Blogging Miles Around the Metro

Sighs!.. 2 days after the Glorietta 2 bombing.. a fire hit Seafood Seafood resto at Glorietta 4 around 12NN Oct 21,2007.

So what am i doing at Glorietta 2 days after the bombing last friday?

1. big possibility that there will be few shoppers around. (very true, very few people around)
2. i need to look for a new TV stand for a newly acquired TV..
3. low probability of having 2 accidents in the same week at the same mall .. (well i’m wrong..)

at around 12NN after visiting Automatic Centre and the furniture store beside it @G4.. a good number of people inside the mall just started running and shouting.. (what the f@#k! dont tell me there’s another bomb?).. I didn’t hear anything, so there’s no reason to panic- and just thought that maybe someone is just joking. haha.. Then all of a sudden most of the sales peep started packing their things and closing their shops. Don’t tell me there’s raid in this mall? there’s no pirated stuff in here right?..
Even heard someone shouted ‘ hay! wala na-naman benta’ ( no sales again.!)..ugh..

But i immediately changed my mind, when i saw the security guards of the mall started running and scrambling with their hand held radios. (oh no, its not a joke!).. after that, i turned the video cam of my Nokia N70 and walked to the nearest exit..

Outside G4, you can feel a state of panic.. police, firemen, paramedics, K9 units and your usual pinoy crowd started to work and of course speculate. I was impressed with the response time of the policemen, firemen and others on duty. They were there in a few mins (maybe because some of there were stationed at G2).

Anyway, just keep it cool.. no need to panic!

Popularity: 75% [?]

I was surprised to know that Brazilians actually comprise the third largest foreign group in Japan. I have often wondered how Brazilians adapt themselves to Japanese culture which is as opposed to the geographic locations of these countries on the planet. The Japanese are polite, restrained and subtle, while Brazilians are warm, energetic and expressive. Once a year, Asakusa in Tokyo celebrates these differences and the history of these countries together through a day-long festival of feathers, sequins, bikinis, and samba; the Asakusa Samba Festival.

Popularity: 92% [?]

As a means of mobilizing people and furthering awareness on certain advocacies, biking is certainly proving to be popular.

For those of you who do not know where Davao (in the Philippines) is, let’s just say that from Manila, it’s um, really far.

*****

Bike for Life

The Bike for Life Tour 2007 is a journey that will start in Metro Manila and will go all the way to Davao. There will be a core group of riders headed by James Auste, the executive director of the Cancer Warriors Foundation who himself is a cancer survivor. We will be riding together with 10 parents of pediatric cancer patients who are wards of the Cancer Warriors Foundation.

At the end of the day after each leg a forum on cancer awareness will be held with the message that Cancer can be Beaten.

The tour is not a race, but you are most welcome to join and ride with us on any of the legs.

This is the tentative Itinerary:

SEPT 16—- MANILA TO BATANGAS CITY
SEPT 17– RO RO TO CALAPAN, RIDE TO ROXAS OCC.MIN, RO RO TO CATICLAN
SEPT 18– BIKE TO KALIBO
SEPT 19- BIKE TO ROXAS
SEPT 20- BIKE TO ILO ILO
SEPT 21 RO RO TO BACOLOD BIKE
SEPT 22 BIKE TO SAN CARLOS
SEPT 23- BIKE TO DUMAGUETE
SEPT 24–RORO TO CEBU
SEPT 25– DAY IN CEBU BIKE AROUND THE CITY TAKE RORO TO BOHOL
SEPT 26– DAY IN BOHOL AT 7PM TAKE RORO TO CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY!
SEPT 27– DAY IN CDO BIKE AROUND
SEPT 28– BIKE TO MALAYBALAY, BUKIDNON
SEPT 29– BIKE TO QUEZON, BUKIDNON
SEPT 30–BIKE TO DAVAO CITY
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES………………….

With determination, passion, perseverance and faith in God, cycling 1500 kilometers is possible. Likewise, giving a child a fighting chance to beat their cancer is achievable. You, too can be part of ‘The Bike for Life” here’s how:

1. Pledge PhP300.00 for every kilometer that the cyclists will complete and each kilometer completed contributes directly to The Cancer Warriors Foundation’s fund for the treatment of these children. It takes approximately Php100,000.00 a year per child to fight cancer.

2. Joining any leg of the tour and giving a fixed donation of 1500 pesos per leg that you will be joining. Each leg will be approximately 100 kilometers.

3. Helping us find sponsors for the Venue for the Forum and the meals, and accommodations for the contingent at each of the stops.

4. If you know of any company that may want to sponsor the journey then we can give you the sponsorship packages that are available.

If you are interested, please get in touch with me through my email jamesauste[at]yahoo.com or Denise Matias at denise.matias[at]gmail.com

Maraming salamat po.

James

Popularity: 80% [?]

Theme: “Young Faces of ASEAN”

 In observance of the 4oth anniversary of the ASEAN on August 8, 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration with the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, is organizing an ASEAN Photo Competition from June to August 2007.

The objectives of the competition are:

• To showcase collective efforts of ASEAN Member Countries in celebrating the 40 th anniversary of ASEAN
• To promote ASEAN awareness and regional identity, particularly among the youth
• To provide talented ASEAN citizens an opportunity to express artistic vision.

The competition is open to all ASEAN citizens. There are three categories: secondary school students, university students and general public.

The deadline for submitting entries/photos is August 8, 2007.

For more information, please feel free to contact:

•  MR. SIPPAKORN PASUWAN at email address: sippakorn@mfa.go.th
•  MS SOONTRIYA KANCHANA at email address: soonthrk@mfa.go.th

Popularity: 71% [?]

And the doughnut invasion continues.

Krispy Kreme’s third store opens at 9 AM on June 28 at the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan! It’s going to be the first free-standing store in the Philippines, as well as the first drive-thru outlet in Asia. Check out their exciting gimmicks for the grand opening day:

• First customers to ring the cash register for dine-in and drive-thru will each win a FREE ONE-YEAR SUPPLY of Original Glazed doughnuts, one dozen per week!
• For drive thru: SIX MONTHS SUPPLY of Original Glazed doughnuts for the second customer, and THREE MONTHS SUPPLY for the third customer, one dozen per week!
• First 300 customers get a FREE NOVELTY ITEM (I wonder what this is)!
• SURPRISE CELEBRITY GUESTS will man the drive-thru on opening day (yesss, imagine being served by…Piolo Pascual?!)!
• The KRISPY KREME OPENING DAY CAR STICK-ON sounds like an interesting gimmick. Customers who drive-thru ith the special sticker on their windshield are entitled to a free Signature Coffee on a dozen doughnut purchase. So…where do we get these stickers? Show up on opening day and find out.

Hmm. I’ve never tried their Signature Coffee.
But I have tried their Original Glazed doughnuts, and they’re pretty good, though I only have a maximum eating capacity of 2 doughnuts. Hehe. I’m sure they’d be great with coffee though. Yum.

Hop on over to Greenhills on the morning of the 28th. Who knows, you might be the lucky one to get a dozen doughnuts per week for a year (your officemates will love you).

Photo courtesy of www.pdphoto.org.

Popularity: 82% [?]

Call for entries: South-East Asian creative writing anthology for young writers

Publisher: University of Santo Tomas (UST) Publishing House, The Philippines.

Works Needed: Open to South-East Asian writers and translators below 40. Poetry, prose (fiction, travelogues, essays, blogs, etc), 1-act plays, short screen/teleplays, comics (not over 30 pages long), and everything in between–literary experiments as well as genre works (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc, or combinations thereof). Past published works are also welcome. Shorter works will have their originals as well as their English translation printed. No overriding theme(s) as yet. As the first installment of a hopefully ongoing series, the main focus now is establishing sustainable networks among writers and translators in the region.

Deadline: 1 August 1, 2007. Going to press by December or the first quarter of 2008.

Editor: Mervin Espina (The Philippines). There might also be a co-editor from a different South-East Asian country.

Editor’s Biodata: Mervin Espina spent his childhood shuttling between the southern suburbs of Metro Manila and Brunei Darussalam. At age 4, his life’s ambition was to become a garbage collector. To his parent’s relief he studied philosophy, literature, and Spanish at the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines. When he turned 18, he got a break freelancing as a writer and photographer for Philippine dailies and magazines, eventually gravitating to more music and film-related activities. He’s been actively documenting and participating in the Philippine indie film scene and has done production and translation work for numerous projects, like The Family That Eats Soil (2004) and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005). He also helps program and organize film screenings and festivals in the Philippines and abroad. As for dreams of being a garbage collector—one needs only to look at his room. He’s a vegetarian and has two silver goldfish.

Editor’s contact: geneticleftoversoup@gmail.com / skype: merv.espina.

Popularity: 83% [?]

As part of our contribution to collective intelligence, we think hosting an “unconference” would be a good step forward. This Saturday, we’ll (TRNLab) be hosting Hakuna Matata Night - a space for social entrepreneurs or socially-minded individuals to meet, network and show their work in public. The presentations are very solution-oriented. Speakers present their solutions to existing social and/or environmental problems. These solutions can either be current work, projects or simply ideas.

So as to avoid boredom, each presenter is allowed a maximum of 20 images (Yes, I mean images as in pictures, diagrams, etc. NO bullet points allowed). The challenge here is for each speaker to translate their stories into visual and grapical presentations. Each image would only be shown for 20 seconds - giving a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds for each presentation. This keeps presentations short, interesting and allows more speakers to participate.

Hakuna Matata is actually a Swahili phrase that means “there are no worries here” or “no problem”. Hakuna Matata Night is a forum that is meant to inspire with solutions and not depress with problems. It is meant for us to showcase our ideas and efforts to change the world in a more realistic and practical way. We hope the event can inspire more parties as such, and spread virally across the globe. If you would like to set up your own Hakuna Matata Night, please get in touch with us.

If you’re in the area don’t forget to check it out!

Popularity: 36% [?]

The 9th Tour of the Fireflies happened last Sunday. And we finished!

With what was estimated at over 5,000 participants, the streets of the cities of Pasig, Makati, Manila, Mandaluyong and Quezon City were stormed with bikers who rallied together to advocate sustainable transport, clean air, challenge themselves, and generally have fun. For Bern and I, it was a big checkmark on our life-list of crazy dreams.

The atmosphere that Sunday morning was festive, and riding with the pack sustained the energy. In the photo immediately above, we were parked in the middle of Ayala Avenue (in Makati, the financial district of Metro Manila), where water station stops caused the bike jam, causing headaches for motorists, who were egged on by the raucous bikers. For that day, within the safety of the pack, the road was ours.

A couple of bike crashes, several water stops, expletives-sputtered-at-the-crest-of-hills later, Bern and I found ourselves at the tail-end of the pack, where the bikers had thinned out, and we were at the mercy of cars and jeepneys. At this point, the pinkie on my right hand was numb from gripping my brakes (feeling returned fully two days later), and separated from Bern, I realized with a rush just how dangerous the roads can be for bikers. At some point, I even got lost. Thankfully a Firefly Marshall went after the clueless rogue biker (whom other bikers followed, nyai).

Part of the advocacy for sustainable transport is pushing for biker-friendly roads, installing bike lanes, and providing incentives for businesses and employers who set examples and make provisions accommodating bikers, such as installing bike parking and showers.

Nearly 50 kilometers and almost 5 hours later, we crossed the finish line to a lively awards ceremony hosted by Jack (the Firefly Brigade president). Certificates of completion and Men’s Health magazines were distributed, and awards to the best biker costume, the oldest, and the youngest bikers were given. Cynthia Alexander performed too!

It was amazing to see so many bikers. I simply had to greet visual artist Katti Sta. Ana, founder of the Firefly Brigade. Just about 8 years ago I met Katti through an artist residency program, and was inspired by her biking advocacy. It was then that I told myself I would join the tour someday. Well what do you know, someday does come.

Thank you to Bernice de Leon for the photographs.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Cinekatipunan at Mag:Net is a daily affair, and is just about the only place where you’ll find a constant stream of independent video screenings whose make and treatment vary from the avante-garde to college theses to hard-hitting social documentaries. Initiated by independent filmmaker Kiri Dalena of the group Southern Tagalog Exposure, Cinekatipunan seems to be slowly gaining ground and a steady audience, not just from the universities around the area, but from among groups of independent filmmakers, creative folk from all walks, and film enthusiasts.

Last Tuesday, Lisa Ito of the Kalikasan-Center for Environmental Concerns presented a number of documentaries on the anomalies and on the devastating effects of poorly maintained mining operations in the country. Though some of the footage was dated, the screening was a good venue to provide updates and answer questions on the status of investigations and addressing of grievances of those affected by the ill effects of irresponsible mining (unfortunately for me, my mind was still swimming with the dead corals as they were discussing).

I found this clip on the Lafayette incident in Rapu Rapu. Researching a bit, I’ve learned that sanctions have already been dished out for their disastrous booboo of unscheduled wastewater discharges. What we don’t know is if the government actually made good on those sanctions (or if they were adequate enough) and if Lafayette actually delivered what they were supposed to (including what they had initially promised the residents of Rapu Rapu before their operations began). With that, all I can say is that governments can be appeased and people can be paid off, but it’s nearly impossible to undo, or even make up for the harm that’s been done to the waters and marine life of Rapu Rapu Island.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Don’t wonder why everyday affairs in the Philippines these days have come to a crawl. It’s Holy Week, one of the most revered and celebrated (but less commercialized than Christmas) occasions of the Catholic Church. It basically celebrates the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, and serves as the culmination of Lent (which, to obedient Catholics is 40 days of sacrifice), ending with a joyful Easter.

Though people usually take this time as an opportunity to go out of town, rest and relax (as this is more or less a week-long holiday), there are those who religiously (forgive the pun) observe Holy Week traditions, such as visiting and praying in as many churches as you can (Visita Iglesia), reflecting on the Way of the Cross, going to confession, attending the different services, attending retreats and recollections, and such. There are also those who take it to the extreme, with self-flagellation and having oneself nailed to the cross. You see, sacrifices can range from giving up cakes and chocolates to whipping your back bloody. People’s motivations range from showing sympathy for the passion of Christ, to making sacrifices in order to secure favor (somewhat like a tradeoff of sorts). The Catholic Church has frowned on the latter type of thinking when it comes to sacrifice, as it supposedly defeats the purpose of Holy Week as a time of reflection, and hopefully as an opportunity to start over for the better.

Here’s a clip I found showing some of the self-flagellating practices we call Penitensya.

Popularity: 29% [?]