Ulan pa!

Pagmasdan ang ulan

Unti-unting pumapatak sa mga halaman at mga bulaklak

Pagmasdan ang dilim

Unti-unting bumabalot sa buong paligid tuwing umuulan

Kasabay ng ulan bumubuhos ang 'yong ganda

Kasabay ng hanging kumakanta

Maari bang huwag ka nang sa piling ko'y lumisan pa

Hanggang ang hangi't ula'y ay tumila na

Buhos ng ulan aking mundo'y lunuring tuluyan

Tulad ng pag-agos mo di mapipigil

Ang puso kong nagliliyab

pag-ibig ko'y umaapaw

Damdamin ko'y humihiyaw sa tuwa

Tuwing umuulan at kapiling ka

Pagmasdan ang ulan unti-unting tumitila

Ikaw rin magpapaalam na

Maari bang minsan pa

Mahagkan ka't maiduyan pa

Sakbibi ka't ulan lamang ang saksi?

Minsan pa ulan bumuhos ka't h'wag ng tumigil pa

Hatid mo may bagyo dalangin ito ng puso kong sumasamo

Pag-ibig ko'y umaapaw

Damdamin ko'y humihiyaw sa tuwa

Tuwing umuulan at kapiling ka

Maari bang minsan pa

Mahagkan ka't maiduyan ka

Sakbibi ka't ulan lamang ang saksi?

Buhos ng ulan aking mundo'y lunuring tuluyan

Tulad ng pag-agos mo di mapipigil

Ang puso kong nagliliyab

pag-ibig ko'y umaapaw

Damdamin ko'y humihiyaw sa tuwa

Tuwing umuulan at kapiling ka

Minsan pa ulan bumuhos ka't h'wag ng tumigil pa

Hatid mo may bagyo dalangin ito ng puso kong sumasabog

Pag-ibig ko'y umaapaw

Damdamin ko'y humihiyaw sa tuwa

Tuwing umuulan at kapiling ka

Ulan lang ng ulan. :-)

Consummatum est

Hayyy...

And the "Best Power Point Presentation Award" goes to...

Later today, at around 2pm, we will know for sure if there will be a job opportunity at the Supreme Court. For today, the fate of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona will be decided by 23 senators -- to acquit or to convict.

I have always told myself (and openly shared to others) that the impeachment trial, being a political process, is going to be a battle of numbers and not weighing of facts. I believed that the senators will cast their vote depending on their political affiliations.

Prof. Carlos of UP changed my mind. Or at least how I wanted to see things.

In an interview with Dos por Dos, she said this is indeed a political process. She argued however that politics should be seen not in simple terms. Politics is not decided based on hear-says, not on political favors, not on mere numbers. Politics is decided on a higher ground. Senators, she hopes (and I do, too!), should decide on their appreciation of facts. This is the only way we can move forward.

She's right.

And this afternoon, I hope our senators will vote on what they see is right. I'll be watching at home.

So, who do you think made the  most convincing Power Point presentation? :-D

---

In a not-so related  concern: Is JPE using a Sennheiser headphone?

Hello, Monday!

And just like that, it's Monday once again. I hope you guys enjoyed your weekend as much as I did. :-) Well, it's not really as if I spent the whole weekend playing with awesome epiphone electric guitars or some other amazing gadgets, but I got to try the aircon we have just installed in one of our rooms at home. Hehehe.

Have a great week ahead!   \m/

Samsung Galaxy 3: Lumayo ka!

Smart and Globe are offering Samsung Galaxy 3 for, I would say, affordable plans. Smart is offering it for free at Plan 2000; Globe, Plan 2499. If you check the details though, Globe is more appealing to me as on top of the unlimited data plan that they are offering together with the plan, you still have 1,499 consumable value, and I think some freebies more. Smart on the other hand only offers unlimited data plan plus some freebies in the calls and texts.

Why am I saying this? It's not that this gadget has some kind of avery labels or royal branding, but I just feel like I wanted to get SGS3! Hehehe. Sana tumama ako sa lotto.

Happy weekend everyone!

And a few hours from now, hello, Monday!

Battle of Power Points!

So, the question of the day is:

Who designed the best Power Point?

The answer to this question will determine if Corona will be convicted or acquitted. 

Carpio-Morales has her own Power Point, Corona has his own and now, Drilon is presenting his own Power Point. Ahh... Philippine politics at its best! If only there can be a laboratory balance or weighing scale that can be used to measure facts and reasons...

LSS: The Spirit Carries On

If I die tomorrow / I'd be all right / Because I believe /

That after we're gone / The spirit carries on

I finally got my Samsung phone once again. I brought it to Samsung's service center due to some concerns in the internal memory. Luckily, the damage to be repaired is still covered by the 1-year warranty period. I was told that the mother board was replaced with a brand new one, and it could have cost me about 9,000. Whew!

So, yesterday, I was so excited creating my playlists again. I'm done with 2 playlists. Later tonight, I'll make another 2 playlists (I want to make a playlist for every situation I can possibly imagine -- driving, traveling, working, and yeah, even painting leather, hehehe).

Oh yeah, I am so busy these days. :-D

Running

I've been dreaming for a few times now about one single activity that could mean so many things at all: RUNNING.

Last night was the most recent of a series of dreams about running. I was a priest and I was running so hard that when i woke up, I almost cannot breath due to exhaustion. Almost half a day later, and up to now, I feel so tired. My problem is, I am not sure if I was running after or running away from something. Or both, not necessarily in that order.

Could I be running because I want to escape something from my reality? Could I be running because I am chasing something unreachable?

Whatever it is, I am really tired. Seriously.

Any dream interpreters out there? Do you think I need to see a shrink?

(We can perhaps eliminate the possibility of me running simply because I want to be featured in some ageless male review.)

Random thoughts on what happened to Corona

I really have no idea what happened, but I really did not turn the TV off from 1PM to about 6PM. I was watching the Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. Some thoughts:

• There's something wrong about how Corona made his opening statement. If you watched it, you know what I mean.
• Corona's fate might be sealed by a battle of Power Point presentations
• Enrile is a good statesman.
• Tomorrow is going to be more exciting -- whether Corona will be there or not, it will be.

So, tomorrow, work-at-home mode again. Hehehe.

(If only we have an audio cabinet where I can attach my laptop at work, I'd monitor the trial there.)

Did I take the wrong side?

As of 3:35 pm

Anyone watching CJ's opening statement now is probably asking: What is the relevance of all these?!

D#@m. I know I am actually wasting my time watching this (and I just said this is the moment of truth) but I really am interested how this day for Corona will end. Argh!

Right this very moment, I think I could be a better Chief Justice than Renato Corona!

---

As of 4:19 pm

It looks like in the end, Chief Justice Renato Corona's fate will be sealed by whoever made a better Power Point presentations. 

And after the opening statement of the Chief Justice, I think he felt so weak that he has to leave the stand without being dismissed. Uh-oh. I didn't see any personnel in doctor or nurse uniforms but it's clear it was a medical situation.

Pagbabalik

A couple of former officemates are going back to our previous company... that super-secret BPO company. I can only assume they received a good offer from our former employer. I am happy for them.

Another former colleague asked me what would it take me to go back to my former work. I jokingly mentioned the following:

• 200% increase in basic salary
• freedom to wear whatever I want (i.e., dressdown always, basketball shorts and cargo pants included)
• freedom to work wherever I want (telecommuting setup)
• MBA, iPhone 4S, unlimited data plan, representation and communication allowance (perhaps stuffed animals dogs and other toys for the street kids in our place? :-) )
• and annual increase in salary

I know the above list is actually not impossible for some people, but NOT from this former company of mine. Modesty aside, I was offered most of these perks a while back. But I only mentioned these because I wanted to say I have no interest in going back to work with them – not because it is them, but because I am contented with what I am doing now.

I was actually surprised with this realization. :-)

Are you a Gaga fan?

American pop singer and songwriter Lady Gaga poses before the media upon her arrival in a hotel Saturday in Manila's financial district of Makati. Lady Gaga* will hold two concerts on May 21 and 22 in the country as part of her Asian tour. - Inquirer.net

According to a news report from Inquirer, "Up to 40,000 fans in the Catholic-majority nation paid as much as P15,840 ($370) each to watch the US singer." If this were true, then, that concert made, at the very least, PHP633,600,000 in one night! I said at least because I am sure they earned a significant amount as well from sponsors. Whew!

I guess this is why pop icons can really afford extravagant lifestyles!

*Lady Gaga can wear medical uniforms in cocktail parties and make a million fans follow the trend!

Corona on witness stand later

Well, I guess later this afternoon is the moment of truth for the Impeachment Trial of the Chief Justice. If you hate politics but have to watch one single day of the impeachment trial, this afternoon is IT. Chief Justice Renato C. Corona will be taking the witness stand later to defend himself against all allegations of graft and corruption.

I only watched the impeachment trial once -- when the prosecution was still presenting their case. After that, I told myself I won't watch how the government spends the money it steals from me thru my taxes. And they are not just buying briefcases for men -- it's more serious!

But again... this afternoon is different. It will be The Man himself! So, today, I will be filing my leave of absence to watch it. See you later, Boss Slave Driver!

Escape. Focus. Survive.

Have you ever experienced the feeling when you just wanted to relax and go away on a vacation, pack your bags and backpacking boots, drink some wine, and perhaps compartmentalize your mind so you can focus on what you want to do or pursue? No need for planning, for any research before the trip, just take the first bus going up north or down south and let the winds carry you wherever they want to take you.

Well, lately, because of the very, very hot weather, I am tempted to do just that. Unfortunately I can't. I still have some more immediate needs which I cannot just leave behind. If only I can, I definitely will.

(This post is a confirmation that I am really lacking some focus lately. Hehehe.)

An Open Note to China

Mike Enriquez on Jessica Sanchez:

'Para sa mga kaibigan nating Chinese, nililinaw lang natin na si Jessica Sanchez ay Pilipina. Baka kasi angkinin nyo na naman ito.'

Hehehe. Katuwa lang.

---
Update: Jessica is now one of the two American Idol finalists. Tomorrow, she'll be performing against Phillip Phillip. Jessica is an early favorite and I really hope she wins this season. I am not an American Idol fan but, hey, it's a Filipino who's about to win! And this is not just a simple contest. This is a worldwide phenomenon!

Better than camouflage

Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows otherwise visible animals, military vehicles, or other objects to remain unnoticed by blending with their environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly. Camouflage is a form of visual deception...

The other day, I was waiting for my turn in a bank. It was a long line. The one in front of me looks like -- warning: stereotyping -- a homeless guy who looks like he doesn't care at all who's around him. He was carrying a plastic bag, which I first thought was just his packed lunch or something. When his turn came, he approached the teller and opened the plastic bag. It contained bundles of cash in 1,000's and 500's. If I have to guesstimate -- it's probably at least a million pesos. Holy effin' A!

The guy was 'wearing a camouflage' so effective you cannot see through him even if you have prescription glasses from GreatEyeglasses.com! I mean, he could be a serial killer and I wouldn't have a clue. He played with my pre-conceived notions of our society and it was way better than camouflage...

More of Biri Island

Here are some more pics from my Biri Island trip last week. :-)