Earthquake in Chile and my Elliott is there... :(

It's all over the news now. 8.8 magnitude quake hit Chile early Saturday morning there. I found out about it while reading Elliott Yamin's Twitter. He's been there for a couple of days now for some huge festival. Excited pa naman siya na nandun siya. But he's safe though. CNN has broadcasted his tweets, and NBC and ABC are putting him on and making him world correspondent. Nakuha pa niyang itweet, "If singing doesn't work out..." Hehehe. That's why we love him so :)

Keep safe, Elliott! My prayers, too, for the people of Chile.

Kala mo turistang namamasyal...

...at nagssight-seeing si Pepeng.

Talagang tumambay siya sa northern Luzon eh no. I stopped keeping track of Pepeng once I was assured we weren't going to be a direct hit. Then tonight, as I watched news on QTV, I was surprised to see that Pepeng was still hanging around, and that various places Pangasinan are now in deep floodwaters. My mom also mentioned landslides and flooding in Baguio. Now on the news are the scheduled brownouts Meralco has been implementing as they fix their transformers.

Haaay. When will it all end...? Ang dami nang malulungkot na pangyayari sa taon na ito.

The power of prayer...?

I'd like to think so :)

(For Ondoy's victioms, at least. I hope those in northern Luzon weren't severely affected by Parma...)

Nakakakaba...

Storm gone, storm coming...

Let's hope this one doesn't change course to affect the same areas devastated by Ondoy...Watch out for it at PAGASA's website...

From Inquirer.net: 'Pepeng' gains strength as it moves towards northern Luzon

In other news:

World pours aid into the Philippines - WFTW!
No debate: Deluge due to climate change - they're playing the climate change/global warming card now
One toilet for 3,000 survivors at Cainta evacuation center - hindi pa tapos ang paghihirap nila :(
Cops deployed to stop looters - did you know that someone actually fished out Andrew's spare tire when he fled to higher ground and left his FX stalled and submerged in the SLEX river last Saturday? >_< Ketsana death toll exceeds 300 - reports from all over SE Asia; 246 niyan sa atin :(

Red Cross: Indonesia quake death toll reaches 75 - I initially thought this was the same quake that affected Samoa...
American Samoans pull together after quake, tsunami - sa atin baha, sa kanila tsunami; I therefore conclude - water is deadly! That's why I fear it so....

CNN's caption: A damaged boat washed up inside a building in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Ondoy's aftermath: Pisay donation drive / No classes Mon & Tue

SA is undertaking donation drive for typhoon victims. Clothes, mats, foodstuffs & other forms of assistance wld be most appreciated. We will prioritize pisay people affected by typhoon, floods. We will put drop boxes for donations. Thank u very much in behalf of SA. - CristyCristobal

- - - - -

(Posted prior to NDCC/DEPED/CHED announcement of suspension of classes) There will be NO CLASSES tomorrow, September 28 (Monday), to make way for cleaning operations around our campus. The SHB, cafeteria, and dorms were submerged yesterday in waist-deep water.

Employees of the PSHS Main Campus are enjoined to help clean up today or tomorrow; please time-in for service credits.

Info from the CISD; please forward through whatever means possible. Facebook people, please repost. Thanks.

- - - - -

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173262/monday-classes-suspended-in-all-levels-in-metro-manila-rizal

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090927-227129/No-Tuesday-classes-in-Metro-south-Tagalog

Goodbye, Heath =(

His name was Heath Andrew, and he was a mighty fine actor.

And he was too young to die.

- - - - -

I tortured myself tonight into finally mourning Heath's death; the time of his death was my hell week for this school year, I didn't even have time to let the sadness and loss sink in.

Popped in the DVD of The Patriot, and cried tonight away. Everytime I'd watch that movie (I think I've done so for about five or six times already), I'd fall in love with everyone - Mel Gibson, Jason Isaacs, Trevor Morgan, Heath Ledger. But tonight, it was all about Heath.

I remember I'd always gush about Heath to Andrew after watching The Patriot or 10 Things I Hate About You (the only Heath movies I've ever watched). Then Andrew would go, "Ba't ba crush mo yan, eh mukhang unggoy?" It was from Andrew that I learned of Heath's death. Drew texted me the morning of Wednesday that Heath was found lifeless in his SoHo apartment. In the confusion of that day, I could only afford a few minutes of sadness, and then work would get in the way.

Tonight, though, I really felt the loss. I know I've only watched two of his movies, but those two would forever be etched in my memory. This great actor from Australia would've gone so much further in his career, and in his new life as a dad, of which he was very proud and excited. But now, we just have to make do with thinking of what could've been.

I can't imagine how devastated his family is feeling right now, and of course Michelle Williams. It's awfully sad, too, that Matilda Rose will grow up without knowing her father. My heart always goes out to children who lose their parents so early in their life. It's especially sad for kids of the famous because everyone knew your dad (or mom), except you (think Frances Bean Cobain and Nico Blue Hoon).

I learned from Wikipedia a while ago that it was just yesterday (February 9) that Heath was finally laid to rest in Perth. They cremated his body. And for some reason, that little fact disturbed me. That beautiful face, reduced to ashes.

Heath, may you have finally found the peace you have been searching for. You will be missed.

- - - - -

I've read that Heath hated to be typecast as a teen heartthrob, but this was the movie that reeled me in, and this was my favorite scene. Besides, I'd like to end this on a happier note.

Goodbye, Heath.

Save the polar bears, save the world!

I sooo want a polar bear (yet again)!!! (Click the pic for cuteness overdose!)

Here's the story from CNN:

Zoo fears as polar bear eats cubs

Story highlights:

• Four-week-old polar bear separated from mother amid fears she would eat it
  
• Nuremberg City Zoo's other polar bear ate its own two offspring earlier this week
  
• Mother was showing signs of being upset and confused, zookeepers said

Read more.

Al Gore and the IPCC awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007!

Al Gore named 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner!

Live Earth extends our most enthusiastic and sincere congratulations to Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who share this year's Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

We heartily share the view of the Nobel committee that Mr. Gore is "the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted" to solve the climate crisis.

We look forward to our ongoing work together to bring the movement to solve the climate crisis to even more of the world. We are thrilled that the Nobel Committee has chosen to recognize the leaders creating worldwide awareness and advocacy for the most pressing global issue of our time.

- - - - -

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

Thank you,
Al Gore

- - - - -

Thanks to my batchmate Mark G. for pointing this out! Ang galing ng Pinoy! :)

Something that you may probably don't know about the Nobel Peace Prize this year:

The other recipient is an organization called IPCC which stands for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The organization was "established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation."

Here's where it gets interesting: Three of the scientists directly involved in the IPCC are from the Philippines, one of whom is a certain Dr. Felino Lansigan (UPLB Institute of Statistics), member of the technical working group of the IPCC. Dr. Felino Lansigan is the father of a Pisay '98 scholar, my batchmate Ian Lansigan :) The other Filipino scientists are Dr. Rex Cruz (UPLB) and Dr. Rose Perez (PAGASA).

Congrats to the Filipino scientists involved with IPCC!

- - - - -

A joke from Ren, one of my current students: "Al Gore and the IPCC were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 for inventing global warming!"

Ngiii.

Sablay.

Uso ata ngayon ang sablay no?

Sinong di mawiwili?

Lots more on YouTube about this - Willie Revillame's response to Joey de Leon's allegations of cheating, and Joey's response to Willie's tearless crying on noontime TV. Ang saya! (Meron pang current developments pero tinamad na akong hanapin pa.)

Maps rule!

11 million hits and counting for the un-subtitled version on YouTube!

The INFAMOUS Malu Fernandez

Google her name and see all the blog posts and whatnot from the thousands of people - whether OFWs, Filipinos, or neither - she has infuriated.

SOS | Live Earth | 7.7.07 - 150 bands, 7 continents, 24 hrs, 1 global crisis

Live Earth
is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series
taking place on 7/7/07
that will bring together
more than 100 music artists
and 2 billion people
to trigger a global movement
to solve the climate crisis.

Live Earth concerts will be broadcast
to a live worldwide audience by MSN at
http://www.LiveEarth.MSN.com.

For more info,
please check out
http://www.liveearth.org

Only in the Philippines

This is madness!

And, no, this is so NOT Sparta.

- - - - -

I was supposed to introduce this post some other way, but I first visited a co-teacher's blog and found this. Thus, the 300-esque intro =)

- - - - -

Damn, we were LIVE on CNN today. And all because some day-care center guy decided to hostage his own wards to fight for education for the poor.

Madness.

Even though he had food and air conditioning for the pre-school kids, he did have with him hand grenades and a gun.

And who acted as negotiators? Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and Mr. Chavit "Whistleblower" Singson. Tsss. Showbuzz.

As I was watching the live coverage on GMA7 around the time the hostage-takers promised to release the children, here comes some school (I can't remember which one, so I'd rather not say) to the rescue, promising that if the hostage-kids were freed then they'd take care of their elementary and high school education.

Hellooo?!!! Eh di lahat nalang tayo mang-hostage ng mga toddler para puro scholarship yung mga kabataan ngayon pagdating nila sa grade school at highschool. D-uh!!!

Look, I'm not against the kids being promised an education. Pero pang-eepal nalang talaga yun nung school, hindi ba? Eh, on the news pa talaga sinabi, at the height of the situation when all the world was watching.

Furthermore, what Jun Ducat did was totally friggin' madness. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU SUBJECT SUCH YOUNG CHILDREN TO POSSIBLE SOUL-SCARRING TRAUMA???!!! At kamusta naman kung sumabog yung hawak niyang granada???!!! Winner diba???!!! (O sige fine, fake pala yung mga hand grendades.)

Grabe, kumukulo ang dugo ko. Trying to fight back the expletives. SHIT. (Ooops, couldn't keep that one in. Mild lang naman yan eh.)

- - - - -

Ok, so if you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, or you've been busy at work like me without any access to TV or radio, here you go:

Our madness on CNN.com, Philstar.com, and Inquirer.net.

And, of course, on YouTube.



Onliindapilipins.

Tonight was YouTube night

It all started with my guitar.

I got home, played some guitar, got reminded of one of my most favorite rock n' roll songs - Hard to Handle (the Black Crowes' version; I have yet to listen to the original by Otis Redding).

So I YouTubed.

BLACK CROWES - HARD TO HANDLE (Live 1990)
(Chris sings this quite differently from the record though.)



Then I remembered another Black Crowes song I liked. At this point, I'm contemplating visiting the record store tomorrow to buy me a Black Crowes CD (sakto sweldo, hehehe)...

BLACK CROWES - SHE TALKS TO ANGELS (Live 2006)



Then I remembered the person who introduced me to this song.

JOSH LOGAN - PAINFUL BREATH/SHE TALKS TO ANGELS
(Live 2006, after Rockstar: Supernova was concluded)



Then I even YouTube-d and MySpace-d Toby Rand/Juke Kartel, and Phil Ritchie/Lennex. Yup, my boys on Rockstar: Supernova :P

Then I opened a new browser window, which led me to CNN.com. One of the headlines was: "Elephant bites, flings Corwin"

And then I feared the worst...oh sh!t, is Jeff alright???

Thankfully, he is. Just a twisted arm is all. Found the footage on YouTube, but what I'm sharing here is one of his talks in San Francisco. He talked about a lot of stuff. This particular segment has Jeff talking about how he had it hard in high school. Yes, Jeff Corwin had a hard time in high school(!) But how did he get to be the awesome wildlife biologist he is now?

JEFF CORWIN AS A STUDENT



So there. A night of YouTube and MySpace, the Internet.
A night of reacquainting myself with my celebrity crushes, actually :D

In the News

Couple of headlines I came across tonight:

Florida executions halted after botched execution
CNN Story Highlights:
• A Florida execution was botched when the chemicals went into soft tissue
• Angel Diaz took 34 minutes and two drug cocktails to die
• Witnesses believe he was mouthing a prayer as he slowly died
• Diaz was convicted of the 1979 murder of a Miami strip club manager

UP Regents vote 7-0 for tuition hike
Magiging P1,000/unit na (from P300/unit since 1989) starting June 2007!!!

Sunday night procrastination

Darn it. I can't Multiply again >:( Does anybody know why DSL users can't access Multiply.com??? Excited pa naman ako magpost ng pics. So anyway, dito nalang muna - RockIt Science 2006 pics.

- - - - -

In the news:

Kelly Clarkson gets Grammy, omits 'Idol' thanks
Ngi, ba't naman ganun?

Fiennes, actress separate after 11-year relationship
Omg, Ralph Fiennes is single! Off to Europe, shall we? LOL :P

sandwich attacks anew
Can't wait for the next album featuring their new lineup!

- - - - -

On the net:

The president of India visits Pisay
He was just a foot away and I didn't even shake his hand. I dunno why though hehehe. Sayang - it's not everyday you get to shake the hand of an international head of state ;)

Blind Date
I love Happy Tree Friends!!!

- - - - -

Friendster survey:

10 YEARS AGO (02-10-96)
How old were you? 15y/o
What grade were you in? 2nd year HS
Where did you go to school? Pisay
Where did you live? Girls Residence Hall Annex during weekdays, Villamor Air Base on weekends
Where did you hang out? Backlobby ng Pisay
How was your hair style? Chin length ata hehe
Did you wear braces? No
Did you wear glasses? Yes hehe (nung 2nd year lang yun)
Sport: Wannabe-basketball
Who were your best friends? Topaz '98, Camia '98, Dormfolks
Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend? Boy na friend meron hehe
Did you have more guy friends or girls? Girls ata
Who was your celebrity crush? ELY BUENDIA!
Who was your regular-person crush? Alam niya kung sino siya
How many piercings did you have? 2
How many tattoos did you have? Awan
What kind of music were you into? NU107 stuff - yes, kasama dun Mmmbop ng Hanson! :P
What was your biggest fear? Failing 2nd year weehee
Favorite color: Blue
Had you gotten drunk or high yet back then? Not til college hahaha
Had you driven yet? No

HAHAHA!!! LETS SEE HOW YOU ARE NOW!!!(02-10-06)
How old are you? 25
What school are you in? Pisay pa rin! Hahaha! Actually finished college in UP Diliman
Where do u live? Las Pinas/Paranaque
Where do you work? Pisay forever
Where do you hang out? Bio unit. Starbucks Katips. McCafe Edsa-Panay.
How is your hair style? Kakapagupit lang ng longhair. Pero long pa rin naman.
Do you wear glasses? Di na
Who is your best friend? Andrew. djdyansam
Sport:Stairclimbing with laptop weight sa MRT Ayala Station (dang nonworking escalators)
Do you have more guy friends or girl? Same lang ata
Who is your celebrity crush? ELY BUENDIA forever! Hahaha! Actually marami eh. Ay, si Gabby ng Urbandub! (mga musikero talaga eh)
Who is your regular-person crush? Si Andrew *naks* at kung sino-sino pa :P
How many tattoos do you have? Wala pa rin
How many piercings do you have? 2 pa rin
What kind of music are you into: Lokal rakenrol plus the occassional electronica, pop, folk, metal, etc.
What is your biggest fear? Not growing up (not talking about height here - I've long given up on that)
Have you driven yet? Oh yes
Favorite color? Blue pa rin
Had you gotten drunk or high yet? Sa UP ako eh...nuff said hahaha!
Have you driven drunk? Ay hindi na yan

- - - - -

Music updates:

Giniling Festival
GINILING SHIRTS= Php 250 - pang mga pogiPhp 200 - pang mga pogita
ESTEEKERS = Php 15 each
Available sa gigs nila (see my "February gigs" post for their sked).

Razorback
Hebigat Sounds: Live! @ Music Museum.
Saturday, Feb 25.
Tickets sold at Big Sky Mind and Saguijo by this weeked. 200 only.

Showbuzzz

Hehehe, Celebrity Edition na ng Pinoy Big Brother.

I had no intention of watching this, as in yung susubaybayan ko. But when I saw that Budoy of Jr. Kilat and Mich Dulce of Death by Tampon are housemates, abaaa mukhang mapapanood ako ng madalas nito ah hehehe :D

It's quite nice that PBB didn't just pick the really famous artistas. The celeb housemates actually come from diverse fields - TV, sports, radio, music, fashion. And they're not just from Manila, too, which is good in the sense that people from the provinces get to root for their kababayans.

And thankfully the theme song has changed, too! Kaso si Sam Milby at si Toni Gonzaga ang kumanta hehehe. Though Toni sings well, ha. Can't say the same for Sam, though (ngumiti ka nalang 'tol, tama na ang pagkanta na yan). And surprisingly, the song's not makamasa. Hindi madaling tandaan at sabayan, hehe. Not that I'm complaining.

Wawa naman yung ibang ex-housemates. Reduced to background dancers as Sam gets to sing the new theme song with Toni.

- - - - -

Breakups:
Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora (and I thought they'd be together for good :( )
Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow (they were engaged pa naman)

Pwede bang itigil muna ang pag-ikot ng mundo?

So much happening all over the world. Well, kelan ba hindi?

- - - - -

Fury over sacrilegous cartoons
You don't just invoke "freedom of speech" for things such as this. Whatever happened to plain ol' R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

- - - - -

Ferry pressed on despite fire
What the hell was the crew thinking?

- - - - -

Wowowee stampede: 70 lives to a peso
It's a sad reflection of how hard and desperate the times have become. (And yeah, it's Senator Jaworski who did the commentary on CNN's video for this article.)

I felt really bad when I read the news today. The dying moments of some of yesterday's casualties were spent pleading their loved ones to never let go. And that's what one man just did - helpless amidst the crushing crowd, he just held on to his mom even as they were both being trampled upon. He survived, but his mother did not. Sh!t.

All they wanted was a shot at a better life. And they paid for it with their life.

Real life tragedy

This is too much to bear, just as the CNN headline says...

This story appeared on the "front page" of CNN the other day (Thursday here):

Fiery crash kills 7 young relatives
Seven children, including an infant, died Wednesday when a tractor-trailer rear-ended their car near Gainesville, Florida, slamming it into the rear of a school bus that had stopped to let children off. More...

And this was on the "front page" earlier tonight (Friday here):

Hoping to adopt, mom instead has to bury toddler
Barbara and Terry Mann were supposed to complete their adoption of a 20-month-old boy on Thursday. Instead, they were planning funerals for him and their other four children -- all killed in a fiery car wreck. More...

Ang masama pa niyan, the father of Barbara Mann died of a heart attack after learning of the tragic news.

"It's hard to fathom what it's like to lose five children, two nieces and a father in one shot. It seems like a burden too big to bear," said Scott Fisher, a family spokesman and pastor at the Lake Butler Church of Christ.

- - - - -

Life's a bitch and then you die.

- - - - -

Let's just pray for the souls lost to this tragic accident, and for their families and friend, that they would make it through these very trying times.

In the news tonight

Been surfing around, mostly on CNN...

ZSA ZSA ZATURNNAH (Ze Muzical) - Let's watch this!

Boxer Jaca snubbed by Manila city hall staff - Hindi daw nakilala, tsss

Remembering Challenger: Lessons learned 20 years after space shuttle disaster - It would've been the historic launch of the first teacher in space

Scientists discover world's smallest fish - Sus, matagal na palang wala sa Pinas yung distinction na ito

And the winning piece of news for tonight:

When it comes to bats, size matters
SYRACUSE, New York (AP) -- For some male bats, sexual prowess comes with a price -- smaller brains. A research team led by Syracuse University biologist Scott Pitnick found that in bat species where the females are promiscuous, the males boasting the largest testicles also had the smallest brains. Conversely, where the females were faithful, the males had smaller testes and larger brains. Hehehe...

Astig ka Pacquiao!

Pic taken from http://mannypacquiao.ph/

From http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2296065:

"In the Philippines, it's like time stops when he fights," said Valerie Nicolas, a native Filipina who now lives in Oakland, Calif..."No one is suffering, no one is worried, no one is tired. Our president can't even unite the people like that, but [Pacquiao] can."

Pacquiao embodies the idea of a true people's champion because so many Filipinos identify with him, says Edgar Badajos, spokesman for the Philippines Consulate in New York. "He comes from a poor family, but because of his determination and fighting spirit, he was able to reach the top," Badajos said. "The light in the country is not so bright. In the rural areas, you can see large swatches of poverty. Many live below the poverty line. They see Manny as a symbol of hope. Maybe they, too, can do something to improve their lives."

More here.