Macbook Hate it !!!

It was a toss between the smallest Vaio and the black Macbook. It was really the sleek lines of the Vaio that I was attracted to, but the 1.2 Hz bugged me plus the unavailability of an international warranty and the thought of having to buy anti-virus systems yearly just to keep an investment safe made me buy the 2.5kg black Mac. Of course it saved me the hassle of buying the antivirus, but little did I know I have a new ballgame all together with my purchase.

First, it does not run on Windows yehey I'm virus free. But I have to learn how the whole Leopard thing works. So half of the time I am lost in the new screen maze I am overusing the help function of the computer. Next there is supposedly a way to work windows vista with all the added software into the computer. Hell who really knows how to do that except some mac expert who is nowhere in sight at least five hundred meters away from where I live.

So here is the deal. Next time I buy it does not have to be that conservative thinking of not paying off for a antivirus software or warranties. As with my previous computers I never needed them anyway. I still have to see what is the great advantage is using a Mac.

Uniquely Singapore

Everytime I come back to this city state I discover something new. It was a difficult decision to come back and spend my vacation here. I told myself I have seen enough of the country to last me a lifetime. But I was mistaken. We were billeted this time at the opposite end of the Singapore river. The first night we went for a walk along the banks and discovered a lot of things that amazed us. The bridges vary in design and purpose. My favorite of course is the bridge painted by Pacita Abad. The establishments delighted us and was like an urban Boracay. The next day we toured all the museums along the civic district. The Singapore Arts Museum it turned out was a former Catholic school with the image of St. John Baptist de la Salle on the entrance. The National Museum was exhibiting Greek masterpieces from the Louvre. The nearest thing I can get a view of the works before I can afford to go to Paris. Of course, the Esplanade has always been a focal point of all my satys in the island this time I get to watch performances. I got to tour Little India longer compared the last time when I got scared by the idea and the smell. But it was ignorance as I found out. The people in Little India were the best and friendliest among all the areas in the country I've been to.

So why do I keep coming back to Singapore? It's not the usual thing all the time. It changes. It's vibrant. It's uniquely Singapore.

The Talented Spin-off

We have been glued to the blog of Brian Gorrel and the misadventures of DJ Montano and the Gucci Gang for quite awhile now. It has validated that mysterious reason why I prefer the Inquirer over the Star.

I never could explain why, but I never liked the Philippine Star ever since and have not read it except if it's the only paper left when the stewardess is handing out the papers at the start of the flight. I would agonize over columns written like elementary school kids and an occassional romp by a high school magazine editor.

Anyway, I refuse to think they can do it but what I am afraid of may just actually be happening. I have heard the stories my friends using the internet in China and not being able to find any google results for some terms. I didn't believe it. i told them it could be a glitch. Until the past four days of attempting to open Brian's site, the site downloads after scrolling a few lines the screen suddenly poofs, I get a scrren that tells me I have no internet access. Is it a virus? Or there is now an existing overlord of internet blog posts? Democracy ending in a medium that was suppose to propel it. Let me be the first one to say good-bye to an era.

Rice Shortage

The rice I grew up eating was fragrant and had a bite on chewing. It is called kinanda and does not grow on wet rice paddies but rather on dry land ploughed starting the onset of the rainy season and harvested in early december. No one plants this variety of rice anymore. It consumes a lot of overhead expenses and harvest comes only once a year. In short farmers are at a losing end when they plant this variety. I saw my father loose money for several years when he was planting this variety until he eventually gave up on cultivating rice and shifted to livestock.

I do not know about the agriculture situation at present having committed the worst crime of a son of a farmer, forget about the land. What I know is that when I start farming, the problems that will beset me will be more than handling patients at the hospital. First raising capital is not that simple. The bank has interest rates like they should be the only ones who should profit. Next there is the uncertainty of the harvest including pests and bad weather. Next there are farm hands who does not only do the worse jobs, but poach from your produce. And then there are the neighboring farms who do not respect your privacy. And then there is marketing of the produce. The prices are so low that only the middleman gets the beef. So in the end its the farmer who suffers the most. He does the work and everyone else gets the profit.

Other farmers have moved on and taken lives away from the field. Or the field have taken another life. When I was young when you drive throught the south super highway, all you can see are long strecth of rice fields. Now only housing projects and industrial plants liter the scenery.

I do not condemn development. But I condemn the process by which we are developing. Our leaders do not have foresight. No one is planning for us. Nobody foresee anything except the end of each leader's term.

Unless we see ourselves in such bad situations, only then will we realize that we have to change things. So bring it on. Let's have all kinds of food shortages, increase the price of fuel and transportation, provide no health services. Let the people know what it's like, so they will wake up from this long long sleep.

Sayang na naman: Doctors for Hire

It was like a painful shot in the arm that you never thought you will ever have, not at least when you are still at the prime of life and healthy.

It takes you to realities that are difficult to accept.

It is harder when the person involved is someone you admire for her competence, astuteness and resourcefulness.

Two weeks ago one of our own decided to leave for the Middle East to practice medicine after 6 years of private practice in one of the provinces. It came as a shock since her practice is well established and her family has taken root into the community's environment.

Suddenly this decision. I am still unaware of the real reasons. It maybe political. It does not exist only in government but in the medical profession as well where career growth is stunted by those who favor one for the other. It maybe lack of career growth. A feeling I have when I realize that this is all there is to it and nothing good follows after you have done everything you could because of financial and logistic limitations. It maybe financial. Let's face it half of our private patients cannot pay our professional fees and for those who can, only a handful can pay the full amount.

Buti pa nga ang barbero hindi tinatawaran ang pf.

It is sad because it makes me realize that no matter how ideal you are. No matter how strong your conviction is to remain in this country in the end its still survival that takes priority. And the government is not doing anything to make the situation better. With all the bills congress wants to pass that impinged on the practice of medicine with no bill in sight for the improvement of health care services and availability.

After this, I realize that it will be soon when I will be on the same crossroads and I have to prepare myself to decide to leave this country and never regret it.

Twisted CBCP statement

Marahil nga hindi ito ang panahon ng pagbabago. Dahilan ng pagwawalang bahala ng karamihan. Maging ang mga pari ay nagbubulagbulagan. Wala nang saysay ang katotohanan. Kayang kayang bilugin ng gobyerno ang utak ng mga tao. Kung hindi sa paikot-ikot na rason na hindi magtugma-tugma, sa pamamagitan ng pera na ni hindi ko kikitain sa isang taon o sa pamamagitan ng pagpatay ng laya sa pagsasalita at laya ng mabuhay.

Masarap mangarap na magkaroon ng maraming pera. Sana nga ganoon kadali kumita ng pera nang hindi pinaghihirapan. Noong bata ako parati akong sinasabihan na mahirap kumita ng pera. Hindi ko ito napagisipang mabuti noon dahil lahat ng aking kailangan ay agad agad naibibigay.

Subalit sa aking paglaki ay sabay din ang paghirap ng buhay. Bumaba ang halaga ng piso. At kung dati ay hindi mo papakialaman ang mga balita sa telebisyon, biglang lahat ng aspeto ng buhay mo ay para bang apektado ng pinapalabas sa news. Pagtaas ng presyo ng gas. Pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin. Pagpapataw ng VAT. Sunod-sunod na sakuna lindol, baha, landslide.

Sa gitna nito, binubuno pa rin ang araw araw na gawain para mabuhay. Mayroon bang pagbabago?

Sometimes, I pity myself for having to work for free. I labor sleepless nights to keep my patients alive. I try to do my best. Some live. Some die. But in all of these cases I give the best I could. Its just that a third of them cannot pay me in the end. I do not grudge on this matter. It is my service. For those patients who pay me I give 3% monthly to the government. I get charged 10% immediately at the hospital aside from the VAT. And everything gets computed at the end of the year for my tax. I never get more than 500,000 in a year for working in a place where I am the only specialist in my field. Subtract from that the tax I pay to the government.

Nakakainis lang para bang walang kwenta ang pera para sa mg opisyal ng gobyerno at parang isang kibot lang para matikom ang bibig katapat ay 500,000 pesos. I envy them that for nothing they get that much money. For sitting all day long doing nothing except to help perpetuate a system of corruption, the president, cabinet members, senators and congressmen live on the fat of the our taxes while we ordinary citizens try to build this country from the ravages and havoc of their doing.

Hindi ko pinangarap maging opisyal ng gobyerno. Hindi ko pinagrap na maging sundalo. Dahil ang mga ito sa mga panahong ako ay lumalaki ay hindi naging magagadang example para sa akin. Noon gusto kong mag-pari. Lalong lalo na nung ang aking mga gurong La Sallian brothers ang nagmulat sa akin ng importansya ng paghahanap sa katotohanan. At hindi lang basta paghahanap, maging ang ipaglaban ang katotohanan. Bumalik si Brother Armin Luistro pagkatapos ng tatlong araw na pagkawala. Nakatawa at nagkwento tungkol sa pagtulog nila ng iba pang guro namin sa malamig na semento ng EDSA noong Pebrero 1986. Noon humanga ako sa kanila. Hangang ngayon pinahanga pa rin niya ako ng pagiging convenor ng Black and white movement at sa pagkakandili kay Jun Lozada.

Pero isa si Brother Armin sa mga natitirang tunay na kawal ng simbahan. Ang simbahan ay tila yata nawalan ng saysay sa mga bagong usapin. Mukhang ang korupsyon ay pumasok na rin sa mga sagradong lugar at nabulag na rin ang mga obispo at paring mahihina ang loob. Tao lang. Pero ang tunay na alagad ng Diyos ay nasa panig ng katotohanan.

Sa ngayon nagpapasalamat ako na pinigilan ako ng tatay ko na pumasok ng seminaryo. Mukhang walang natutuhang magaling sa loob lalong lalo na sa seminaryo na pinasukan ni Sec. Gaite. Siguro karamihan ng obispo ay gradweyt din ng seminaryong pinangalingan ni Sec. Gaite.

Katotohanan lamang ang hanap ko. Siguro sa pagbabayad ko ng tax may karapatan akong malaman ang katotohanan. Katotohanan lamang. Walng bawas. Walang kulang.

ZTE: Deal or No Deal

Is this the reason why they axed Kris aquino's show? Maybe the network saw that the ratings of Jun Lozada testifying in the senate was higher than the game show.

But going to more serious matters. Seeing how the issues were laid and the personalities involved, it is my stand that people in government should tell the truth and if they dont want to resign or leave their post, I recommend that at least they confess to their mistakes, face the consequences and change their ways.

It seems like I have lived a hundred lifetimes if again we will have to resort to the street to topple an inefficient and corrupt government. To see three revolutions in a lifetime is bordering on insanity. It only proves that we as a country have not learned anything from our actions. It is good that people are involved one way or another in this debate of wheter we should change our society right now. And everyone is entitled to their opinion. What I am afraid of is that when all of these is over and we settle back to how we all live we will forget all about the runnings of the government and let it be corrupted again by the evil hand of politics.

Why can't we be more vigilant with how the government is run? Why can't we demand from government that transparency? Why can't we demand how our taxes are being spent?

Somebody opined that the change that the country needs will not come from big things but from small and insignificant changes we make with our lives. I agree up to a certain point. We should make our lives more productive to help the country. But a body with cancer cannot survive with low doses of medicines. Cancer cells multiply so fast that if you want cure, a good dose is needed to kill all these cells to prevent them from multiplying.

Dr. Jose Rizal have diagnosed what ails this country a hundred years ago. Up to now with new advances in medicine, we never get the cure we badly need. The stop gap measures of people power have made us hopeful once in a while but the prognosis is not changing. Maybe what we need is to consent to chemotherapy which will get rid of all those cancer cells and aim for cure nothing less.

I am for the truth. And if the truth hurts a lot of people then they have to take it. We deserve nothing less since we pay our taxes.