PNP Presence
I get antsy when I see tons of PNP personnel crowding the streets of Ortigas. On my way to work I saw a number of them at key intersections (not really directing traffic, just hanging out...) a couple of vans... and a big truck with K9 personnel on it.
Is there a big rally in Ortigas slated later today? Or will there be a buncha VIPs here later? Who knows?
A Brand New Spin
And so, to further defuse any arguments that our little President had done anything wrong in calling him up, Garcilliano now calls (from a place of hiding) to claim that both opposition and administration candidates called him up to ask how they were doing.
If everyone does it, then it's okay.
It's also done to bolster the argument that even if PGMA called, it is not tantamount to asking him to coordinate any rigging of elections.
Other people have admitted to calling up Garcillano, while other folks have denied calling him.
It would have been so much easier if we had all of them on tape, but alas... there are only so many voices on the evidence currently circulating on the Internet...
And so, to further defuse any arguments that our little President had done anything wrong in calling him up, Garcilliano now calls (from a place of hiding) to claim that both opposition and administration candidates called him up to ask how they were doing.
If everyone does it, then it's okay.
It's also done to bolster the argument that even if PGMA called, it is not tantamount to asking him to coordinate any rigging of elections.
Other people have admitted to calling up Garcillano, while other folks have denied calling him.
It would have been so much easier if we had all of them on tape, but alas... there are only so many voices on the evidence currently circulating on the Internet...
Awash in Ideas
As an exercise I've been trying to catch snippets of ideas here and there. Today, something funny came up - what if (the cornerstone phrase of speculative fiction...) we became a telepathic society?
Perhaps not entirely telepathic (I sense great anger in you), but capable of messaging everyone certain thoughts. Yes, it would be great to do so without talking and all... but if you merge that with the concept of computer e-mail...
"My dear, I have something very important to tell you... 100% off Vi(A)Grahhh now. Ask me how!"
Yes, mental messaging would collapse under the weight of telepathic spam, phishing, and virus attacks!
As an exercise I've been trying to catch snippets of ideas here and there. Today, something funny came up - what if (the cornerstone phrase of speculative fiction...) we became a telepathic society?
Perhaps not entirely telepathic (I sense great anger in you), but capable of messaging everyone certain thoughts. Yes, it would be great to do so without talking and all... but if you merge that with the concept of computer e-mail...
"My dear, I have something very important to tell you... 100% off Vi(A)Grahhh now. Ask me how!"
Yes, mental messaging would collapse under the weight of telepathic spam, phishing, and virus attacks!
Writing Habits
In sharp contrast to my old "fire-and-forget" tactics when writing stories, I'm actually collecting my story ideas and concepts in a notebook again. I'm taking down storytelling devices and character ideas in the hopes that they'll all percolate in my thoughts so when I do sit down and write, it'll all flow from my thoughts and fingertips.
I've tried writing from outlines before, but I tend to veer away from the original storyline I plotted into new and unexpected (or old and tired) story voices and directions. The same thing happens when I try to write stories "piecemeal".
Hopefully I'll be able to cobble together a little story of wonder set in a strange dystopian future Metro Manila in the near future.
In sharp contrast to my old "fire-and-forget" tactics when writing stories, I'm actually collecting my story ideas and concepts in a notebook again. I'm taking down storytelling devices and character ideas in the hopes that they'll all percolate in my thoughts so when I do sit down and write, it'll all flow from my thoughts and fingertips.
I've tried writing from outlines before, but I tend to veer away from the original storyline I plotted into new and unexpected (or old and tired) story voices and directions. The same thing happens when I try to write stories "piecemeal".
Hopefully I'll be able to cobble together a little story of wonder set in a strange dystopian future Metro Manila in the near future.
Admission and Omission
Well, she came out on TV and admitted she was the voice on the tapes (well one of the voices, anyway) and said she was "sorry" that she was talking to a Comelec official during the time of election counting. She did not identify who she was talking to. She did not admit that she was orchestrating an exercise in "dagdag-bawas". She's asked everyone to move on.
She still insists that she won the elections fair and square. She points to the polls and her margin of victory. Yet she does not mention that the tapes contain portions that point to activities involving more than "confirming her lead". She does not mention that polls favored FPJ at one time, and the favored her at another time. She does not mention that her margin of victory was one of the smallest margins of victory in the history of Philippine elections.
By the way, Garcilliano is still missing. Garcilliano is probably the "COMELEC Official" on the tapes. Unless some other COMELEC Official has a nickname "Garci".
Well, she came out on TV and admitted she was the voice on the tapes (well one of the voices, anyway) and said she was "sorry" that she was talking to a Comelec official during the time of election counting. She did not identify who she was talking to. She did not admit that she was orchestrating an exercise in "dagdag-bawas". She's asked everyone to move on.
She still insists that she won the elections fair and square. She points to the polls and her margin of victory. Yet she does not mention that the tapes contain portions that point to activities involving more than "confirming her lead". She does not mention that polls favored FPJ at one time, and the favored her at another time. She does not mention that her margin of victory was one of the smallest margins of victory in the history of Philippine elections.
By the way, Garcilliano is still missing. Garcilliano is probably the "COMELEC Official" on the tapes. Unless some other COMELEC Official has a nickname "Garci".
Watch 'em Circle Them Wagons
Well, the recordings are certainly causing a stir. Which recordings? The ones that allegedly have our President GMA talking with some undisclosed COMELEC official about how the election returns are being fixed in her favor. From what I've seen on the news and the papers, there are certain interesting tidbits that piqued my interest:
I gotta get back to work.
Well, the recordings are certainly causing a stir. Which recordings? The ones that allegedly have our President GMA talking with some undisclosed COMELEC official about how the election returns are being fixed in her favor. From what I've seen on the news and the papers, there are certain interesting tidbits that piqued my interest:
- The Palace revealed the existence of the recordings first, perhaps in an attempt to discredit them as fakes. [Not a bad move, PR-wise. Transparency and all that.]
- The Palace, for some inexplicable reason, claimed that the recordings were really of PGMA but were spliced from various conversations. [Okay, this may have gone a bit too far with the transparency bit.]
- The Palace later claimed that the recordings were not necessarily PGMA after all. [... and this really makes 'em look suspicious...]
- The Palace is now threatening legal action towards anyone who seeks to disseminate copies of these recordings. [... and even more suspicious. A complete 180-degree turn.]
- The Palace claims that the rumors claiming that the source of these recordings as coming from someone the U.S. government is part of destabilizers seeking to indicate that the U.S.A would support the fall of PGMA. [Wow, I didn't even hear that rumor yet! Maybe a return to transparency?]
- The Opposition claims that the whole recording brouhaha is merely a Palace attempt to distract everyone from the jueteng allegations. [Interesting.]
- There is a prominent spread in today's Philippine Star indicating the close ties between the PRC and the Philippines, which could be construed as either diplomatic PR, or a warning to U.S. interests in the Philippines. [Now THIS was a nice move.]
- Some dude has come out saying "Hey, that guy she's talking to sounds like me!" but has not confirmed (or denied) that it is him. [WTF? Is he looking for hush money or attention?]
- Some analysis of the recordings seem to indicate that they have some basis in truth:
- the voice, phrasing, and vocabulary of one of the speakers has been identified by some experts as PGMA;
- the election returns being discussed (wins, losses and related margins) seem to tally with the actual election results reported;
- there is supposedly no indication when electronically analyzed of any splicing.
I gotta get back to work.
De-stressing
Well, I was a bit miffed this morning because they're cementing off the fricking pedestrian pathways through the center island of the street formerly known as Emerald Avenue. It forces us to walk further away to find an open path, or to use the horrid overpass-crosswalk monstrosity over at the corner of Emerald and Julia Vargas.
It sucks.
Still... eh. Here's some destressing mindless nonesense:
Well, I was a bit miffed this morning because they're cementing off the fricking pedestrian pathways through the center island of the street formerly known as Emerald Avenue. It forces us to walk further away to find an open path, or to use the horrid overpass-crosswalk monstrosity over at the corner of Emerald and Julia Vargas.
It sucks.
Still... eh. Here's some destressing mindless nonesense:
Your Linguistic Profile: |
65% General American English |
20% Yankee |
15% Dixie |
0% Midwestern |
0% Upper Midwestern |
Stories Untold
This past weekend, Kate and I went up to La Union to meet with one of the grand old matriarchs of my Dad's side of the family. We enjoyed our lunch, dinner and breakfast with her a great deal. We did not lack food (at least 5 viands per meal [including breakfast] plus dessert).
It struck me how many stories will be lost to time when she finally joins the rest of the clan that has passed on.
She mentioned how she lived in Zamboanga City for 4 years, and how one of her sons was born there (earning him the nickname "morito"). Why did she go there? Perhaps to get away from her mother, she says. Now, it's hard for me to believe that this 80-year old serenely smiling woman could have harbored difficulties that would have kept her from her mother... but I didn't know the full story, and we were all young once.
She still works at the bank she helped start, clocking in early in the morning and then again after lunch at around 2 pm. She's been working there for 50 years - but she prefers working over staying home!
I remember helping her down from her van a few years ago, and she told me then "I'm not so old that you need to help me walk." That made it difficult for me to see her in the wheelchair most of the time we were there.
She has diabetes, and the whole family has tried to control what she eats... but as she puts it... she's 80! She's not afraid of "graduating" to the next life.
When we were leaving, she told me that I reminded her of my Lola Iday who was "beautiful both in the face and in her character". I've always thought so, but coming from someone who was, in all the ways that matter, her sister, I know it to be truth.
She urged us to come back often (and soon). Perhaps we'll take a few more people with us then too.
This past weekend, Kate and I went up to La Union to meet with one of the grand old matriarchs of my Dad's side of the family. We enjoyed our lunch, dinner and breakfast with her a great deal. We did not lack food (at least 5 viands per meal [including breakfast] plus dessert).
It struck me how many stories will be lost to time when she finally joins the rest of the clan that has passed on.
She mentioned how she lived in Zamboanga City for 4 years, and how one of her sons was born there (earning him the nickname "morito"). Why did she go there? Perhaps to get away from her mother, she says. Now, it's hard for me to believe that this 80-year old serenely smiling woman could have harbored difficulties that would have kept her from her mother... but I didn't know the full story, and we were all young once.
She still works at the bank she helped start, clocking in early in the morning and then again after lunch at around 2 pm. She's been working there for 50 years - but she prefers working over staying home!
I remember helping her down from her van a few years ago, and she told me then "I'm not so old that you need to help me walk." That made it difficult for me to see her in the wheelchair most of the time we were there.
She has diabetes, and the whole family has tried to control what she eats... but as she puts it... she's 80! She's not afraid of "graduating" to the next life.
When we were leaving, she told me that I reminded her of my Lola Iday who was "beautiful both in the face and in her character". I've always thought so, but coming from someone who was, in all the ways that matter, her sister, I know it to be truth.
She urged us to come back often (and soon). Perhaps we'll take a few more people with us then too.
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