Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Cats, Dogs and Harmony

I am reposting here what I posted in my political blog last year
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To attain more harmony among men, sometimes we have to look at nature, and more specifically, at our pets. Like cats and dogs.

While the general notion, at least in the past, is that dogs and cats are "natural enemies" since they live in the same house of their masters and would tend to compete on several things like food, space, and their masters' attention. Or dogs tend to make fun of cats since the latter are smaller.

Here are photos -- all from the web, not one from my camera -- of dogs and cats harmony, or at least at the moment these photos were taken. The scenes are cute, or funny.

(I actually revised these photos, instead of individual photos, I mixed 3-4 in one frame to save space as I got more photos.)


Cat in the upper right photo seems to be in a non-playing mood but the dog isn't belligerent. I find the lower left photo funny, I'm smiling. :-)

Caption on the lower left photo is funny, one cat ponders, "I think there's a spy among us", hahaha. Lower right, the dog cannot complain, the master is right beside them.


Ok, enough of dog-cats. Below are just about dogs, their funny poses, again, all from the web. Here they go.





Hope you enjoyed them.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

UPSE Reunion, September 3, 2011, UP Diliman

Hey fellow alumni of the UP School of Economics -- undergrad, MA, PhD, PDE -- let's meet again this coming Saturday, September 3, 4pm at the SE auditorium, UP Diliman. Each reunion is hosted by the graduates of the school 25 years ago. So for this year, it will be batch 86 (ie, they graduated in 1986) that is the main host.

The theme of the reunion is "Rebel Yellow". Why? My guess is that it was in 1986 that Marcos was toppled after 20 years in power (1965 to 1985) during the first Edsa People Power Revolution. Yellow, the symbolic color of the peaceful uprising. Yeah, the 1986 graduates, cool!

I have a number of friends from Batch 86 -- like Mino Encarnacion (then UPSE Student Council chairman), Jojo Chan, Camille Sevilla. Mino is now based in Singapore, Jojo in NJ-NYC, Camille in Manila. She's the chief of staff of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. I hope to see the 3 of them next week.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Bacolod-Silay Airport

I am from Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, in central Philippines. I was born there, took my elementary and high school there. My parents and two siblings are still there, so I still go back to my province at least once a year. Bacolod City is the provincial capital.

It is good that a new and modern airport has been constructed. It's the typical glass and steel structure, though at a smaller scale compared to many big international airports in Asia and other countries. The old airport is literally really old and it was small. The new airport is also nearer to Cadiz but far from Bacolod. It's not in Bacolod actually, it's in Silay City, about 15 kms. away from Bacolod City proper.

Check in area. Airlines going there are PAL, Cebu Pacific, and Air Philippines. They have a combined flight of probably 18 to 20 a day coming from Manila alone. There are also flights to and from Cebu City. Not sure if there are flights now going to Davao.

Departure lounge. Negros Occidental is a big province in population size. Close to 2 million people now I think. So the volume of passengers is really big.

I hope that this airport will soon have limited international flights, say Bacolod-HK, Singapore, Seoul. There are many Koreans in Bacolod now. Then it is time to construct another terminal. The place is surrounded by sugarcane plantations. Thus, it's easier to acquire new lands for the buildings and a longer runway.

Mr. Silay and Mt. Kanlaon are clearly seen at the airport. These are big mountains. Kanlaon is an active volcano, but not as active as Mayon or Taal.

I just hope that ugly politics in the province and its cities will be minimized and hence, the corruption associated with such practices. I wish to see my province -- and all other provinces in the country -- to develop economically.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Taga-UP Diliman Ka Kung...

There is a new facebook group called "Taga UP Diliman ka kung..." (You are from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, if you...") that is so hot. It was created only about 10 days ago by an alumni Cleve JD Mallari and it attracted 32,100+ members. The posting are so frequent and witty.

I am reposting this here so that other friends and readers who are not from UPD and hence, are not members of the group and cannot read the postings, can see them. I created one thread in the group, below, copy-pasted the significant comments and additions. Smileys and hahaha are removed here as all of these comments are for fun or wittily true. Pictures here are all taken from the group by other group members. Here we go!
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A girl was caught by UPD police making love to the Oblation.
Q1: Was a crime committed? Yes, statutory rape.
Q2: Can she be convicted? Yes, there is concrete evidence.


Victoria: And you know a Nonoy Oplas joke when you see one.

Jopay: noy... very hard evidence yan ah!

Lorenzo: so... will oble be imprisoned? or the girl? :)

Jopay: Depende... mukhang may consent naman

Nonoy: Some Diliman dorm jokes:
Narra -- dorm ng surot na tinatao
Kamia -- female version ng Narra (mga female na surot?)
Sanggumay - dorm ng mga manang
Ipil - dorm ng mga manong
Ilang-Ilang - dorm ng mga nai-ilang sa academic oval
Kalayaan (boys wing) -- silipan ng mga boys sa girls wing ng Yakal dorm

Some AS/CSSP male CR graffiti:
- The population of the world depends on what you are holding now.
- Pag inabot (ng ihi) mo ito (marker about 1 1/2 foot from your pototoy), astig ka.

Sa Narra dati, may issue re cats with 1 eye removed, 1 or 2 sq. inch of skin peeled, under observations pala ng mga Vet-Med students, the cats were roaming around. Narra dorm council created a graffiti wall, "What to do with the cats?" Some comments in the wall:
* itapon sa Kamia residence hall
* What to do with the vet meds?
* pusang-ina oh!
* nga pusakal kayo.

Jopay: Teka, noy, paano kung na-injured si oble? Ano ang crime?

Nonoy: Pag na-injure si Oble, the crime is statutory injury.

Some dorm male CR graffiti:
Sa Molave: "Here I sit all broken hearted,
tried to shit but only farted."
Sa Narra: "Here I sit on my puwet,
my asshole opens up a bit
out comes something like velvet
No, its my brownish shit."

Meanings of TBA in UP:
Ordinary enrollment -- (teacher) To Be Announced
Martial Law days -- (Teacher & student leaders) To Be Arrested
Applicants sa mga frats -- To Be Arbored (at idaan sa hazing).

Some graffiti at the back of main library dati:
-- Aanhin pa ang damo, kung tulog na ang addict.
-- Ako ay may naaamoy, parang mabangong kahoy,
O damo, damo, pagkain ng kabayo.
-- Ako ay may syota, malaki ang dyoga
dyoga, dyoga, nakapanlalata.

Jopay: Noy, malicious mischief ang crime pag na-injure si oble! baka maitanong yan sa bar!

Nonoy: 2 bus lines plying UPD in early 80s. JD bus line and MMTC, air-con or double decker. Ang JD, lawanit lang dingding, so in case of emergency, pwede na tadyakan ang dingding. Sa MMTC double decker, madami takot sumakay sa itaas kasi walang drayber :-)

Pag tingin mo mababa score mo or babagsak ka sa exam, ganito ang palusot: "Don't let your academics get in the way of your education." Halata ano ha.

UP noon vs ngayon:
-- dati pag nagrar-rally, sa plackard lang. ngayon nasa ipad na
-- dati UP IKOT lang, ngayon may TOKI na
-- dati pasok lang walang ID, ngayon may signs na NO ID, NO ENTRY or WEAR ID AT ALL TIMES
-- dati unli rice lang sa Area 2 at walang Via Mare, ngayon coño na...
‎-- dati kasabay mo nag-aantay ng jeep sa Edsa/Q.Ave mga kapwa estudyante, ngayon hatid-sundo ng mga drivers nila.
-- dati mga freshmen na uhugin, ngayon mga de-kotse na, loaded pa
-- dati, madaming mga dugyutin, amoy pawis na klasmeyts na mababangis sumagot sa recitation, ngayon mapoporma at mayayamang klasmeyts na walang muang sa mundo
-- dati mura tuition, ngayon mahal na...

The administrator of this group, Cleve JD Mallari posted that they will disable posting from Sat 7am to Sun 11pm but people can still read the various threads. Riot ang mga response, like these:
- yes! makakapag pahinga mga mata ko!
- Makakasubo ng konti at makakajingle.
- An tagal !! ... May gamot ba kayo pang detox bago mag 11 pm ng Sunday?
- ayos, para di na umusok yung computer ko
- ayan pwede nako maligo!
- Para may family time naman! :)
- i see symptoms of withdrawal....
- we will come to realize na "there's life beyond UPD group/site pala"..
- Withdrawal yan. Patay ang mga addict.
- So if I start getting the shakes and shivers this weekend, I'll know the reason why.
- puede na ako mag groceries, mag car wash at matulog!
- That's enough time to check in na into a rehab center.
- Ok, kaunting break. Galit na asawa ko dahil mukha ko nasa computer na lang at naka ngiting mag-isa
- Pucha, yung pinatanggal ko na eyebags at inalagaan ng tatlong taon, nawala in three days...

Weena: may ID na, may Via Mare pa??!! homaygulay~!!!

Nonoy: Some dorm stories, from other threads in this group:
- Nasubukan mong ma-harana sa sampaguita...
- naririnig mo yung malakas na tilaok ng mga manok ni mrs cantuba sa sampa
- nakaramdam ka ng multo sa Sampa
- Sampa, Napagkamalan akong multo sa CR kc maputla ako, naka-nightgown, bagong kulot biuhok
- pag weekend, nagtitis ka ulamin ang lucky me pansit canton kasi sawa ka na sa aristocart at nagtitipid ka
- 730am ang class mo at going late ka na kaya suot mo ang pantulog mo pagpasok ng klase!
- tanghali na gumising. maaga ka pa sa class...

Rache: Noon walang kalaman-laman ang mga parking area especially sa AS park lot pero ngayon kulang na kulang na sa parking palaging puno kaya minsan nasa side streets na and it will cause traffic. Inside UP, traffic!!!

Nonoy: More dorm stories, about the (10pm curfew), from other threads in this group. Thanks for these stories, naalala ko dorm life ko in the 80s (Molave, Yakal, Narra):
- bibili kayo ng "bribe" na pagkain para kay manang guardya para di ma-record na curfew ka
- dahil sa curfew, mas pinipili mo na lang na matulog sa labas kaysa madagdagan violations mo sa dorm..
- Yakal, yung bomb threat doon e gawa gawa lang yata ng isang dormer na inabutan ng curfew at gusto pa ding makapasok ng dorm. Me media coverage pa ha!
- Narra, isang minuto lang tinatagal ng curfew. 10PM ang start pag 10:01 open na uli ang gate....

Kwento or alaskahan sa College of Engineering:
EE - eng na eng
CE - conting eng
ME - medyo eng
IE - indi eng

Florence; e yung GE? ;)

Nonoy: grabeng eng? hehe. Mga taga-EE nagpa-uso ng jokes na yon.

Florence: malamang sinabi nila "gagong eng'g"

Nonoy: Yon MetE (Metallurgical Eng'g), ano itatawag nila don, "metopak eng"?

Someone posted, "UPD ka kung magaling kang gumamit ng pythagorean theorem. 'The sum of 2 sides is alway greater than the hypotenuse.' Then showed a picture of a curve but paved walkway near Vinzons Hall, and an unpaved but straight pathway. Heto ilang comments:
- the shortest distance between two points is a straight line
- Noon yun! Ngayon "The shortest distance between two points depends on where you're going!"
- There is no such thing as a straight line. What you conceive as straight is just a line segment of a curve.
- depende yan sa weather..pag umuulan at maputik ang hypotenuse, dun ka sa longer distance dadaan(paved e)

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Iloilo Airport

My wife is from Iloilo, and we go there to visit my in laws once or twice a year. The new airport is about 20 kms. away from Iloilo City proper, passing by 2 or 3 municipalities. The far distance is compensated by a good and modern airport, glass and steel structure. There is also a big space for future expansion like building a new terminal or extending the runway. I believe that this airport will soon become international, flying passengers to and from Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul and other Asian cities with big volume of trade and tourism with the Philippines.

This is the old Iloilo Airport in the city. I took this picture two years ago. So it must be dilapidated by now, if not yet demolished. Beside this old airport is a big SM mall, and many houses around it. There is little space for expansion.

The entrance/exit area. On the right side are for greeters and senders.

It is also well-lighted at night time. There is also a big parking space in front, but the parking rates are higher than what the big and modern malls in Manila would charge.

The passenger departure lounge. A few food shops on the left, boarding gates on the right. Sometimes (or often?) the toilet is dirty though. It's something that the airport administration should always remember, to have clean toilets. Passengers pay P200 as "terminal fee", similar to the fee in domestic terminals in Manila, even if they just stay at the departure lounge for just an hour or less. To have a clean, non-foul-smelling toilet is a must.