On the 8 Spot

Damn, lots of relief operations are closing up and we still have 400,000 people in evacuation centers, typhoon pepeng is coming and I don’t know who will deliver food to the evacuees in the middle of the typhoon. I hate to say this but we need to borrow some amphibious vehicles from the US government.

If the Philippine government can’t get it’s act together, I feel that 2010 is really too long a time to wait for the removal of these DAMNED people in power! Tangina Ninyo!

An excerpt of the excellent article by de quiros. Hope you read the whole thing.

Three, indeed to this hour, what government we have is courtesy of the private sector where voluntarism has sprung like wildflowers. That is the bright spot in all this, the light amid the darkness, the blazing sun after the storm. Truly the Filipino rises to his finest self during trying times, the more trying the times, the finer the rising. Or it is in times of disaster that the Filipino ceases to be a disaster, thinking of others first before self.

It’s especially heartening to see the kids go en masse on relief mode. Many of the kids in my neighborhood have done so, teeners who normally while away the holidays playing basketball, flipping rollerblades, and drinking beer in the stores. They’ve enrolled themselves to help without thought of pay, without thought of recompense, without thought of reward. Just the thought of doing something nice for a change, just the thought of doing something to make things better.

It rekindles memories of the July-August floods of 1972, when students also went in droves to places in Greater Manila no longer traversable by land, or indeed outside the metropolis where they were greeted by a greater ravaging. But then there was activism to fuel, or goad, or flagellate the youth to idealism. Well, there was also the prospect of meeting a cool chick or a cool cat while on your best form. Today, there’s just spontaneous goodwill to do the trick. And the prospect of meeting a cool chick or a cool cat while on your best form. The kids come home happy, comparing the welts and bruises on their arms from lifting crates while drinking beer in the stores.

Makes you wonder what on earth you need government for.

via Three – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

Saang universe ba nabubuhay itong mga ito! Tangina!

LWUA bash called ‘insensitive’

BY JP LOPEZ

THE Local Water Utilities Administration, a government-controlled corporation, held a “lavish” feast for its 36th anniversary Wednesday night, a virtual slap on the face of half a million Filipinos victimized by storm “Ondoy” who are scrounging for relief goods.

President Arroyo arrived at 9 p.m.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said that while most celebrations have been cancelled to donate to victims of Ondoy, the move of LWUA to proceed with its anniversary is the “height of insensitivity.”

“Kawalanghiyaan na ito,” Cayetano said

A source said LWUA ordered 500 reservations for cocktails and 250 reservations for a seven-course dinner buffet from Henry’s Catering Service.

A check with menu showed the catering cost about P200,000 (at P510++, P530++ to P610++ per head).

The celebration, complete with a live band, was held at the LWUA main office on Katipunan avenue, Balara, Quezon City, which was one of the worst hit by Ondoy floods.

The menu consisted of baked mussels with olive oil and garlic as appetizer, “sinigang” soup, and roast pig.

via :: Malaya – The National Newspaper ::.

I botched a Job Exam/Interview last monday.

I could make the excuse that I had less than 3 hours of sleep and my body ached all over and that I cannot concentrate with all the talking happening around me but the real reason is that I wanted to work there and that put pressure on me.

It was a programming exam and the problems were really simple, but being nervous made my mind blank for more than two hours. This was funny because the exam was for 2 hours and I spent about 3.5 hours on the exam.

Damn, I also realized that I have a problem with problem solving. The sheer number of ways that something can be done produces a paradox of choice state for me. I cannot start doing something because knowing the multitude of things , of ways something can be done starts my mind to doing seemingly intractable (at least using my very limited brain power) number of considerations.

This on quiet reflection has always been a problem for me, why I take a very long time to do seemingly simple/straightforward tasks, and why seemingly complex tasks require a minimum of time for me to do. The former because there are just too many ways to do it, the latter because of complexity reduces the possibilities to a point where I can make a decision.

I have to find a way to work around this. This has been holding me back for a very long time.

This has probably been one of the worst septembers for me and probably .5 to what 10 million people?.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends”

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

like my father’s come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

like my father’s come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends
wake me up when September ends
wake me up when September ends

from here