Of war and photographs

(the above picture is taken from www.uberbabyworld.com/page3.htm)

The Mindanao War photo exhibit depicts the social economical and psychological effects of the war here in Mindanao. Each photo portrayed a range of emotions from quiet longing to desperation to a great magnitude of unspoken discontentment and pain. Truly, photography captures the essence of human souls. Enough said; no words can really be enough to express the photos that have been captured by brave and fearless photojournalists.

My man.

IDEAL GIRL/GUY SURVEY--I got this from KenKen Lachica, a batchmate of mine in St. Mary's who's currently studying in ADMU. And I sort of revised it since it was kind of boring. Hehe. ANYWAY!

IDEAL GIRL/GUY SURVEY

1. funny or stoned?
Funny :) Like Jim Belushi's wits and sense of humor. He'll be my anti-depressant. :)


2. athletic or musically inclined?
Not necessarily athletic but with arms like Brendan Fraser's.


Oh and he should have a voice like Bono's (U2 vocalist) or Rod Stewart's and must play the piano or guitar.

3. long hair or short hair?
Short.


4. same height or higher than yours?
Siyempre higher than mine. The height of Robert Downey Jr.


5. nerdy or sarcastic?
Sarcastic and geeky so that I'll have someone to mock/criticize with. (geeky is different from nerdy ;p) like Michael Cera's character in the movie Juno. haha!

6. quiet or loud?
In between--not so loud but not quiet either.

7. strict or not?
Strict.

8. nagsusuot ng SALBAKUTA stuffs?
What the heck? Haha. Of course not.

9. gago o gwapo?
Do you really need to ask? :))


10. madaldal?
Slight lang. I don't want him to be more madaldal than I am. He should know how to start a conversation though.

11. God fearing?
Definitely God-fearing. Just like my dad. :')


12. may sense of humor?
Haven't I answered this already? Number one.


13. nangigitara?
See answers to number two. "-_- if he does play the guitar though, he has to be really passionate about it and his music must appeal to me. Just like Damien Rice.


14. nag yoyosi or umiinom?
It's okay if he drinks but occasionally only. I am not a drunk-hard fan. And definitely not a smoker praiser either.

15. PC games adik or studious?
Studious. But he must know how to have fun either and beat me at Tekken and Soul Calibur. Haha.

16. hilig sa pets?
Dogs. He has to have a beagle and must give him more joy (than any other pet he had ever known), just like James Herriot (famous veterinarian and writer) and Bodie.


17. anime lover or music lover?
Music lover. If he's the biggest fan of anime then I'm sorry, we won't click. hehe.

19. brown eyes?
No, BLUE. The eyes of either: (1) Alec Baldwin,


Or better yet, the eyes of (2) Ewan McGregor. BLUE-GREY.


20. mahilig SUMAYAW?.
Not necessarily, as long as he can dance. Someone has to teach me how to dance in the middle of an impromptu ball, you know. ;p

23. mgling mgluto?
That's a plus factor! I'm the breakfast-in-bed kind of person. Hehe.

25. poetic?
YES! He has to be good in poems. Someone as profound as Sam Milby.

(yeah even if he's gay)
He even wrote this:
Denial is a game we shouldn’t play…
Accept the truth and hope the pain goes away..
I know this pain is hard to bear…
But I know I can make it…I know I can…
Love makes me deny what I feel deep down inside…
Cause I’m fallin in love….with you….

26. ala CRISOSTOMO IBARRA? (FOR Girls)
NO! Haha. His hair is sooo baduy and his poetic lines are waaay cheesy!

27. seloso/selosa?
Yes. ;)

29. magaling pumorma?
Ay siyempre.

30. malinis ang kuko?
DEFINITELY! Dirty nails are a major turn-off noh.

31. mahaba kuko?
I think I'm the only one who's allowed to have long nails. Unless he's gay. HAHA

32. Magaling sa Math?
YES. "I think I need a tutor." --Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls
But seriously, yes he has to be good in Math. My grandfather, Emeterio Roa, Sr. was the first Filipino actuary, besides the three other actuarials in the Roa clan. So my family and I have established a standard for math.

35. rakista?
Again, not necessarily. (i'm so kind noh? haha) I'd respect whatever music he's in to. But a rockstar is a PLUS PLUS! ^______^ preferably a Chris Martin (of Coldplay) type.

36. makulit?
Hee hee, yes.


37. nagsusuot ng pink o yellow?
Pink, NO. I have this thing with men who wear pink. Yellow, okay lang.

38. maitim or maputi?
Maputi.

39. chinita or doe-eyed?
Japanese eyes. Just likeHiro Nakamura's.


40. HE MUST ALSO HAVE:

The jaw of Brad Pitt

The smile of Geoff Eigenmann

The nose of Wu Chun

The sex appeal of Pierce Brosnan (esp. in Mamma Mia)

The brains of Fr. Jett Villarin

The wisdom of Albus Dumbledore
(so what if he's a fictional character? haha)


AND

The heart of someone special. ;p hee hee uuyyyy!

Water Privatization in CDO

Have you ever heard of water privatization? It is the takeover of water services by private businesses. Like for example, in this city we have the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) and it's sort of owned by the local government. Privatization will happen if private businessmen take over or buy the water district. When that happens, the local government will have no control on the price of water--that is the bad side. (One example is Manila: half of the customers pay the Ayalas for their water, the other half to another company)

To be honest, I am against water privatization. I believe that water resources are owned by all and that businessmen should not be profiting from it, especially that water is a basic need. But a lot of water districts and providers are pressured to privatize because they don't have enough budget to expand. But just so you know (I got this from a friend of mine whose work is to monitor the water privatization in the Philippines) CDO has one of the highest water bills in the Philippines because half of the water that goes through the pipes are spilled through leaks and the spilled water is still being paid for. So the price we are paying is actually twice the actual cost of water we are consuming.

CDO local government is thinking of selling the water district because our local budget is not enough to fix the pipes, and Jaraula does not want to spend money on the water district anymore. And as of September 30, 2008, there is an interesting development regarding COWD. Because the local government is having problems on dealing with it, the First Community Cooperative (FICCO) offered to buy it. (Yes, they have enough money to buy it. Hello? Millionaire!) And this is good news for me and for the people of CDO. Instead of privatizing, what they're actually doing is to "cooperative-ize". And a cooperative is very different from a private corporation because the owners and members of the cooperative themselves are the ones who support--which means money goes to everyone, whereas corporations work in such a way that the money goes to a select few. If most Kagayanons are members of FICCO, that means water district will be owned by the people of CDO. Quite surely, prices will be reasonable since the ones who will decide on the price will be the same people paying. For further knowledge of the subject, click this. (Yet again, I googled it. Haha) Sideline: And FICCO will be richer than ever. Mwahahaha! But that's not bad if FICCO is a genuine cooperative. Rich FICCO means rich everyone! Hahaha.

I hope FICCO pursues its intention to buy COWD and that FICCO is true to the ideals of water cooperatives and that it gets the water district. Cagayan de Oro could become a model to other cities. :)

So go spread the news! Ask if your parents are members of FICCO--in fact ask around if they're members--and educate them. Hehe. 'Cause my friends are looking out for their offer.

When there is growth.

As a kid I've construed growing up as a development. Once you were just an infant who walked a few baby steps, and before your parents know it, you're attending kindergarten with a bunch of cute little kids. Sooner or later your height catches up and you grow (literally). Gradeschool. You're undergoing physical changes called puberty and you are able to control your emotions since you are now more aware of certain things. And then you reach highschool--the phase where you experience teenage angst, identity crisis, and different kinds of anxieties. You are fragile and vulnerable, like a barbie doll placed on a giant's hand, scared of the tendency of being crushed or torn.

Development is like going up to one level and then another, and then another one, and so on. But there are times when you don't move up-- when you stumble, stand up and learn to walk again. Even baby steps will do. That way, you won't go down.

My perspective of development right now has changed. Not only do I think of the growth of a child or any thing for that matter, but also the people who have given guidance, support, time & efforts, and all the help needed in order to develop and reach the goal. Without them there wouldn't be progress and development. Without them you won't be able to learn those baby steps you first learned and used later on when you fall. (but baby steps aren't necessary if you can move forward fast, so do what you can!)

In the end I've figured that even my world view of things have transformed into mature opinions and notions. And that is also development.

The Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are a great example of striving for development not only in the Philippines but to other countries as well. Goal 3 for example, states that we should promote gender equality and empower women. As we all know, women are being underestimated/discriminated mostly by men because they think they are more educated than us; they believe women should stay home, do the laundry, cook food, clean the house, etc. while they're out there working on their chosen fields. This is something we should take action on. Women have rights too.

What is communication?

Communication is a process in which we carry and express meaning by trying to create common knowledge. This method requires a vast range of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, evaluating, etc. The use of these processes is developmental and can be used/transferred to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. It is through communication that collaboration and mutual aid occur.

(I copied this from my About Me from my profile so I can delete it already)

Poetry

When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer
Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.