inserted the SIM back into P1i, powered it on, and the icon was still there. Making the same call, and the same result – nada.

What I did was to set the phone so that it would connect to GSM network only. The setting before was 3G only. (To do this on P1i, go to Main Menu>Control Panel>Connections>Mobile Networks. On the Mobile Networks window, tap More and then tap on GSM/3G networks.) The phone disconnected and reconnected. The 3G icon was gone. I then made a call to our landline, and the landline sounded. At this point, I received a reply to the message that I had sent earlier; the message was time-stamped 6:10PM.

I set the mode back to 3G only, and after disconnection/reconnection, the suspect icon appeared again. So I set it back to GSM only, and then played Warcraft III: Frozen Throne for an hour. After playing, I set the mode back to 3G, and the suspect icon was gone. Content, I went to sleep.

End of story? Nope. Woke up at around 12 midnight and took a look at the phone. “Emergency calls only,” the phone display said. Set the mode to GSM only, and the operator name appeared. Went back to sleep.

So at 8AM, I set the mode back to 3G, and no problems so far. Must be a problem in Smart’s 3G network yesterday. Or my phone’s getting old.

16
Jan

Lip service

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For those who don’t know it yet, or for those who think they don’t know it yet, the Arroyo regime’s concept of transparency and good governance can be simplified by using the term “lip service.” When you hear any Arroyo factotum (or Gloria Arroyo herself) utter the words “transparency” or “good governance”, just substitute “lip service.”

For example, there are several vacancies in the Commission on Elections. The Fortress had already appointed someone whose reputation was suspect, and while there was a muted outrage, it burned the Fortress badly, and its intentions were already under suspicion. To rescue its already tattered reputation, it formed a search committee, composed of seemingly upright individuals. However, the search panel suffers from the same problem that the Arroyo regime has. Lip service=search committee.

Then, we have this nice episode of a convict (who happens to be the husband of a representative that is very close to Gloria) who is reportedly missing (though the representative says he’s not missing). Now, still reeling from the Jalosjos caper (also under investigation), the Fortress is now ordering an investigation on this issue. I can still remember the Mayuga report, the Feliciano report, and the Melo report, all unacted upon (and the Mayuga report unreleased to the public). Do you think something will come out of the said probe? Lip service=investigation.

And lastly: have you noticed the high-profile pardons that this regime is issuing? We have Erap last year. Then there was the botched Jalosjos caper. And now, SalvadorNorberto Manero (what’s with people named Norberto). For Jalosjos and Manero, too bad this ain’t the day. There’s nothing wrong with pardon. The problem is the kind of person being pardoned. That is not good governance. That is patronage. Good governance=lip service.

Transparency=lip service. Good governance=lip service. Wash, rinse, repeat.

14
Jan

Paranoia

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In what hospital was Raul Gonzalez operated on? I wouldn’t want to be confined there. It seems that the doctors there were incompetent. They should have not released him and instead confined him more. He is clearly suffering from some mental difficulties.

Gonzalez has been hogging the limelight for the past few days, what with his ridiculous statements and ominous words. First, he issued an ALL CAPS “reminder” to CEOs of news organizations, warning them about interfering with official police business. The reminder goes:

Please be reminded that your respective companies, networks or organizations may incur criminal liabilities under the law, if anyone of your field reporters, news gatherers, photographers, cameramen and other media practitioners will disobey lawful orders from duly authorized government officers and personnel during emergencies which may lead to collateral damage to properties and civilian casualties in case of authorized police or military operations.

Oh, he is not content with that. The “reminder” also covers foreign press. Wonderful.

What caused this latest intelligent remarks from Gonzalez? Another destabilization plot, he claims.

I said earlier that Gonzalez should have not been released from the hospital. He is clearly suffering from paranoia.

Why? While he thinks there is another destabilization plot, the Armed Forces of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo belittles such plots. It will not succeed, Mister Hermogenes Esperon boasted. Mr. Esperon, tell that to Raul Gonzalez.

Heck, even the Philippine National Police joins the fray, saying that it is the communists who are plotting something. To even sweeten the plot, it is another left-right destabilization plot. Paranoia clear and simple.

If these plots are true, Senator Rodolfo Biazon is correct. Why can’t the AFGMA and PNP just arrests these plotters? If they don’t have a case, Esperon and Razon and Gonzalez better shut up.

Paranoia. n. a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat.

13
Jan

Snaps: Isn’t that so Freudian?

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Last Friday, I was at a certain bookstore when I saw this for sale:

Definitely, I will not buy one.

(Photo taken using Sony Ericsson P1i.)

13
Jan

Annoyance of the Week: Trip to a memorial plan

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Yesterday, I wasted two hours of my life by allowing shady marketers to entice me to get a memorial plan. Yes, a memorial plan. Now, there’s nothing wrong in getting one – I think everyone should at least prepare for the inevitable. It is the way they attempt to entice me that was annoying.

The story actually happened a month ago. Someone called at the office, claiming that she works for a certain hotel chain, that I won a free gift certificate to stay in one of their hotels. Sounds good, no? All I had to do was to claim it at their office. Now, I was lazy back then, so I made a lot of excuses. My final salvo was to tell the lady to call me up again by December 26. December 26 came and went, and no phone calls. Yes, finally in the clear.

Or so I thought. I got a call last Thursday. It was the same lady, and so I agreed to drop by yesterday. There were no strings attached, nothing to pay, the lady assured me. All they ask from me was to spare them 90 minutes for some audio-video presentation. Wow, was it that long?

So I went there, filled up a form, and waited. A few minutes later, a guy introduced himself, and we went to this table. There were several other tables, most of them with people. The guy started some small talk, like what a good salesman would do. With the talks going nowhere, with the guy bombarding me with questions whether I had questions, he then introduced their companies, and then he went on to the memorial plan. He kept on giving corny and semi-offensive jokes about death (like if you refuse this offer, what if you die when you get out of their office). I think you get the picture.

It was like Family First.

No, they got nothing from me; I got to say no. Please remind me to say no when another telemarketer calls me.

Oh, they did allow me to pick from a fish bowl a destination for the free GC. Well, it was for a far place, and the GC will prolly be left unused. One, you have to make a reservation within 14 days from the date the GC was issued. I wish I could make a decision within that time frame. Second, it was a far location, so it really needs a lot of planning if I want to go. Fourteen days are not enough. Oh well.

12
Jan

Makasarili

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Isang nakakalungkot na bagay ang aking natutunan sa isyu ng pagpataw ng buwis sa text messaging.

Dahil sa direktong apektado ang mga tao sa nasabing panukala, marami ang umalma at kumontra, at napilitang umatras ang rehimeng Arroyo.

Pero sa mga mas mabibigat at mas malalalim na isyu pero hindi direktong apektado ang karamihan sa atin, ni ha ni ho, wala. Ganoon na ba kalala ang ating pagiging makasarili?