excerpt from "Eleven Minutes," by Paolo Coelho

According to Plato, at the beginning of creation, men and women were not as they are now; there was just one being, who was rather short, with a body and a neck, but his head had two
faces, looking in different directions. It was as if two creatures had been glued back to back, with
two sets of sex organs, four legs and four arms.

The Greek gods, however, were jealous, because this creature with four arms could work harder; with its two faces, it was always vigilant and could not be taken by surprise; and its four legs meant that it could stand or walk for long periods at a time without tiring. Even more dangerous was the fact that the creature had two different sets of sex organs and so needed no one else in order to continue reproducing.

'Zeus, the supreme lord of Olympus, said: "I have a plan to make these mortals lose some of their strength." 'And he cut the creature in two with a lightning bolt, thus creating man and
woman.

This greatly increased the population of the world, and, at the same time, disoriented andweakened its inhabitants, because nowthey had to search for their lost half and embrace
it and, in that embrace, regain their former strength, their ability to avoid betrayal and the
stamina to walk for long periods of time and to withstand hard work.

bubbly

I've been awake for a while now
You've got me feelin' like a child now
Cause everytime I see your bubbly face
I get the tingles in a silly place


It starts in my toes
And I crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go


The rain is fallin' on my window pane
But we are hidin' in a safer place
Under cover stayin safe and warm
You give me feelins that I adore


They start in my toes
Make me crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go


What am I gonna say
When you make me feel this way
I just-mmm..


It starts in my toes
Make me crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go


Dada dada dadada dada dum..
Mmm mmm..


I've been asleep for a while now
You tuck me in just like a child now
Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth


It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin shows
Cause you make me smile baby
Just take your time now
Holdin' me ti-i-ight

onli in da pilipins v.2

every time we go to a new site for our impact assessment survey, we always make sure to brief the agriculture technicians and provincial coordinators who will help out. since we are limited by time and the location of sites, (we target 2 sites per day, and one site has an average of 30 farmers to be interviewed; the sites are situated in far-flung barrios in maguindanao and shariff kabunsuan) we ask literate farmers to answer the questionnaires with one staff guiding them to ensure reliability of data and stuff. however careful we were, we still encountered some funny responses from the farmers that really brought us big laughs. examples like, responses to household size are BIG and MEDIUM. how medium is MEDIUM and how big is BIG, huh? :) another response we encountered was an answer to expenditure details from the extra income he gained after adopting philrice technologies. man, he answered: add wife!haha. :) it seemed real funny for us but it actually was true. some farmers did afford to pay for dowry because they had extra income after philrice trained them. the japanese funders would be thrilled. :) yet another hall of famer is a hip hop farmer: he said THOUSANG, instead of thousand. and speaking of thousand, yeah, they like to write it instead of just adding 000s after the comma. whoa. :) another farmer seemed reincarnated. he said he was 30 years old but that he was already farming for 94 years! i have two crappy conclusions here: 1: that he is convinced he was a farmer during his past life and that 2: give or take 10 years of farming experience NOW, he clocked in 84 years of farm work during his past life! aba, have you heard of immortal farmers? nyehehe.

so, here it goes. i present to you Exhibit A. pictures of really funny answers from several farmers.onli in da pilipins, man.

onli in da pilipins. :)

guindulungan, maguindanao and talayan pics

these are the kids from guindulungan, maguindanao.their place is so remote that i bet they've never gone as far as their town.the other guy nman with the red cap is ismael, a super shy binata from the same town. he wudnt talk to me kasi he knew little tagalog.ay, gwapo yang batang yan!haha. malupet dumiskarte. he told me, "sige papayag akong magpa-interview basta bigay mo muna cp number mo." nyahaha.lupet!

the other pic nman is kuya ipe, our driver.he was checking out kumander marakay's m14. kumander and the other members of his family had gone off to a nearby mosque to pray so we were left at their house.it is a two-storey house but the upper part is being used as storage room lang kasi it was badly damaged during a recent encounter with the military.he is a commander for the milf. :)

dapiawan, datu saudi

typical backyards of farmers' houses has ponds like this.one of the best things in rural life. :)

mindanao escapades pix!

tawi-tawi! captured by jaime. :)









sa isang tricycle sa midsayap. :)

camp abubakar pix!

the rebels & armies play hide and seek here.
we had to pass by this stream.thank god for 4x4s
off we went into camp abubakar's jungles!
extension workers at the field. :)

still on the road. :)
off-road baby!
typical village life at camp abubakar.the water flows freely from a nearby mountain. :)

when i was doing the schedule for our impact assessment survey in ARMM, i made sure that id go to camp abubakar.jaime had earlier gone to the place, famed for its reputation as the MILF's training camp.i dint had any reservations or worries.i just wanted to go. i was curious.i wanted to meet some rebels, see if they did carry firearms around their neighorhood.so when we finally arrived at the place, i got more than i bargained for!
slow-mo to our trip, we rode this 4x4 pajero because the place has a rough terrain. we were going off-road, baby. :) along the main road, you could see rolling hills planted with tall coconut trees.the road was not paved and we had to endure some bumps. when we exited from the highway, that was when the real action began.it had rained the day before, so the road was muddy AND a bit steep.good thing i was used to baguio's off-road inclines so it dint come as a shock for me.fast-forward and we arrive at the place.already, a group of farmers had arrived at their training venue.while we were conducting the interviews, i saw this guy arrive with his big ammo.man, it wasnt just an ammo.M-16.it was big!and loaded.he even has spare magazines neatly stuck on his belt.sheesh.i just shrugged it off and continued with the interviews.the farmers were accomodating, although they had some difficulties talking to me because they dint know much tagalog words.we went there on a friday, the day when moslems go to their mosques for service.so we had to finish before 12 noon.while on our way back to the office, the driver told me one of the armed men asked him about me.tsk!he was asking if he could get my number, blah blah.
buti na lang hindi alam ng driver yung number ko.bless him. :)


add-ons:
mom has never called me since i got here.it has always been me who calls her evrytime id feel homesick.but when she learned i was in camp abubakar, napatawag ang lola mo! haha.really freaked out. :) i decided i wudnt tell her id go to basilan. *wink wink*

mindanao escapades

whoever believes mindanao is a chaotic place is soooo dead wrong!life here is anything but normal.the places i have been to since i arrived here 2 weeks ago never failed to amaze me! :) the beautiful terrain, the delicious food at very low cost, and the people from different cultures all blended in a very special and endearing world.add to all that the challenges with work, and i can surely say that it is a whole new world.

when i arrived here, military men holding rifles greeted me at the airport.i thought, oh well.i should get used to these men.and get used i did!just last week a military man walked into our office asking for some published materials on rice production. buti na lang he deposited his ammo sa guard house. he was corteous all right. :) exactly a week after i arrived here, tita becks, jaime and i went to gensan for some shopping. buti na lang ulit we dint had to endure 3 hours of travelling on a public transpo!a vehicle from the office was going to marbel, south cotabato for an official trip so we hitched. :) i had the pleasure of enjoying the sights!we passed by pikit, north cotabato, labeld by the media as a hostile place.on that early saturday morning, the place looked serene.with one or two residents walking along the highway.we also passed by the vast pineapple plantations owned by multinational company dole. grabeh ang ganda!you could see hills carpeted with pineapple.i also noticed that some parcels of people's backyard gardens are planted with papaya trees.tita becks told me these small-time farmers sell the papayas to dole for its fruit cocktail product. :)

on the way home, we learned from a news report over the radio that a bomb exploded at the back of a bus in koronadal city.it kind of unnerved me for a moment but my officemates assured me its nothing.oh well. :)

foodtrips have become one of my favorite pastimes lately, and mindanao has given me more than my usual fare of isaw, odoks and tokneneng.here, you have varied choices of food at very affordable prices! [do i sound like a promo girl in some supermarket? :)] i have come to appreciate fruits more!here we have abundant supply of marang (a fruit na parang pinsan ng langka), mangosteen, sweet pineapple, lanzones, mangoes, papaya, durian and guapple. and take note, the prices range from 5-20 per kilo.yey. :) seafoods can also be bought at below 100 pesos.they have excellent tuna here. :)

the people here are so accomodating!i remember on my first day at work, i had no baon.back in luzon, i was used to cafeterias, i lived on take out food most of the time.so i really got the shock of my life when everyone at the office had their neat lunchboxes with them.an offismate of mine, i call him kuya nash (that's short for mohamed nasrullah, obviously a Moslem) volunteered to buy me food.and yes, he dint accept money for it.libre! they say when Moslems offer you something, you should accept it because if u dint, they get offended. :) aside from kuya nash, the office houses other interesting personalities.there's ate sallee (that's short for salembai), who wasnt present during her wedding.yes, moslem women can be married off even if they're not present at their own wedding. :) there's also kuya alex (his real name is datu ali) who is as sweet and accomodating as the others. :) one time, we were kidding kuya nash if he owned 2 certain barangays in north cotabato because its name was similar to his family name. wala ka!it was true. :) kuya nash's family actually owned two friggin barangays. hows that huh?

official trips.when i was still in philrice's central office, i was so used to having an admin assistant do the leg work.ate gaya processed travel orders, cash advances and even haggling with the dispatcher. i just signed forms, listed project codes for its charging.the works.here in midsayap, you do all the legwork.powtek tlga!it is so bureaucratic that you'd want to quit and pack your stuff.oh well, wala pa nga pala akong pambayad ng airfare.spent all my money buying stuff for my so-called relocation. :)

other than the problems at the office, life here is a bliss.i havent actually explored all of mindanao yet.but the workplan we did will take us to maguindanao, tawi-tawi, sulu and of course, basilan. :)

Being Twenty-Something

as quoted:

They call it the "Quarterlife Crisis." It is when I stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about myself that I didn't know and may not like. I start feeling insecure and wonder where I will be in a year or two, but then get scared because I barely know where I am now.

I start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that I thought I were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people I have ever met and the people I have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What I do not realize is that they are realizing that too
and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as I am.

I look at my job. It is not even close to what I thought I would be doing or maybe I am looking for one and realizing that I am going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

I miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then I realize that maybe they weren't so great after all. I am beginning to understand myself and what I want and do not want.

My opinions have gotten stronger. I see what others are doing and find myself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly I realize that I have certain boundaries in my life and add things to my list of what is acceptable and what is not.

I am insecure and then secure. I laugh and cry with the greatest force of my life. I feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and I try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to
do but stay where I am or move forward.

I get my heart broken and wonder how someone I loved could do such damage to me or I lay in bed and wonder why I can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. I love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why I am doing this because I am not a bad person.

I worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for myself and while winning the race would be great, right now I'd just like to be a contender!

What I may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

quarter life crisis

Might be a quarter-life crisis
Or just a stirrin' in my soul
Either way
I wonder sometimes
About the outcome
Of a still verdictless life
Am I living it right
--- Why Georgia (John Mayer)

ive been having these anxieties since i
started work.yung feeling mo restless
ka, clueless with the direction of my
career, torn between my responsibility
to provide for my family and take on a
dream job na mababa ang sweldo.and yes,
whether to take the plunge and go with
the chosen career despite violent
protests of family and friends, tapos
hindi ko din sure if i can stand by my
decision and make it big sa career na
yun.*sigh* so there, i thought i had
this quarter-life crisis crap and
syetness!wikipedia gave me an idea of my
so-called crisis.so here goes... Ü

The quarterlife crisis (QLC) is a term
applied to the period of life
immediately following the major changes
of adolescence, usually ranging from
ages 21 The term is named by analogy
with mid-life crisis. It is now
recognised by many therapists and
professionals in the mental health field.

Characteristics of quarter-life crisis
include:

* feeling "not good enough" because
one can't find a job that is at one's
academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships,
the working world, and finding a
suitable job or career
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity regarding present
accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close
interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university or
college life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* financially-rooted stress
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* a sense that everyone is, somehow,
doing better than you

you are a pinoy if...

1. You point with your lips.
2. You eat using hands and you have it down to a technique.
3. Your other piece of luggage is a balikbayan box.
4. You nod upwards to greet someone.
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbow on your knee while eating.
6. You think that half-hatched duck eggs are a delicacy.
7. You have to kiss your relative on the cheek as soon as you enter the room.
8. You're standing next eight big boxes at the airport.
9. You collect items from hotels or restaurants "for souvenir."
10. You smile for no reason.
11. You flirt by having a foolish grin in your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly.
12. You go to a department store and try to bargain the prices.
13. You use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days.
14. You scratch your head when you don't know the answer.
15. You never eat the last morsel of food on the table.
16. You like bowling.
17. You know how to play pusoy and mah-jong.
18. You find dried up morsels of rice stuck on your shirt.
19. You prefer to sit in the shade instead of basking in the sun.
20. You add an unwarranted "H" to your name, i.e. "Jhun," Bhoy," "Rhon."
21. You put hands together in front of you as if to make a path and say "excuse, excuse" when you pass in between people or in front of the TV.
22. Your middle name is your mothers maiden name.
23. You like everything imported or "state-side."
24. You check the labels on clothes to see where it was made before buying.
25. You hang your clothes out to dry.
26. You are perfectly comfortable in a squatting position with your elbows resting on your knees.
27. You consistently arrive 30 minutes late for all events.
28. You always offer food to all your visitors.
29. You say "comfort room" instead of "bathroom."
30. You say "for take out" instead of "to go"
31. You say "open" or "close" the light.
32. You ask for a "pentel-pen" or a "ball-pen" instead of just "pen."
33. You asked for "Colgate" instead of "toothpaste."
34. You refer to the refrigerator as the "ref" or "pridyider."
35. You say "kodakan" instead of take a picture.
36. You order a McDonald's instead of "hamburger" (pronounced ham-boor-jer)
37. You say "Ha" instead of "What."
38. You say "Hoy" get someone attention.
39. You answer when someone yells "Hoy."
40. You turn around when someone says "Psst"
41. You say "Cutex" instead of "nail polish."
42. You say "he" when you mean "she" and vice versa.
43. You say "array" instead of "ouch."
44. Your sneeze sounds like "ahh-ching" instead of "ahh-choo."
45. You prefer to make acronyms for phrases such as "OA: for over acting or "TNT" for, well, you know.
46. You say "air con" instead of "a/c" or air conditioner.
47. You say "brown-out" instead of "black-out."
48. You use a "walis ting-ting" or "walis tambo" as opposed to a conventional broom.
49. You use a "Weapons of Moroland" shield hanging in the living room wall.
50. You have a portrait of "The Last Supper" hanging in your dining room.
51. You own a karaoke system.
52. You own a piano that no one ever plays.
53. You have a tabo in the bathroom.
54. Your house has too many burloloys.
55. You have two to three pairs of tsinelas at your doorstep.
56. Your house has an ornate wrought iron gate in front of it.
57. You have a rose garden.
58. You have a shrine of the "Santo Niño" in your living room.
59. You have a "barrel man" (you pull up the barrel and you see something that looks familiar. Schwing...)
60. You cover the living room furniture with bedsheets.
61. Your lamp shades still have the plastic cover on them.
62. You have plastic runners to cover the carpets in your house.
63. You refer to your VCR as a "beytamax."
64. You have a rice dispenser.
65. You own a turbo boiler.
66. You own one of those fiber optic flower lamps.
67. You own a lamp with oil that drips down the strings.
68. You have a giant wooden fork and spoon hanging somewhere in the dining room.
69. You have a giant wooden tinikling dancer on the wall.
70. You have capiz shells chandeliers, lamps, or placemats.
71. You have a Mercedes Benz and you call it "chedeng."
72. You own a huge van conversion.
73. Your car chirps like a bird or plays a tune when it is in reverse.
74. Your car horn can make 2 or 3 different sounds.
75. Your car has curb feelers or curb detectors.
76. Your car has too many "burloloys" like a Jeepneys back in P.I.
77. You hang a rosary on your car's rear view mirror.
78. You have an air freshener in your car.
79. You have aunts and uncles named "Baby," "Girlie," or "Boy."
80. You were raised to believe that every Filipino is a aunt, uncle or cousin.
81. Your Dad was in the Navy.
82. Your mom or sister or wife is a nurse.
83. You have a family member or relative that works in the Post Office.
84. Your parents call each other "Mommy" and "Daddy" or "ma" and "pa."
85. You have family member that has a nickname that repeats itself, i.e."Deng-Deng," Ling-Ling" or "Bing-Bing"
86. You put hot dogs in your spaghetti.
87. You consider dilis the Filipino equivalent to French fries.
88. You think that eating chocolate rice pudding and dried fish is a great morning meal.
89. You order thing like tapsilog, tocsilog, or longsilog at restaurants.
90. You instinctively grab a toothpick after each meal.
91. You order a "soft drink" instead of a "soda."
92. You dip bread in your morning coffee.
93. You refer to seasonings and all other forms of monosodium glutamate as "Ajinomoto."
94. Your cupboards are full of Spam, Vienna Sausage, Ligo, and Corned Beef, which you refer to as Karne Norte.
95. Goldilocks means more to you than just a character in a fairy tale.
96. You appreciate a fresh pot of rice.
97. You bring your "baon" most of the time to work.
98. Your "baon" is usually something over rice.
99. Your neighbors complain about the smell of tuyo on Sunday mornings.
100. You eat rice for breakfast.
101. You use your fingers to measure the water when cooking rice.

summer fun!

fun at the office! :)