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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I have another confession to make. You're mistaken, it's not about skeletons in the closet, mind you. It won't make you exclaim,... -
Manny Villar has a new running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda. Asked to explain how these two can work as a tandem when both have been in opposing...
-
Growing up, I always thought of myself as well-behaved, at least compared to most kids my age. In public places I conducted myself in the mo...