absolute insanity

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie

I just love this song

just felt like posting these pix

click on an image to view full size

Sunday, May 10, 2009

random shit...

1. my former schoolmate Carlo Oropesa has his own blog for free game downloads. check it out...here.

2. tomorrow my mom and my younger sister Naomi will be coming home, after a whole week of having the house to myself.

3. we still don't have DSL at home, but it doesn't stop me from "torrenting". A 'suking' internet cafe has a good enough DSL connection, and the owner doesn't mind if i download large files.

4. i'm learning some PHP, JavaScript and some CSS through a free web development solutions training in a local school. The guys there were surprised when they found out I'm not taking up a degree in computers or IT or something like that.

5. I'm kinda unsure if i should buy a Php50k worth laptop or just improve my desktop PC after graduation (because I'll be getting some money by that time...haha)

6. I just tried to use MacOS on a cousin's MacBook...it's okay, but it's way, way different from Windows...hehe

7. I just discovered Maria Ozawa a few weeks ago. She is sooooo hot! haha...

8. If I was born a girl, my parents were to name me "Nicole". But fuck that...I'm a "Nico"! haha...

9. Windows 7 and The Sims 3 come out next year. I'm kinda excited haha...but unfortunately Blizzard hasn't released Starcraft 2.

10. My iTunes library will almost reach 5,000 songs...but I still don't have an iPod...awww...haha

11. Some beverage companies put L-Carnitine in some of their drinks... good news for those who want to lose weight. Only they forgot the one thing they must not forget - SUGAR.

12. The Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals by sweeping the Hawks, and Denver is about to kick Dallas out of the Playoffs and advance as well. Who's gonna be in the finals? I can't wait to find out!

13. I just bought a new phone, an Alcatel One-Touch V770. At first it was great and all, but now I wish I should have never bought it in the first place.

isandaan...

For those who have the guts to do this.
Answer truthfully! 100 Truths...
After you have filled this out, tag people and have them do the same.

1. Last beverage
→ water
2. Last phone call
→ just after the typhoon
3. Last text message
→ mom
4. Last song you listened to
→ Eminem's Curtain's Up
5. Last time you cried
→ i dunno

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice?
→ no
7. Been cheated on?
→ no
8. Been singing till dawn
→ no
9. Lost someone special?
→ no
10. Been depressed?
→ yes
11. Been overseas?
→ yes

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. black
13. white
14. blue

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends
→ yes
16. Fallen out of love
→ no
17. Laughed until you cried
→ yes
18. Met someone who changed you
→ not yet
19. Found out who your true friends are
→ yes, kinda
20. Found out someone was talking about you
→ yes
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list
→ yes
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life
→ most of them
23. How many kids do you want to have
→ 1 or 2...no more!
24. Do you have any pets
→ no
25. Do you want to change your name
→ maybe add a second name...haha
26. What did you do for your last birthday
→ went to school...
27. What time did you wake up today
→ 9 am
28. What were you doing at midnight last night
→ NBA 2k9
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for
→ the end of our web dev't training
30. Last time you saw your father
→ before he died around 10 years ago
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life
→ a lot...i couldn't think of the first thing
32. What are you listening to right now
→ Papercut - Big Pimpin' (Jay-Z and Linkin Park)
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom
→ yeah...haha...loved that guy...
34. What's getting on your nerves right now?
→ dwindling money supply.
35.What’s your code name
→ code name? whatda...
36. Whats your real name
→ Nico Paygane Arboleda
37. Relationship Status
→ single since...ever
38. Zodiac sign
→ libra
39. Male or female
→ male
40. Natural Hair colour?
→ jet black (Harry Potter...haha)
41. Hair color now
→ still the same
42. Pet Peeve
→ i don't think i have one
43. Need Glasses?
→ not yet
44. Long or short
→ long or short what?
45. Height
→ 5'7"
. 46. Do you have a crush on someone?
→ yes
47. What do you like about yourself?
→ my nerdiness...haha (is there such a word?)
48. Piercings
→ none...it's gay.
49. Tattoos
→ some sticker tattoos when i was in grade school
50. Righty or lefty
→ righty

FIRSTS :
51. First surgery → none.
52. First piercing → none.
53. First tattoo → sticker
54. First best friend → mitchell (from Australia haha...).
55. First sport you joined → i think it was cricket...i dunno
56. First pet → none
57. First vacation → probably the trip to Australia...i dunno
60. First alcoholic drink → San Miguel Beer...and hating it haha

RIGHT NOW:
61. Eating → none at the moment
62. Wearing → shorts and some old tshirt from school
63. I'm about to → go home and eat lunch
64. Speaking to → nobody
65. Waiting → for Mom to come haha...

YOUR FUTURE :
66. Want kids? → yes
67. Want to get married? → of course
68. Careers in mind? → journalist, lawyer, hacker, nuclear physicist, CEO of some big company

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
69. Lips or eyes → eyes
70. Hugs or kisses → hugs
71. Shorter or taller → shorter
72. Older or Younger → older
73. Romantic or spontaneous → spontaneous
74. Nice stomach or nice arms → stomach
75. Tattoos or piercings → piercings
76. Sensitive or loud → none
77. Hook-up or relationship → relationship
78. Trouble maker or hesitant→ hesitant, maybe...

HAVE YOU EVER :
79. Kissed a stranger → no
80. Drank hard liquor → yes
81. Lost glasses/contacts → no
82. Sex on first date → HELL NO!
83. Broken someone's heart → maybe...haha
84. Had your own heart broken → no.
85. Been arrested → almost...for jaywalking haha
86. Turned someone down → yes
87. Cried when someone died → yes
88. Liked a friend that is a BOY → LIKED. yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself → yes
90. Miracles → no answer
91. Love at first sight → no
92. Heaven → yes
93. Santa Claus → no
94. Kissing on the first date? → no
95. Angels → yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
96. Is there one person you want to be with right now?
→ yes
97. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time?
→ no
98. Do you believe its possible to remain faithful forever?
→ yes and no...haha
99. What's the one thing you cannot live without?
→ my family
100. Posting this as 100% truth?
→ yes

Sunday, April 5, 2009

A finals project...

DSWD, et al.’s Post-Reming Relocation Program: Relocation or Displacement?
The super typhoon Reming (international codename Durian) left the province of Albay in ruins after its 265 kph winds ransacked everything in its way – houses, farmlands, large buildings, everything. To make things even worse, tons and tons of volcanic debris deposited on the foot of Mayon Volcano from its previous eruption were washed away by the largest amount of rainfall in forty years time.

Thousands of families, notably in Padang, Legazpi City and Maipon, Guinobatan lost their houses after huge boulders smashed its walls and the truckloads of volcanic ash and mud buried these two barangays. The death toll reached 500+, and billions of pesos worth of property and agriculture was damaged.

The national government and concerned citizens around the Philippines and the world immediately took action – led by the efforts of Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda, they donated relief goods, they fixed some destroyed infrastructure like important bridges, roads, etc, and so many more.

Charitable institutions like Gawad Kalinga and Community Organization of the Philippines Enterprise Foundation, Inc. (COPE) joined forces with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the National Housing Authority to relocate the hundreds of families who lost their homes during the typhoon.

They created relocation sites in various parts of the province – Anislag in Daraga, Taysan in Legazpi City and Mauraro in Guinobatan are to name a few. Most of the residents used to live in the now-buried barangays Padang and Maipon, and the rest were from other affected barangays nearby. Some of them still have houses but are located in perilous territory, so they also were advised to relocate.

Life at the relocation sites

The houses were mostly small in size – four by five meters in size, with two bedrooms and one restroom, but without a kitchen. “’Yung may pera lang ang nakaka-paextend ng kitchen” says Rodrigo Mejillano, a resident of the Anislag relocation site. “At saka sa isang side lang pwede mag-extend,” he adds.

Every relocation site had its own perks and advantages for the residents – say, Taysan has free electricity, courtesy of the local government, and Mauraro, which has a livelihood project (lending for capital). “Libre ang kuryente namin dito,” says Jaime Ayala from Taysan. “Malaking tulong na rin kahit mahirap ang tubig” he added.

There are elementary and secondary schools within the compound, which are as functional as normal public schools. There are nearby police outposts to quell violence and crime, but the policemen assigned there say that crime and violence is still nonexistent, if not too few.

“We are quite surprised na kaunti lang ang krimen doon,” says DSWD volunteer Alicia Baltar, who also availed of the program in Taysan. “All I could remember was a slight misunderstanding pero hanggang sigawan lang naman.”

Sponsors

DSWD was the major benefactor of the resettlement projects, in cooperation with the NHA. The houses they’ve given were all uniform in size (4m x 5m) and have a fixed budget of P 70,000 for each two bedroom unit. It did not have a kitchen so it was still up to the resident if he/she wants to extend for one.

Other sponsors along with COPE and GK were: 1) the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, 2) Y’s Men Int’l & Mason Lodge, 3) Compassion International, 4) Habitat for Humanity, 5) Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines and 6) I.O.M.

The houses they build vary, depending on what the sponsor wants. Some had opted to singular 4 x 5 units like what DSWD have provided, while some built much larger duplex units.

The feeling of displacement

The resettlement areas are far away from their former residences – most of the residents were forced to give up their jobs in the city. In Mauraro and Anislag there are some livelihood projects, but it could never rival the usual jobs the residents had before the typhoon. The one in Taysan, however, doesn’t even have one.

“Hindi kami na-relocate. Na-displace kami eh,” says Bernardita Alfredo, who was a factory worker in Legazpi. She was forced to leave because she now lives further away from the said factory. “Wala namang trabaho dito eh, kaya eto, pa-tahi tahi na lang para makaraos.”

Some residents, especially the younger ones, feel homesick and their new houses aren’t like the same. “Ayaw ko dito, mas maganda pa rin doon,” says Mary Jane Deocarisa, a grade 5 student of Taysan Elementary school found within the area of the relocation project. “Pero wala na rin kaming uuwian doon, kaya no choice talaga,” she added.

School Politics and Popularity (it's kinda outdated, really)

The Bicol University student elections for this year were concluded last February 19. The University Student Council was once again dominated by last year’s “big winner”, the League of Liberal Reformists – Reporma or simply LLR-Reporma. Standard-bearer Jessica Biasca, the incumbent External Vice President, became the first female USC Chairperson in three decades. Her party mates won all but two USC positions. In the College of Arts and Letters, all eleven CSC positions were taken by Reporma.

I have been hearing from other people that they think that the student elections has become more of a popularity contest – the more BU students you know, the larger are your chances of winning a USC or CSC position. Also, having good looks and lots of money would help if ever you weren’t popular enough. It isn’t about platforms and principles anymore – the students don’t even go to the convocations, because they’ll want to support the cute guys, the “beauty queens”, the ROTC corps commander, and their party mates. In the case of USC candidates, they would go for their college mates, so their college would be represented in the USC.

Three colleges have been determining factors for ensuring victory in the USC since they are the three most populated colleges: College of Engineering, College of Education and the College of Business, Economics and Management. If you win these three colleges (or at least the first two), there’s a large chance of assuring victory. But of course, more students could mean more candidates, so you should think twice if you want to transfer to one these colleges and become a USC officer someday – its either you’ll win, or be beaten out by someone else from your college.
As mentioned earlier, LLR-Reporma also dominated last year’s elections, after years of dominance of SAMASA-BURM-CRSG, which was only able to form CSC slates of the College of Social Science and Philosophy and the College of Engineering. Like this year, Reporma won all but two USC positions last year – one each from BU-Leaders and Buklod, and none from CRSG, who ironically had a few incumbent USC candidates running for a “re-election”.

Maybe they should consider renaming their party if they win big again next year. Why? Reporma is Tagalog for reform. Just like in conventional politics, when a party is in power for a long stretch of time, even if they had different presidents and senators, the policies remain the same all throughout. That’s why Lakas-NUCD and LDP doesn’t have the words “Reform” or “Reporma” in their party names.
How can there be reform, if the same party is in power year after year after year? Not unless they always change their policies, that is. That, of course is not recommended if you want stability. The best name I could think of is the BU “League of Republicans”, to complement rival party BU-Leaders, whose official name is the BU League of Democrats.

The ten USC positions are the most sensitive positions in the university that’s being held by students. They have a fund of more than one million pesos, and the welfare of thousands of students. It would seem unfair if the primary basis for selecting these officers is by one’s level of popularity.
Why not vote for leaders based on their platforms and principles? It just doesn’t seem right that some of these candidates couldn’t sleep thinking of the best platforms they could present for the betterment of the common good - but would be later be disappointed, and they wished they had good looks or they should’ve befriended every single BU student.