Along with Brahms's Sonata in A, here's a personal favorite of mine, the Final Movement to César Franck's Sonata in A Major for Piano and Violin, performed by Christian Ferras (violin) and Pierre Barbizet (piano).
Thursday, May 31, 2007
FRANCK: Violin Sonata in A
Along with Brahms's Sonata in A, here's a personal favorite of mine, the Final Movement to César Franck's Sonata in A Major for Piano and Violin, performed by Christian Ferras (violin) and Pierre Barbizet (piano).
Replacing Wallets
Last week, while waiting on the sidewalk for the shop attendant to replace Frodo's shattered car window on the driver side, our conversation shifted to the best way on how to replace lost wallets, maybe because a lot of our teammates got their wallets stolen inside his car.
"They can easily buy a new one," I ventured to explain. "Wallets are inexpensive."
"Yes but you're not supposed to buy wallets," Frodo said.
"Huh?"
"You see, in order to invite luck, somebody has to give it to you freely." Apparently, he has his own set of superstitious beliefs. It certainly doesn't sound like feng shui to me, nor does it appear like an old wives tale spun in his hometown in Quezon.
"Take it from me, when I bought my own wallet, I didn't have a good year. When somebody gave me a wallet, suddenly, I've been hitting and exceeding my quotas," he said.
"So there's a good chance you'd become rich if the wallet were given to you," had I said this, he'd probably kill me.
I didn't think he was serious, though. I thought he was only pulling my leg.
Boy oh boy, was I mistaken.
"I have a spare wallet, I bought it but I'm not using it anymore. Do you want it?" Frodo offerred.
Remembering my decrepit-looking wallet I bought in Singapore and given the current state of my personal finances, I said "Yeah, why not."
"But how about the bad luck, won't I inherit it or something?" I couldn't help it, I had to ask him.
"No it doesn't work that way. What's wrong with you?" I can't believe it's my fault again.
"Oh, ok. Don't forget to bring it during the next training session," was all I could say.
And then the attendant finally came over and started fitting in the new car window.
"They can easily buy a new one," I ventured to explain. "Wallets are inexpensive."
"Yes but you're not supposed to buy wallets," Frodo said.
"Huh?"
"You see, in order to invite luck, somebody has to give it to you freely." Apparently, he has his own set of superstitious beliefs. It certainly doesn't sound like feng shui to me, nor does it appear like an old wives tale spun in his hometown in Quezon.
"Take it from me, when I bought my own wallet, I didn't have a good year. When somebody gave me a wallet, suddenly, I've been hitting and exceeding my quotas," he said.
"So there's a good chance you'd become rich if the wallet were given to you," had I said this, he'd probably kill me.
I didn't think he was serious, though. I thought he was only pulling my leg.
Boy oh boy, was I mistaken.
"I have a spare wallet, I bought it but I'm not using it anymore. Do you want it?" Frodo offerred.
Remembering my decrepit-looking wallet I bought in Singapore and given the current state of my personal finances, I said "Yeah, why not."
"But how about the bad luck, won't I inherit it or something?" I couldn't help it, I had to ask him.
"No it doesn't work that way. What's wrong with you?" I can't believe it's my fault again.
"Oh, ok. Don't forget to bring it during the next training session," was all I could say.
And then the attendant finally came over and started fitting in the new car window.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Summer's Over
Last night, the heavens heaved and poured out a torrent that had my neighborhood street in knee-deep waters. Good thing my apartment's elevated and the garage floor slightly slopes upwards.
Since I forgot to do my groceries, I had to --gasp!-- order pizza over the phone! Given the circumstances, I was feeling magnanimous and patiently waited and smiled through the entire lengthy order. And no I didn't use the word "obstreperous", neither did I say I wanted a "fefferoni fizza".
Maybe because of the traffic and the flooded streets, it took quite sometime for the pizza guy to reach my gate. By that time, I already had an out-of-body experience from sheer hunger. My spirit left my body, headed towards Manang Mimi's kitchen next door, and hovered over the steaming sinigang and pork chops laid out on the dinner table. I was soooo hungry le Pecheur des Perles texted me to stay away from Grizzly, the feral cat who keeps on stalking Panda and Polar.
Since I forgot to do my groceries, I had to --gasp!-- order pizza over the phone! Given the circumstances, I was feeling magnanimous and patiently waited and smiled through the entire lengthy order. And no I didn't use the word "obstreperous", neither did I say I wanted a "fefferoni fizza".
Maybe because of the traffic and the flooded streets, it took quite sometime for the pizza guy to reach my gate. By that time, I already had an out-of-body experience from sheer hunger. My spirit left my body, headed towards Manang Mimi's kitchen next door, and hovered over the steaming sinigang and pork chops laid out on the dinner table. I was soooo hungry le Pecheur des Perles texted me to stay away from Grizzly, the feral cat who keeps on stalking Panda and Polar.
A Dose of Medicine
Thailand has been put on the US' Priority Watch List for supposedly undermining free trade rules by overriding patent rights of drug firms over AIDS, cancer and other critical drugs. Trade reprisals will likely ensue.
The Philippines should similarly brace itself for a US backlash on a piece of legislation that similarly overrides drug multinational's patent rights under the Cheaper Medicines Act. It is up for final approval in Congress.
Remember the incident where lawyers and representatives of the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Association of the Philippines tried to stop the hearings by handing over a slip of paper to Congressman Teddy Locsin, and getting booted out of the session hall instead?
Drugmakers argue that it is only justified that they be rewarded adequately for long years and massive capital investments poured into research to come up with critical drugs, and that drug pricing merely reflects that reality.
Problems arise when life-saving drugs for AIDS and cancer treatments, for example, remain unreachable to the majority of those who need it, say in third world countries like Thailand and the Philippines because these are just too expensive.
As such, the issue of patented critical drugs becomes a paradox since it has now entered what economists call "public goods" territory. At this point, the state intervenes to benefit the public. Clearly, there appears a trade-off between protecting knowledge and saving lives.
Thus, Sen. Mar Roxas' bill aims to pull down the prices of critical drugs and allows for parallel importation, overriding of existing patents held by drug companies, allowing for the manufacture and importation of generic versions, and disallowing minor modifications of drugs for repatenting.
It is a fact that drugs in the Philippines are among the most expensive in Asia, for a example a similar drug sold in India is priced only at a fraction of its counterpart sold here.
I think the aim of the bill is noble, that is why in Thailand's case, the US will not likely win the public opionion battle. After all, these drugmakers' already earn spectacular profits. The Thai case has already set a precedent as Brazil will likely follow and the Philippines is close to coming up with its own version.
This is a landmark bill that hopefully grants broader access to life-saving drugs. Let us support it, yah?
The Philippines should similarly brace itself for a US backlash on a piece of legislation that similarly overrides drug multinational's patent rights under the Cheaper Medicines Act. It is up for final approval in Congress.
Remember the incident where lawyers and representatives of the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Association of the Philippines tried to stop the hearings by handing over a slip of paper to Congressman Teddy Locsin, and getting booted out of the session hall instead?
Drugmakers argue that it is only justified that they be rewarded adequately for long years and massive capital investments poured into research to come up with critical drugs, and that drug pricing merely reflects that reality.
Problems arise when life-saving drugs for AIDS and cancer treatments, for example, remain unreachable to the majority of those who need it, say in third world countries like Thailand and the Philippines because these are just too expensive.
As such, the issue of patented critical drugs becomes a paradox since it has now entered what economists call "public goods" territory. At this point, the state intervenes to benefit the public. Clearly, there appears a trade-off between protecting knowledge and saving lives.
Thus, Sen. Mar Roxas' bill aims to pull down the prices of critical drugs and allows for parallel importation, overriding of existing patents held by drug companies, allowing for the manufacture and importation of generic versions, and disallowing minor modifications of drugs for repatenting.
It is a fact that drugs in the Philippines are among the most expensive in Asia, for a example a similar drug sold in India is priced only at a fraction of its counterpart sold here.
I think the aim of the bill is noble, that is why in Thailand's case, the US will not likely win the public opionion battle. After all, these drugmakers' already earn spectacular profits. The Thai case has already set a precedent as Brazil will likely follow and the Philippines is close to coming up with its own version.
This is a landmark bill that hopefully grants broader access to life-saving drugs. Let us support it, yah?
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
It's Not So Boring After All
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is one book that tries to explain modern real-world issues using conventional economic (or econometric) analysis. I'm sorry, no need to stifle a nosebleed here, as topics range from what sumo wrestlers and school teachers have in common, how real estate agents are like the Ku Klux Klan, why drug dealers still live with their moms, and the more controversial of all, how abortion keeps the crime rate down.
Mostly light and downright funny, reading the book is like sitting through an Econometrics class, except that you're having loads of fun. I remember one undergraduate thesis which investigated Filipino employers' propensity to hire good-looking candidates. It won the Best Thesis award.
Economic articles can send one into an instant coma: inflation, GDP, development-- these abstract concepts are the equivalent of swatting flies in the middle of a dusty street on a hot, searing afternoon. Yes. It's boring.
I used to have a colleague who liked to send me articles on international trade during his spare time. He is the rare type who buys The Economist magazine and consults Damodaran's valuation books on Saturday afternoons.
So when I saw this book I immediately grabbed it.
The section on on-line dating sites is extremely hilarious, because it's sooo true. For instance, people tend to exaggerate on-line profiles to increase their chances of getting that date: Both male and female users claimed to be an inch taller than the national average; men weighed just in line with the national average while women claimed they weighed 20 pounds less than the national average!
Also 72% of women and 68% or men claimed "above average" looks, including 24% and 19% claiming "very good looks", respectively, which means the average online dater must be: (1) drop-dead gorgeous; (2) a narcissist; (3)still in denial-mode or (4) simply blind!
Mostly light and downright funny, reading the book is like sitting through an Econometrics class, except that you're having loads of fun. I remember one undergraduate thesis which investigated Filipino employers' propensity to hire good-looking candidates. It won the Best Thesis award.
Economic articles can send one into an instant coma: inflation, GDP, development-- these abstract concepts are the equivalent of swatting flies in the middle of a dusty street on a hot, searing afternoon. Yes. It's boring.
I used to have a colleague who liked to send me articles on international trade during his spare time. He is the rare type who buys The Economist magazine and consults Damodaran's valuation books on Saturday afternoons.
So when I saw this book I immediately grabbed it.
The section on on-line dating sites is extremely hilarious, because it's sooo true. For instance, people tend to exaggerate on-line profiles to increase their chances of getting that date: Both male and female users claimed to be an inch taller than the national average; men weighed just in line with the national average while women claimed they weighed 20 pounds less than the national average!
Also 72% of women and 68% or men claimed "above average" looks, including 24% and 19% claiming "very good looks", respectively, which means the average online dater must be: (1) drop-dead gorgeous; (2) a narcissist; (3)still in denial-mode or (4) simply blind!
Highly recommended. Although you may find yourself disagreeing with the authors on some issues.
Uhm
Can't exactly remember from whose blog (or friendster, multiply, flicker, whatever) I filched this from ("stole" or "grabbed" are such impolite terms), but that's me with the maroon cap. Frodo's wearing shades on the right while the one who's on an all-black ensemble (and black shades to match) is Doc.
For some reason, I have a lot of pix that do not upload properly here.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Mortal Enemies
A friend I haven't seen for quite some time ran for councilor in a town in Laguna and lost.
"So you really thought you had a chance of winning?" I asked Fetus point-blank.
"Oh yes. The "vibes" were very encouraging." Apparently, this wasn't the case.
Fetus had no money, no political machinery, and a non-existent platform of government.
I told Johnny Bravo about this and he almost pumped his fist in triumph. Both Johnny Bravo and Fetus used to be the best of friends. "Used to" because currently, both are each other's worst enemy.
"Ron, you really expect someone who looks like a cross between Max Alvarado and a penguin to win? His presence in the barangay council might only cause a stampede...AWAY from him!"
Fetus has equally unflattering comments for Johnny Bravo.
"So how's your ageing-diva friend who has an incurable star-complex?"
"What's his next movie role, as food for the crocodiles, the hit-and-run victim?"
Last time they saw each other, they were close to trading punches. How they came to hate each other is a long story which, unfortunately involves me (wink, wink).
I knew it! You have such a malicious mind. You are mistaken, I assure you.
They'll eventually come around and patch up their differences. Well, maybe not anytime soon.
"So you really thought you had a chance of winning?" I asked Fetus point-blank.
"Oh yes. The "vibes" were very encouraging." Apparently, this wasn't the case.
Fetus had no money, no political machinery, and a non-existent platform of government.
I told Johnny Bravo about this and he almost pumped his fist in triumph. Both Johnny Bravo and Fetus used to be the best of friends. "Used to" because currently, both are each other's worst enemy.
"Ron, you really expect someone who looks like a cross between Max Alvarado and a penguin to win? His presence in the barangay council might only cause a stampede...AWAY from him!"
Fetus has equally unflattering comments for Johnny Bravo.
"So how's your ageing-diva friend who has an incurable star-complex?"
"What's his next movie role, as food for the crocodiles, the hit-and-run victim?"
Last time they saw each other, they were close to trading punches. How they came to hate each other is a long story which, unfortunately involves me (wink, wink).
I knew it! You have such a malicious mind. You are mistaken, I assure you.
They'll eventually come around and patch up their differences. Well, maybe not anytime soon.
MASCAGNI: Cavalleria Rusticana
The masterpiece that defined verismo in opera: Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry). Orquestra e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Ricardo Muti conducting (1996).
Great drama. Full-throated, passionate singing. The works. Bravi!
Part 1
Overture. Turridu serenading an ex-lover, Lola.
Part 2
Villagers preparing for Easter Mass.
Part 3
The Easter Procession. Chorus with Santuzza.
Part 4
Santuzza confiding about Turridu's infidelity to his mother, Mamma Lucia. Santuzza confronts Turridu. The lovers' quarrel. Turridu's ex-lover Lola passes by.
Part 5
The quarrel resumes. The Great Duet. Turridu pushes Santuzza to the ground. Santuzza utters a curse. Lola's husband, Alfio passes by. Santuzza tells him of the affair between Lola and Turridu. Alfio demands revenge.
Part 6
Intermezzo-one of the most beautiful and tender pieces of music ever written. The lull before the storm. Celebrations after the Easter Mass. Chorus. Turridu sings the Brindisi, or drinking song.
Part 7
Finale. Turridu bids farewell to Mamma Lucia, his mother after accepting a challenge for a duel with Alfio. Turridu gets killed in the duel.
Great drama. Full-throated, passionate singing. The works. Bravi!
Part 1
Overture. Turridu serenading an ex-lover, Lola.
Part 2
Villagers preparing for Easter Mass.
Part 3
The Easter Procession. Chorus with Santuzza.
Part 4
Santuzza confiding about Turridu's infidelity to his mother, Mamma Lucia. Santuzza confronts Turridu. The lovers' quarrel. Turridu's ex-lover Lola passes by.
Part 5
The quarrel resumes. The Great Duet. Turridu pushes Santuzza to the ground. Santuzza utters a curse. Lola's husband, Alfio passes by. Santuzza tells him of the affair between Lola and Turridu. Alfio demands revenge.
Part 6
Intermezzo-one of the most beautiful and tender pieces of music ever written. The lull before the storm. Celebrations after the Easter Mass. Chorus. Turridu sings the Brindisi, or drinking song.
Part 7
Finale. Turridu bids farewell to Mamma Lucia, his mother after accepting a challenge for a duel with Alfio. Turridu gets killed in the duel.
Nang Lina
Nang Lina was one of my mom's best friends. Our house in Bukidnon was near hers and she'd frequently visit my mom for a chat over a cup of coffee after her teaching duties at a local public grade school. It was a scene straight out of the 90's movie, Steel Magnolias.
Nang Lina raised three children. Her husband works as a pineapple laborer for the same company my father works.
Nang Lina was very supportive of my father's civic responsibilities. Possessing a naturally good voice, she sang soprano at the church choir which my father trains and conducts. In more than one occassion, I accompanied the choir on the organ and the piano during High Masses and in out-of-town competitions especially around the Christmas season.
When I was about to enter college, Nang Lina did the unthinkable: she gave up her teaching duties, swallowed her pride and became a domestic helper in the US. She figured there was no way she could send her children through college even with the couple's combined salaries.
She was gone for a couple of years and regularly sent money home. I knew all of these because she regularly sent my mom pictures and postcards.
Until one day, she made a decision that caused her entire family great distress: she fell in love with another man and left her family for good. Maybe the relationship was her ticket to become a US citizen. Maybe she really fell in love with another man. I don't know. I will not judge her.
When she came over for a brief visit, only the younger girls agreed to meet her. Her eldest, Junjun, who is my school mate, got devastated and turned to alcohol. I don't even know if he managed to finish school.
Bitter and mad, he vehemently refused to meet her at all, blaming her all this time for the family's breakup. She went back to the US, heartbroken.
Nang Lina was a good neighbor. Her voice would fill the house with laughter, you can hear it upon approaching the valley from where our house stood. I thought hers was an ideal family.
Sometimes, things just won't turn out the way we expect it to be.
It's even more depressing to witness a family fall apart.
I do not know what has happenned to them since then. We're all searching for a happy ending. I hope Nang Lina finds her happy ending.
Nang Lina raised three children. Her husband works as a pineapple laborer for the same company my father works.
Nang Lina was very supportive of my father's civic responsibilities. Possessing a naturally good voice, she sang soprano at the church choir which my father trains and conducts. In more than one occassion, I accompanied the choir on the organ and the piano during High Masses and in out-of-town competitions especially around the Christmas season.
When I was about to enter college, Nang Lina did the unthinkable: she gave up her teaching duties, swallowed her pride and became a domestic helper in the US. She figured there was no way she could send her children through college even with the couple's combined salaries.
She was gone for a couple of years and regularly sent money home. I knew all of these because she regularly sent my mom pictures and postcards.
Until one day, she made a decision that caused her entire family great distress: she fell in love with another man and left her family for good. Maybe the relationship was her ticket to become a US citizen. Maybe she really fell in love with another man. I don't know. I will not judge her.
When she came over for a brief visit, only the younger girls agreed to meet her. Her eldest, Junjun, who is my school mate, got devastated and turned to alcohol. I don't even know if he managed to finish school.
Bitter and mad, he vehemently refused to meet her at all, blaming her all this time for the family's breakup. She went back to the US, heartbroken.
Nang Lina was a good neighbor. Her voice would fill the house with laughter, you can hear it upon approaching the valley from where our house stood. I thought hers was an ideal family.
Sometimes, things just won't turn out the way we expect it to be.
It's even more depressing to witness a family fall apart.
I do not know what has happenned to them since then. We're all searching for a happy ending. I hope Nang Lina finds her happy ending.
Elevated
"You freak me out!" I told Frodo while we were walking towards the Gateway Mall in Cubao.
He wore his elevator shoes and he looks, well, "elevated" enough. I'm still taller than he is but the significant change in his height means I can now look at him directly at the same eye level when I talk to him.
Oh yes, he bought another pair, this time in black leather.
"I have to maintain this height, you know. I can't be "popping up and down" by wearing different shoe sizes every day." I nodded.
"Over time, your brand loyalty might earn you shareholder rights in the company."
Frodo gave me a look that screams "you're such a smart-ass!"
And then he treated me out to a forgettable halo-halo (shaved ice dessert) at the Food Court.
He wore his elevator shoes and he looks, well, "elevated" enough. I'm still taller than he is but the significant change in his height means I can now look at him directly at the same eye level when I talk to him.
Oh yes, he bought another pair, this time in black leather.
"I have to maintain this height, you know. I can't be "popping up and down" by wearing different shoe sizes every day." I nodded.
"Over time, your brand loyalty might earn you shareholder rights in the company."
Frodo gave me a look that screams "you're such a smart-ass!"
And then he treated me out to a forgettable halo-halo (shaved ice dessert) at the Food Court.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Indifference
Frodo's car got ransacked this morning while the whole team was rowing out in Manila Bay. Paul and I noticed it immediately as we approached the car after docking in the unloading area to get our things. Parked between two teammates' SUVs, it provided the perfect cover for thieves to break into his car. Unfortunately, my bag and five other teammates' were inside his car, along with our respective cash and other valuables.
It came at a really bad time. A lot of us were supposed to settle our payments for the upcoming China trip. Cell-phones, mp3 players, credit cards and cash, of course.
Surprise, surprise! My black bag was the only one spared, maybe because I placed it at the back and the zipper was a bit difficult to negotiate.
The CCP Parking Management claimed no responsibility for this serious breach in security, claiming that the terms and conditions specified in the tickets clearly indicate that they are not liable for any loss of valuables inside the area.
Instead of helping find solutions to this recurring problem, the management chose to wash their hands off any responsibility.
Yes, the Parking Management did not even have the courtesy to send a person in authority to address our concerns. They simply sent a clueless parking attendant to face the shocked and distressed paddlers.
The security guards were obviously of no help. Complacency, even indifference has replaced security. Filing a report at the nearest police station, I'm sure, will likely yield nothing, either, just like the last time a theft occurred in the same parking area.
What a distressing day!
It came at a really bad time. A lot of us were supposed to settle our payments for the upcoming China trip. Cell-phones, mp3 players, credit cards and cash, of course.
Surprise, surprise! My black bag was the only one spared, maybe because I placed it at the back and the zipper was a bit difficult to negotiate.
The CCP Parking Management claimed no responsibility for this serious breach in security, claiming that the terms and conditions specified in the tickets clearly indicate that they are not liable for any loss of valuables inside the area.
Instead of helping find solutions to this recurring problem, the management chose to wash their hands off any responsibility.
Yes, the Parking Management did not even have the courtesy to send a person in authority to address our concerns. They simply sent a clueless parking attendant to face the shocked and distressed paddlers.
The security guards were obviously of no help. Complacency, even indifference has replaced security. Filing a report at the nearest police station, I'm sure, will likely yield nothing, either, just like the last time a theft occurred in the same parking area.
What a distressing day!
Officially Poor
Just a few weeks after I ranted about the peso's unprecedented strength, it seems like it is poised towards the PhP45 level. My slide to poverty seems imminent.
Yes, I'm officially poor. OK not dirt-poor, but poor neverthless.
Since I depend heavily on foreign projects, any drastic strength of the local currency does not bode for me at all.
I am forced to hedge the currency risk by immediately investing it in stocks, the returns of which are higher and which should compensate for the loss in purchasing value due the to the dollar weakness.
Yes, I'm officially poor. OK not dirt-poor, but poor neverthless.
Since I depend heavily on foreign projects, any drastic strength of the local currency does not bode for me at all.
I am forced to hedge the currency risk by immediately investing it in stocks, the returns of which are higher and which should compensate for the loss in purchasing value due the to the dollar weakness.
And then my Singaporean boss informed me they forgot to process my payment and which I have been expecting since last week. What in the world is happenning?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Scarred
After rowing training early yesterday morning, Doc Don and I couldn't help notice the facial scars of one of our newbie teammates who recently figured in a car accident.
Doc and I both have surgical scars, the one on his neck is due to a goiter operation (I think). Doc's scar looks like a necklace. Mine however, runs from the navel towards the pubic area. Mine was due to food poisoning.
"Welcome to the Club" We chorused to Serge, each showing our scars.
Serge then proceeded to tell us the many accidents various members of his family have had over the years.
You see, my abdominal scar used to bother me a lot. I couldn't just take off my shirt whenever I want, like in a beach, without attracting attention. However, I took an Oprahtic attitude and looked at in a positive light. Right now, it doesn't bother me at all and I swim at the ULTRA and the Rizal pools frequently.
Although it is certainly unlike Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, it's like a badge of honor for me. The scar after all, is a constant reminder that this is my second lease on life.
One time many years ago, alighting from the MRT, somebody approached me, handed me his card and inquired if I might be interested in joining those male body contests (Yes Che, It's true, I'm not making this up!).
"You have got to be kidding me", I told him, unable to take him seriously - I just couldn't believe it - before I politely declined his offer. I really wonder what his reaction would be like if he sees the map of Chile on my abdomen.
Doc and I both have surgical scars, the one on his neck is due to a goiter operation (I think). Doc's scar looks like a necklace. Mine however, runs from the navel towards the pubic area. Mine was due to food poisoning.
"Welcome to the Club" We chorused to Serge, each showing our scars.
Serge then proceeded to tell us the many accidents various members of his family have had over the years.
You see, my abdominal scar used to bother me a lot. I couldn't just take off my shirt whenever I want, like in a beach, without attracting attention. However, I took an Oprahtic attitude and looked at in a positive light. Right now, it doesn't bother me at all and I swim at the ULTRA and the Rizal pools frequently.
Although it is certainly unlike Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, it's like a badge of honor for me. The scar after all, is a constant reminder that this is my second lease on life.
One time many years ago, alighting from the MRT, somebody approached me, handed me his card and inquired if I might be interested in joining those male body contests (Yes Che, It's true, I'm not making this up!).
"You have got to be kidding me", I told him, unable to take him seriously - I just couldn't believe it - before I politely declined his offer. I really wonder what his reaction would be like if he sees the map of Chile on my abdomen.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Encouraging Signs
There's hope after all. Manny Pacquiao lost his greatest match so far: he lost the Congressional seat of General Santos City to a petite but demure, colegiala-accented Darlene Antonino. Celebrity candidates Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano, and thank God, Victor Wood have no chance of making it to the Magic 12 as well. Lito Lapid lost the mayoralty contest in Makati City, and Rey Malonzo failed in Caloocan City.
The handwriting on the wall is as clear as day. A celebrity status may not be enough to assure winning in the elections.
I'd like to believe voters have started to avoid electing officials whose only qualification is that they can lip sync or dance their way through a crowd.
In a stunning victory, a Roman Catholic priest on-leave from his parish (presumably) won over the wife of well-known gambling lord Bong Pineda and the re-electionist relative of Lito Lapid. This puts the Catholic Church in the quandary as its policy clearly dissuades the clergy from engaging in politics. With zero resources and a non-existent machinery, Fr. Ed Panlilio managed to overcome the odds and emerge on top.
Anyway, Frodo, Jun and I participated in the 1st Champion 10Km run at the Global City in Fort Bonifacio yesterday. With no practice whatsoever, the three of us managed to clock in our worst times ever.
The handwriting on the wall is as clear as day. A celebrity status may not be enough to assure winning in the elections.
I'd like to believe voters have started to avoid electing officials whose only qualification is that they can lip sync or dance their way through a crowd.
In a stunning victory, a Roman Catholic priest on-leave from his parish (presumably) won over the wife of well-known gambling lord Bong Pineda and the re-electionist relative of Lito Lapid. This puts the Catholic Church in the quandary as its policy clearly dissuades the clergy from engaging in politics. With zero resources and a non-existent machinery, Fr. Ed Panlilio managed to overcome the odds and emerge on top.
Anyway, Frodo, Jun and I participated in the 1st Champion 10Km run at the Global City in Fort Bonifacio yesterday. With no practice whatsoever, the three of us managed to clock in our worst times ever.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Rach3
Sergei RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3
Yefim Bronfman, Piano
Vienna Philharmonic
Valery Gerghiev, conductor
Rachmaninoff's final piano concerto, the Third, or more popularly known as Rach3, holds the distinction as the most difficult concerto in the entire piano repertoire (others may disagree, of course). This is apparent in the final movement where the soloist negotiates the leaping big chords rapidly, it's the closest you can get to setting the piano on fire on stage.
Rachmaninoff built his career as a virtouso and sometimes this overshadows his being a composer. Although fiercely Russian, his music follows the line of Tchaikovsky, whose western influences in style can be traced back to the German Romantics, rather than the nationalist school composed of Glinka, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui and Mussogorsky.
Again, as in his other two concertos for the instrument, Rach3 is characterized by a hyper romantic theme with a clear melodic line that permeates the three-movement work and the piano writing is highly effective and impressive for the audience. To look for musical innovations in this work is futile: Rachmaninoff is no Schoenberg or Stravinsky and I don't think he even cared about the developments in 20th century music, such as the emergence of the polytonality, motoric rythmic patterns and unabashed dissonance for its own sake.
While his contemporaries like Stravinsky (his Le Sacre du Printemps caused such a stir and controversy during its premiere in Paris), Schoenberg (the audience went berserk during a performance of his music in Vienna) and Webern (his music was banned by the Nazis) tracked new and unchartered territories and subjected themselves to intense criticism and ridicule because of the splitting dissonances and simply put, unintelligible music, Rachmaninoff comfortably sailed off in the Chopinesque-Lisztian High Romanticism style. Which makes him highly popular to this day. Who hasn't heard of the 18th Variation on a Theme from Paganini anyway?
As I have explained before, his style is extremely personal. One reason why parallels can be made between him and Chopin is that both have aristocratic tendencies and their music express a certain longing: both of whom were forced to go in exile, after all. The complex portions marked by extreme technical virtousic demands evoke visions of leaving bodies. In fact, it is easy to see that his music encapsulates the anguish of a severed soul.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Yefim Bronfman, Piano
Vienna Philharmonic
Valery Gerghiev, conductor
Rachmaninoff's final piano concerto, the Third, or more popularly known as Rach3, holds the distinction as the most difficult concerto in the entire piano repertoire (others may disagree, of course). This is apparent in the final movement where the soloist negotiates the leaping big chords rapidly, it's the closest you can get to setting the piano on fire on stage.
Rachmaninoff built his career as a virtouso and sometimes this overshadows his being a composer. Although fiercely Russian, his music follows the line of Tchaikovsky, whose western influences in style can be traced back to the German Romantics, rather than the nationalist school composed of Glinka, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui and Mussogorsky.
Again, as in his other two concertos for the instrument, Rach3 is characterized by a hyper romantic theme with a clear melodic line that permeates the three-movement work and the piano writing is highly effective and impressive for the audience. To look for musical innovations in this work is futile: Rachmaninoff is no Schoenberg or Stravinsky and I don't think he even cared about the developments in 20th century music, such as the emergence of the polytonality, motoric rythmic patterns and unabashed dissonance for its own sake.
While his contemporaries like Stravinsky (his Le Sacre du Printemps caused such a stir and controversy during its premiere in Paris), Schoenberg (the audience went berserk during a performance of his music in Vienna) and Webern (his music was banned by the Nazis) tracked new and unchartered territories and subjected themselves to intense criticism and ridicule because of the splitting dissonances and simply put, unintelligible music, Rachmaninoff comfortably sailed off in the Chopinesque-Lisztian High Romanticism style. Which makes him highly popular to this day. Who hasn't heard of the 18th Variation on a Theme from Paganini anyway?
As I have explained before, his style is extremely personal. One reason why parallels can be made between him and Chopin is that both have aristocratic tendencies and their music express a certain longing: both of whom were forced to go in exile, after all. The complex portions marked by extreme technical virtousic demands evoke visions of leaving bodies. In fact, it is easy to see that his music encapsulates the anguish of a severed soul.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Currency Woes
Barely a month after the peso breached the PhP48/US$ support level, it has again reached new highs by breaking into the PhP46/US$ territory. I'm seriously in trouble.
Portfolio funds (mostly through the equities market) from overseas, remittances from OFWs and to a certain extent Foreign Direct Investments (or FDI's) have pushed M3 or domestic liquidity (currency in circulation, deposits held in banks, etc) by a staggering 23-24%, which is way above the Bangko Sentral's 20% cap on money supply growth.
This is clearly inflationary, aggravated by huge spending sprees for political campaigns during the recently-concluded elections (I heard Prospero Pichay spent the biggest amount among the senatorial candidates). Movements in global oil prices have thankfully been stable but this may change anytime with a standoff in either Iran or North Korea.
As I have expected, interest rates have risen (benchmark 90-day T-bills is at 3.0%++) and with a strong M3 as well as higher inflation, monetary authorities may be forced to mop up excess liquidity in the financial system by raising rates further or perhaps raising banks' reserve requirement.
Other inflation indicators, such as trends in consumer spending, show mixed results. Sales of appliances, for example, have been falling dramatically (I know because I just completed an industry study on this) but telecomms sales (cell phones) continue to defy expectations of a maturing market.
So should we be concerned about inflation? definitely, over the medium-term perhaps when the property market will likely overheat and consumer spending will be boosted by higher dollar remittances per capita.
My main concern right now is to look for other avenues to compensate for the lower revenues on account of the peso's unprecedented strength.
Portfolio funds (mostly through the equities market) from overseas, remittances from OFWs and to a certain extent Foreign Direct Investments (or FDI's) have pushed M3 or domestic liquidity (currency in circulation, deposits held in banks, etc) by a staggering 23-24%, which is way above the Bangko Sentral's 20% cap on money supply growth.
This is clearly inflationary, aggravated by huge spending sprees for political campaigns during the recently-concluded elections (I heard Prospero Pichay spent the biggest amount among the senatorial candidates). Movements in global oil prices have thankfully been stable but this may change anytime with a standoff in either Iran or North Korea.
As I have expected, interest rates have risen (benchmark 90-day T-bills is at 3.0%++) and with a strong M3 as well as higher inflation, monetary authorities may be forced to mop up excess liquidity in the financial system by raising rates further or perhaps raising banks' reserve requirement.
Other inflation indicators, such as trends in consumer spending, show mixed results. Sales of appliances, for example, have been falling dramatically (I know because I just completed an industry study on this) but telecomms sales (cell phones) continue to defy expectations of a maturing market.
So should we be concerned about inflation? definitely, over the medium-term perhaps when the property market will likely overheat and consumer spending will be boosted by higher dollar remittances per capita.
My main concern right now is to look for other avenues to compensate for the lower revenues on account of the peso's unprecedented strength.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Cien Años de Soledad
I once told my Cuban teacher at the Instituto Cervantes I wanted to master la lengua Española because I mean to read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) in the original Español.
I casually mentioned this to Jun and what do you know, he got a me a commemorative copy of this book when he went to Arizona, published by the Real Academia Española and the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (which includes our very own Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española). He also got me a Penguin edition of El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera (Love in the Time of Cholera), which I found too expensive at National Bookstore.
The first time I read this book (translated into English by Gregory Rabassa) was way back in college and I remember being unable to put it down. Almost like a magical tale, it struck me as a fantastic allegory of the human condition. Gabriel Garcia Marquez may have woven an entirely different world of his own, mostly defying the laws of physics, but he didn't even need to appeal to his readers to suspend their disbelief, we willingly obliged him, unconsciously drawn to his magical world. And what is most appealing about this book is that it is all too real and universal- the rise and fall of the Buendia family and the place that is Macondo are very much our own.
This is a hugely popular book first published in 1967 in Argentina and I'm sure a lot of you have read this at some point. Suffice it to say that this book earned for the author the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Shoes
Over breakfast, Frodo told me he finally did the inevitable, "I bought THE shoes," he gleefully declared. He reminded me of a 5-year old kid who finally got his Christmas wish from Santa.
"Really? So how was it?", I had to ask him.
"It felt like walking on stilts."
"Really? So how was it?", I had to ask him.
"It felt like walking on stilts."
"Of course. It's not called elevator shoes for nothing", I said.
He boldy asserted, "If I wear it, I'm actually taller than you are."
"Ows!"
"I'm not kidding!" he might as well have sworn on the grave of his grandparents.
"So you don't have to wear elephant pants to hide the 4-inch evidence?"
"Naaawh! Are you out of your mind?"
Curious to take a look, I asked him, "Do you have it with you?"
"I left it at home. I once wore it to a client meeting and the client kept on asking me why I look different."
"He's just not used to seeing you taller," I rationalized.
"You have to walk carefully lest you trip over. Also, there's no way you can run in case of fire" Frodo probably thinks I'm interested in buying one myself.
"Didn't you try it on when you bought it?"
"Of course I did. It's different when you have a large ground to cover."
"Then you have to buy another pair right? You can't possibly be taller one day and 4 inches shorter the following. You're clients might think they need to have their eyes checked.
"I know. I think I might just do that."
And then I gave him the butterscotch I bought in Iloilo and he gave me a surplus mug with his company's logo on it.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Moving On
I spent the week-end in Iloilo to be present at the funeral service for Jun's mom. It was a solemn affair- quietly dignified. It was a fitting tribute to a life well-spent. Jun, of course, delivered the most heart-wrenching and spiritually uplifting speech, so much that the pastor kept qouting Jun in his sermon.
Knowing how close Jun is to his mom, I was aware that he has a very difficult time letting go and moving on. Since I had no bible verses or Shakespearian qoutes to offer, I decided to fly to Iloilo, along with Jenny, another friend and teammate. Our presence hopefully, would somehow assuage the pain he was experiencing.
Knowing how close Jun is to his mom, I was aware that he has a very difficult time letting go and moving on. Since I had no bible verses or Shakespearian qoutes to offer, I decided to fly to Iloilo, along with Jenny, another friend and teammate. Our presence hopefully, would somehow assuage the pain he was experiencing.
We were kidding him all the time about pensive glances, the blank stares into the horizon, ya know, the "far-away look", the "blaming yourself and the 'Why God, why?' stages-- but then again, making light of these rather burdensome and grave situations was really our way of making it easy for him to move on and fight depression.
In one of those long conversations I had with him a few months ago when her mom's condition started to deteriorate, I could feel and see the dread in his face. And so I matter-of-factly told him to prepare himself for the inevitable. Death is, after all, an event all of us will have to face sooner or later. Hopefully, he is OK now.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Ordering Pizza
I never realized ordering a pizza nowadays over the phone can be a taxing experience. And I'm not even referring to a busy signal. In fact, with one centralized number for easy recall, you don't even have to pick up the heavy phone directory and flip through the pages anymore.
It's when the other person on the other line takes your order that the long, exhausting process gets underway.
"Is there anything else you'd like to order sir?"
"What toppings would you like?"
"Thin or thick?"
"Sir might we interest you with our new promo?"
"Round or square?"
"That promo has been scrapped already."
"Exact amount or change for 500?"
Directions to your house as well as describing landmarks for easy reference already takes up a lot of time and makes you twitch in your seat.
And just when you're about to put down the phone, the agent rattles off, for a minute or two, with a prepared speech praising how efficient and wonderful (NAME OF PIZZA COMPANY)'s pizzas are.
Armed with a hyper-active imagination, I've been tempted several times to make life for these pizza phone agents a little "colorful" and "disorienting," just to break the tedious monotony of ordering pizzas.
I haven't actually done it yet, but another lengthy order on the phone and I just, just might finally tick off and do the following:
- order Chicken Joy;
- pay in dollars;
- sing my order to the tune of Boom Tarat Tarat;
- demand that the agent repeat my order with a little more pizzaz and enthusiasm;
- deliberately interchange p's and f's in the pronounciation, as in pamily size fizza;
- use high falutin' words like vinculum, obstreperous, frisson
I know what you're thinking: "Ron has already lost it, hasn't he?" It must be the summer heat.
It's when the other person on the other line takes your order that the long, exhausting process gets underway.
"Is there anything else you'd like to order sir?"
"What toppings would you like?"
"Thin or thick?"
"Sir might we interest you with our new promo?"
"Round or square?"
"That promo has been scrapped already."
"Exact amount or change for 500?"
Directions to your house as well as describing landmarks for easy reference already takes up a lot of time and makes you twitch in your seat.
And just when you're about to put down the phone, the agent rattles off, for a minute or two, with a prepared speech praising how efficient and wonderful (NAME OF PIZZA COMPANY)'s pizzas are.
Armed with a hyper-active imagination, I've been tempted several times to make life for these pizza phone agents a little "colorful" and "disorienting," just to break the tedious monotony of ordering pizzas.
I haven't actually done it yet, but another lengthy order on the phone and I just, just might finally tick off and do the following:
- order Chicken Joy;
- pay in dollars;
- sing my order to the tune of Boom Tarat Tarat;
- demand that the agent repeat my order with a little more pizzaz and enthusiasm;
- deliberately interchange p's and f's in the pronounciation, as in pamily size fizza;
- use high falutin' words like vinculum, obstreperous, frisson
I know what you're thinking: "Ron has already lost it, hasn't he?" It must be the summer heat.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Text Blues
"f sum1 luVz u..b prOud of 8..8 onLy meAns daT u hav sUmthng dat oderZ dnt hav..so?..dnt let 8 gO coz 8s nt ezy 2 find sum1 hu realy luvz u..."
How can I take the meaning of this message seriously if it's written this way?
A major turn-off.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Cheers!
This friend of mine is going to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. We became friends only by accident, literally. You see, a few years ago, I fell off the spiral staircase made slippery by a slight drizzle at the Marikina swimming pool, causing my right foot to bleed profusely.
Like a guardian angel sent from above, a complete stranger brought me to a nearby hospital.
To my good friend Johnny Bravo, Happy Birthday!
Like a guardian angel sent from above, a complete stranger brought me to a nearby hospital.
To my good friend Johnny Bravo, Happy Birthday!
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