Back to School

Picture this: a tough gangster, the most feared in the country and who's expected to take over as "boss", pretends that he's only 17 years old and goes back to high school to get his diploma. Tough call. Oh man, it's a riot, right from the start. Makio, the Yakuza heir-apparent, messed up a potentially lucrative deal simply because he's a little "slow," he had trouble with simple arithmetic. He can't even write his name properly. Crazy. And so the Yakuza's top boss, Marlon Brando's counterpart in the Godfather, threatened to by-pass him for the position unless he gets his high school diploma.

Yap, I've been watching episodes of the Japanese comedy drama, My Boss, My Hero which I download from Veoh. Feels like watching anime, with lots of crazy sub-plots. I like the fight scenes as well- fast, furious, kung fu- like - it's not the Asero-type at all, you know, post-production explosions and lots and lots of slow-mo crap.

I'll try to watch the entire season. It's a pleasant, funny ride so far. I watched the third episode without subtitles *triple gasp!* hello?... I had to guess what it was all about but I think I managed to get the gist.

Nocturne

Chopin's most beautiful nocturne, the Opus 27 no. 2 in D♭. Haunting and dreamy, it's like watching the moon caress the garden on a balmy but cloudy evening with its fading light.

Lang Lang on the piano at Carnegie Hall.

VAT

I watched parts of Gloria's State of the Nation address yesterday and I agree with her on the issue of retaining the VAT. She said VAT collections go a long way in funding social services and creating job opportunities. OK, ok, that was of course meant for a broad audience, and so the motherhood statements that ring hollow.

Removing the VAT can have dire consequences for the country. I hope those militant groups who engage in drama and empty rhetoric realize that. Let's analyze this one properly without getting too worked up or emotional, shall we?

VAT collections account for a huge chunk of government revenues. Removing this means we're back to huge budget deficit days. Incurring huge budget deficits in turn means lower credit ratings, thus higher interest rates on existing and prospective sovereign loans, loss of investor confidence resulting in a weak currency and inflation, putting pressure on the already-high gas and commodity prices on account of global supply constraints.

In order for investments and capital to flow smoothly into the country, the country must show a strong revenue base consisting of direct and indirect taxation (VAT, customs duties, etc.), as well as a determined tax revenue collection effort (as a % of GDP, we lag behind our ASEAN neighbors).

By the way, why do IBON Foundation surveys get noticed by media? Are you kidding me, that blasted NGO's surveys use the most biased and the most unscientific methodology in the country. Ridiculous results! Huwag na kasi patulan, lumalaki lang ulo ng mga yan!

Underrated

I'm probably one among the few people who haven't seen the Dark Knight yet. I heard Christian Bale's really good, I mean after all he's one of those severely underrated actors. I still remember his old Disney, Oliver Twist-like movies where he plays a street urchin who suddenly dances and breaks into song; or the boy who got separated from his parents in the unforgettable Empire of the Sun by Steven Spielberg where he managed to survive by himself amidst the chaos of the war, or the cold-blooded, calculating psycho in what else, American Psycho. In contrast, the mere mention of George Clooney or Ben Affleck makes me want to puke each time. I avoid their movies big time.

Overcharging Bully

The ERC shouldn't just focus on the unfair imposition of system loss charges by Meralco to its consumers, but should reexamine the items included in the computation of the Rate on Return Base formula as well. This is used by the distribution utility firm to set its rates. If I'm not mistaken, the formula includes the company's income tax obligations to the government. In other words, even Meralco's taxes are being shouldered by its electricity consumers.

Himantayon

I've been laughing my brains out the past hour or so, courtesy of Himantayon, a Cebuano website that claims to "chronicle the limits of our humanity"- whatever that means. I don't exactly know the equivalent of himantayon in Tagalog or English, the adjective observant, even when added with the adverb keenly doesn't seem to capture its essence, or the Tagalog pakialamero (nosy) is just darn too negative. So Marc, help out, how do we define it?

What I like best about the website is that humor and popular culture are captured casually in crackling, good old-fashioned Cebuano. I speak Cebuano fluently-- it is after all, my native tongue-- but it is the Northern Mindanao variety which is light-weight compared to the richer, more archaic and antiquated (for my ears) language spoken in Cebu, the kind I get to hear only on AM radio stations.

I remember feeling amused when I heard someone say "nalisang ko" (I was confounded) since it has a very poetic ring to it. Very much like listening to a Provençal dialect, I imagine: you don't understand it, but it sounds pretty all the same

Marc, have you seen this site, nagsige ra ko og katawa :)

Marathon Challenge

Oh my gas! TinaC, one of the most generous and nicest people in my dragon boat team, sent over a video clip of me playing the piano last year in Guangzhou. I'm still unable to upload it, server glitches, I think.

She says I can only start to call her "Ate" after I complete my first full 42 kilometer marathon. Hwahwahwa. More than four hours of non-stop running, gasp! I might as well climb Mt. Everest. Well, who knows :)