Cheap Chow

An HK-Online Magazine item on its March 27, 2009 issue is causing the latest furor on the local blogosphere. The racist article from Chip Tsao; who usually defers to history, his former colonial masters, and world superpowers (shows how cowardly he is); is a blatant insult to Filipinos. The magazine has since pulled out the offending article and issued an apology. Some Filipino bloggers are wont to just dismiss it as satire and thus should not be taken seriously. Funny or not, I think all the outrage is justified. Mr. Tsao thinks he has a hostage when hostilities break out? He does not realize what his hostage can put in his coffee, even before the hostilities start.

Below is a screen-cap of the article before it was pulled out.

Fw: TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's !!

Posting here, from a forwarded email, memories of the simple life:
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TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's !!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us.

While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, ate isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker natin, matigas na kahoy din at wala pang gulong.

We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads , sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na)

Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata)

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711 ( minsan straight from the faucet or poso)

We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contacted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank sofdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet coke), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso , habulan at taguan.

No one was able to reach us all day ( di uso ang cellphone , walang beepers ) . And yes, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down the street , only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (seweage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters....... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo..beh buti nga !

We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls. we were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns " gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakitan..pero masaya pa rin ang lahat.

We made up games with sticks ( syatong ), and cans ( tumbang preso )and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay.paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang.

We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala yang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tignan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed.

And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?!

Face yourself

Do you believe that your personality is written all over your face? Jean Haner, an expert in understanding facial features believes so, and in fact has written a book about it. The author of "The Wisdom of Your Face" says your face is the blueprint of who you really are.

Haner says people who undergo surgery to remove wrinkles could actually be doing a disservice. "There are good wrinkles and bad wrinkles," she says. "We are supposed to get some, and if you erase them it's not healthy, you might have to learn certain life lessons all over again."

Some of the tips Haner gives to women in search of the perfect man:

• -Behind a guy's big mouth and full lips is a sensitive man who is emotionally available.
• -Spiritually sensitive guys have a bony nose [and] sunken or hollowed cheeks.
• -An upper lip much thinner than his lower one on guys is a sign they're more hedonistic and have a tendency to be unfaithful.
  

And her tips to guys:

• -"Back away slowly from the woman who plucks her eyebrows into a tiny line. That's suppressed rage."

Even so, she notes, "You can't tell everything about someone just by looking at one feature. It's how all the features work together that really gives you the true picture."

But her analysis of a hairline that goes straight across - that guy is a rule breaker and paradigm shifter; big ears? they are a positive trait: they suggest a strong sense of confidence and the ability to take risks.

The last time I looked in a mirror, I have a hairline that goes straight across and I have big ears.

What are the odds?

Lotto Game	Lotto 6/42	MegaLotto 6/45	SuperLotto 6/49	Power Lotto 5/55 +Powerball
Numbers in Pool	42	45	49	55
Chosen	6	6	6	5+1
No. of combinations	5,245,786	8,145,060	13,983,816	34,787,610
Amount needed to bet for all combinations	52,457,860	81,450,600	279,676,320	1,739,380,500

The biggest lotto jackpot ever (around PhP350M) has been won recently by two lucky bettors. Conspiracy theorists who say the usual suspects were busy defending themselves against World Bank charges that's why they haven't won the big thing yet.

Just what are the odds of getting six numbers correctly from a pool of Lotto numbers? Using basic prob formulas and a spreadsheet, we compute the odds presented in the table above. For the ordinary Lotto (6/42) alone, the number of possible combinations is more than 5.2 million. For the Megalotto (6/45), the number of combinations is more than 8 million and for the Superlotto (6/49), the combinations total just under 14 million.

From 1:5 million to 1:14 million. Statistically, that is how hard it is to guess the winning numbers. At the ticket price of PhP10 per combination, you have to invest PhP52 million (for Lotto6/42, PhP81M for Megalotto and Php280M for Superlotto) to bet for all the possible combinations. Even more staggering is the odds for the Powerlotto, where you have to invest PhP1.7 Billion to be assured of the Php50 million jackpot. The latest big jackpot is big enough for someone bold enough to bet for all combinations. But imagine the logistical nightmare of filling up all those tickets. Hahaha.

But Filipinos are so good in getting the lotto jackpot that whenever it is won, it is often shared by 2 or more winners. Statistically, having one winner is hard enough. But getting two or more? The biggest lotto prize ever was won when the World Bank controversy waned. Just what are the odds of 2 winners sharing the PhP350Million? Go figure. Conspiracy theorists may have a point.

A long awaited revolution: Our own fight against the “fannulloni”

An Italian economist and cabinet member (the equivalent of our Civil Service Commission), Renato Brunetta started a 'revolution' within the their public administration. He started a personal war against the fannulloni – sluggards – of the Italian workforce: “In a few months there has been an almost 50% drop in the number of sick days and I’m no magician”, he said during a press conference. On a yearly base, that means 60.000 workers were added to this sector, without spending a dime.

The civil service is there to help citizens in their interactions with the government and make things easier for everyone. But in many places the government service is some sort of safe haven for people who don’t like working. This leads into endless queues in public offices and an enormous waste of public money. Governments, in fact, allocates billions to public sector wages but still productivity level has been consistently less than the private sector. Government employees tend to produce less than private workers do.

In order to reverse this trend of inefficiency, Brunetta revised the Italian public sector pay scheme. The salary is now made up of two parts, one is fixed while the other is linked to productivity, usually between about 10 and 15 euro. Brunetta made it clear that, if a public worker is at home due to illness, the second part will be reduced.

Journalists contend that “It is too early to tell if Mr. Brunetta's reforms have revolutionised national behaviour. Italians have a tendency to react swiftly and prudently to draconian new laws, but then to slide quietly back into their traditional ways when vigilance slackens and the immediate danger has passed”.

That may be true, but Brunetta’s predecessor, Luigi Nicolais, raised the wages of over 200,000 ministerial employees by 101 euro per month. He also introduced a new productivity based system which recognized the hours of overtime work, by increasing the salary, without any guarantee that the workers would actually increase their level of productivity. This, however, proved to be a rash move that did not result in any improvement.

Here in the Philippines, we have the Salary Standardization Laws. Some agencies even implement automatic 1-step annual pay increases and pay for overtime work. But overtime pay is counterproductive and accounts for greater inefficiency as more resources are infused to achieve the same output. We need our own revolution against our own sluggards.

Two wrongs don't make a right: Hypocrisy on the ides of March

Moral education taught us that two wrongs don't make a right. One should never assume that if one wrong is committed, another wrong will cancel it out. One cannot justify a wrong action by pointing to another wrong action of the accuser.

Why? Doesn't the two negatives (wrongs) cancel each other out? Isn't it a mathematical fact that multiplying two negative numbers produce a positive number?  The two wrongs don't cancel out beause this isn't math.

Text book logic tell us that tu quoque is a very common fallacy in which one attempts to defend oneself or another from criticism by turning the critique back against the accuser. Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi, by the way, is what Caesar said before he was assassinated. Literally it means "you too?". Shakespeare wrote "et tu?".

However, not all tu quoque arguments are fallacious. They are also used to show inconsistency, to indirectly repeal a criticism by narrowing its scope or challenging its criteria, or to call into question the credibility of a source of knowledge.

The ever reliable Google brings us to the Wikipedia page, and I quote:

A legitimate use of the you-too version might be:
    A makes criticism P.
    A is also guilty of P.
    Therefore, the criticism is confusing because it does not reflect A's actual values or beliefs.

Example: "You say that taking a human life is wrong under all circumstances, but support killing in self-defense; you are either being inconsistent, or you believe that under some circumstances taking a human life is justified."

Immediately ascribing an argument as tu quoque may be just a ploy to hide the original wrong. If a wrong has not been tolerated early on, the succeeding wrongs might not have happened. This inconstency, or uneven and selective application of moral standards, is pure and plain hypocrisy.

Equal application of policy is akin to equal application of the law. The US Supreme Court, in a case about an unconstitutional application of the law due to violation of the guarantee of equal protection, reasoned: “Though the law itself be fair on its face and impartial in appearance, yet, if it is applied and administered by public authority with an evil eye and an unequal hand, so as practically to make unjust and illegal discrimina­tions between persons in similar circumstances, material to their rights, the denial of rights is still within the prohibition of the Constitution.”

The SNAFU Principle

Ever wonder why the bureaucracy always fouls up everything. Here's an explanation floating on the web.

The SNAFU Principle

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the Assumptions.

And the Assumptions were without form.

And the Plan was without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the Workers. And they spoke among themselves, saying, "It is a crock of shit, and it stinks."

And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pail of dung, and we can't live with the smell."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers, saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it."

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength."

And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying to one another, "It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents, saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very powerful."

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor of the company with very powerful effects."

And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became Policy.

And this is how shit happens.

“Pag gusto may paraan, pag ayaw may dahilan”

The word ‘bureaucratic’ has a negative connotation. I bet Weber did not intend it to be that way. When something with a positive connotation is described as bureaucratic, it becomes an oxymoron. So we have oxymora like “bureaucratic wisdom”, “bureaucratic efficiency”, and “bureaucratic intelligence”.

Just like in basic math, the negative connotation of bureaucracy gives a neutral word a negative connotation when described as such. So “bureaucratic procedure” and “bureaucratic layer” have negative connotations.

But unlike in math, when something with a negative connotation is described as bureaucratic, the double negative does not resolve to a positive connotation. On the contrary, the double negative resolves to a negative. It affirms even more the negative connotation. So we have “bureaucratic mess”, “bureaucratic idiocy”, and “bureaucratic snafu”, which brings to mind a terrible mess, tremendous stupidity, and monumental foul-up .

Bureaucracy is characterized by the system of control based on rational rules--that is, as Weber nobly thought, rules meant to design and regulate the whole organization on the basis of technical knowledge and with the aim of achieving maximum efficiency.

But why has the bureaucracy come to this negative connotation? First let us understand how bureaucracy works. Bureaucracy works like this – if you are given a job/task, get an assistant to delegate that task to. If there is no assistant or deputy at the moment, create one or better yet a task force to study how to give you one. The bureaucracy grew leaps and bounds because of this.

With the increasing complexity and bureaucratization due to insatiable appetite for expansion of the workforce, all power is concentrated at the top, in the hands of an organizational elite. The organizational elite always has as its primary aim the consolidation of its own power position. Whenever this aim clashes with other goals of the workforce, the elite will sacrifice the others rather than jeopardize its own privileges. Kaya uso ang laglagan, at kaya hindi nagkakamali ang boss.Organizational elites have a common interest – maintain the status quo, thus they form a strong power group determined to oppose any demand for change.

Sociologists observe that while Weber thought that rules and control of all actions would mean reliability and predictability, the rules and control also lead to lack of flexibility and the tendency to turn means into ends. The emphasis on conformity and strict observance of the rules induces the one to internalize them. Instead of simply means, procedural rules become ends in themselves. The goal becomes the adherence to rules. The instrumental and formalistic aspect of the bureaucratic role becomes more important than the substantive one, the achievement of the main organizational goals. The predictability and precision envisioned by Weber becomes dysfunction.

A government corporation I am very familiar with is led by an Administrator. The Administrator has two deputies. They also have four assistant administrators; the first three administrators handle the three main functions of the agency: licensing, technical services, and marketing. The fourth assistant administrator handles corporate administration. This means the bureaucracy grew so large that it now needs a full time assistant administrator to handle it alongside the core business functions. Another example is the government financial institution tasked with policy creation and supervision of institutions. It has two deputies to the top boss; one deputy for policy and another for supervision. But wait, there’s more. It has another deputy, again for corporate resources.

Organizational elites are primarily interested in the pursuit of their narrow interests and the consolidation and improvement of their own power position, even at the expense of wider organizational interests. There is a saying: “Pag gusto may paraan, pag ayaw may dahilan”. Organizational elites can manipulate the rules in order to enhance its own prerogatives. Because rules obviously can never cover everything, "areas of uncertainty" always emerge that constitute the focal points around which collective conflicts become acute and instances of direct dominance and subordination develop. The group that, by its position in the occupational structure, can control the "unregulated" area, has a great strategic advantage that it naturally uses in order to improve its power position and to ensure a greater share of organizational rewards. (some material from the Encyclopedia Brittanica).

Arnel Pineda with Journey sings at SuperBowl XLIII

I am pleasantly surprised to learn that Journey featuring Arnel Pineda performed at the pre-game concert of the SuperBowl 43. The SuperBowl is one of the most highly anticipated sports events in the US. With this exposure, the comebacking band is once again at the limelight and back in the consciousness of the American fans. Never mind if the pre-game show is not as talked about as the half-time show. The half-time concert featured the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. Arnel can now claim that he 'opened' for the Boss. From the dingy bars in Manila to being watched by millions in a mega event, what a Journey!

Nadal's wedgie is his lucky charm

I knew it. I knew that Rafa's equal-to-double-marathon semifinal win will serve him in good stead in the finals. I also knew that Roger's easy semifinal drubbing of Roddick is not the best way to prepare for the championship. I also thought that tonight's game will be anticlimactic. It wasn't. It had enough drama and it also affirmed Rafa's status as no. 1.

Nadal has definitely matured a lot. He is poised to stay as no. 1 for a long time. Federer's hopes of matching Sampras' record lies on him not facing Nadal in the finals. For Nadal is simply tougher mentally. He wills himself to win. Roger is simply too cool and emotionless. He needs to show more angst if not 'angas'.

He needs to be hungry again.

I believe that what gets Rafa ever on the edge is his perpetual wedgie. He is obviously uncomfortable with it, orever adjusting it. The process keeps him on his toes, not giving him time to relax. His wedgie keeps him on the move.

Australian Open

San Miguel Beer is not fighting for the crown, something that is sadly consistent with Siot at the helm. The Phoenix Suns lost to contrapelo Spurs. My favorite teams are again losers. So I turn to tennis for that sports watching thrill. I was rooting for Verdasco (who he? against Rafa) because I want the Fed to have an easy road to matching Pete's record. I was watching a live streaming feed at the office because I had to stay late due to bureaucratic wisdom (an oxymoron). I did not mind the wait for some minor functionaries to do their job because the match was close and interesting.

The match was still on by the time I got home. Rafa by then was ahead 2 sets to 1. After my dinner, Verdaso has managed to even up at 2 sets apiece. The match has been on for over 5 hours. It is a classic for the ages. Just when Rafa seemed to be shade tougher, Verdaso took risks with some magic shots to pull even. Verdasco, seeded 14th, took chances to hold serve although it was apparent that Rafa had an easier time to hold his own.

The tennis world better be ready for Verdasco. He is strong and mentally tough, something that Novak the Joke is proving he is not. But then Rafa did not get to be the world's number one for nothing. He is unrattled, he was more bothered by the perpetual wedgie he got. I wonder why he does not switch to more conventional tennis shorts. In the end, I think Verdaso produced more winners but also had more unforced errors. He had 2 double faults in the last game and the last one cost him the match. It was a brilliant, nerve wracking match. It is unfortunate that somebody has to win. This classic will undoubtedly toughen up the two even more. Rafa will recover physically in time for Sunday's finals. He will be much tougher after facing through adversity and winning.

I now doubt the Fed's chances to catch up with Pete's record but I will still be rooting for him this Sunday. After this 5-set thriller the championship game can be anticlimactic.

Change they did, (loose) change we have

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.- US President Barack Obama in his inaugural speech - 2009

Who could be in the new president's mind when he said this? These words are not enough to scare off the corrupt, deceivers,and silencers of dissent. I expect the taray queen to continue to bully her way with the Cha-Cha train.

As in any new administration, there is abundance of hope amid the pressing reality. Hope that he has what it takes to undo the mess they're are in. Hope that they have realized what unfettered greed can do. Hope that they can lead the world in other roles than being the bumbling policeman. Hope that his people know that change does not stop at changing the president. They have a long way to go.

Filipinos also have a long way to go. We can also proclaim 'Change We Need'. But we also must know that it does not stop at changing the president. It starts with it.

A quick personal look at 2008

	Vito graduated from elementary, enters high school. Vito started schooling at a very early age. By the time he was 11, he already graduated from elementary school at the Don Bosco Technical College. He is now a high school freshman also at DBTC. Tempus fugit indeed.
	Popoy danced at St. John's Academy's loyalty day. Popoy did not participate in the previous year's loyalty day celebrations.We deemed he was too young then. But this year he showed keen interest in school activities, so we let him join this time. Despite the flab, he proved to be a graceful Hawaiian dancer.
	Summer rites. With the transition from elementary to high school also comes one of the rites of passage in a Filipino boy's life. Vito visited a surgeon to have what Jewish people do to their boys shortly after birth. Pinoys traditionally swim at the beach to facilitate healing. But perhaps a swim at the pool will do the trick just the same.
	Joy, for a brief time, was the general manager of a multipurpose cooperative (MSMP). It s a testament to her capabilities. She later gave up the post, but she's still on the board of directors.
	NFA reorganization to push thru, hundreds are deemed redundant. In contrast to its efforts to curb unemployment, this government is bent on reorganizing the bureacracy in the guise of rationalizing its work force. Many employees of the NFA, Inay Joy included, are deemed redundant. As such, they are being offered retirement pay equivalent to a measly sum of 75% of basic pay for every year of service.A far cry from the princely agricultural scams, isn't it?
	I attended the 2nd Central Banks' Online Communications Group conference held at Mexico City. The conference of central banks' web communications professionals discussed the common challenges faced and the solutions proposed to meet those challenges. Nice conference in a nice city.
	Pinoyinternet.info to offer webhosting domain services. I decided to sell webhosting and domain services using the pinoyinternet.info name to recoup costs for the sandbox. I am finalizing the packages and the payment schemes which I patterned after the e-novention model. I will be providing two types of service from two server types; the premium packages (premium pricing) and the economy (low-cost) ones. These will be operational by 2009.
	Our dear Grandpa Max, (Lolo Momoy) passed away in Virginia last December at a ripe age of 94. He was an automotive mechanic and entrepreneur, a very industrious man. He migrated to the US in the '80's and occassionally visited us. Vito has particularly fond memories of him. He will be missed.

Losing weight

I wanted to get physically fit since early last year but I never got into it. Instead I put on even more weight. And all my new pants won't fit anymore. Although I am still within safe weight range, the added kilos all went to my belly. It is a matter of reconstructing my physique or losing the weight. I chose to lose the weight.

I went through a diet called the General Motors seven-day diet. Quinito Henson said in his column that it's not just weight loss diet but also a good way to detoxify the body and cleanse the digestive system. Here's the diet.

Day One. Eat only fruits, except bananas. Melon is highly recommended. Don’t hold back. You may consume as many fruits as you want but don’t stuff yourself.
Day Two. Eat only vegetables. There is no limit to what you may take in. For breakfast, you may eat one large boiled potato.
Day Three. Eat any mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice – any amount, any quantity – but no bananas and no potatoes.
Day Four. Eat eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. You may take one bowl of vegetable (cabbage, onions) soup.
Day Five. Eat one cup of rice and six whole tomatoes. You may mash the tomatoes and mix with your rice. Also, drink 12 glasses of water to cleanse your system of uric acid you will be producing. For those who are 39 and below, you may consume 10-ounce portions of lean beef (like hamburger).
Day Six. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables – cooked or uncooked – you want.
Day Seven. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables you want plus drink a glass of fruit juice.

I googled the diet and found more material about it. What's important is you must drink 10 glasses of water a day. You may also have unlimited amount of what they call as Wonder soup, which is basically just cabbage soup.

I started on Saturday, January 10. The first day was easy because I like fruits. I ate a lot of watermelon that by night my belly was bloated more than ever. The all-veggies second day was easy too. The third day was office day. I went along with my colleagues to grillery but I ate only the vegetable portions of the lovely pork sinigang. My office mates were incredulous. The fourth day was a bit harder. The bananas I bought were not yet fully ripe. I must have consumed five year's dose of pectin that day. I also had three glasses of milk which curdled with the bananas, giving me gas. On day five, i cooked the tomatoes and sliced them because I don't think I could bear to eat six raw tomatoes. I love tomatoes -as garnish to salted eggs. I just imagined having futtanesca and I survived the day. Day six and seven were a breeze. I had vegetables and a cup of rice.

I didn't feel weak at anytime during the course. Though I noticed I get tired easily in the afternoon of the first day. But I recovered on the second day and by day three everything was normal. I started to feel lighter. I had slight stomach cramps at nighttime of day four maybe because of the milk and semi-ripe bananas. I felt the lightest on the morning of day five. I think my weight has stabilized by the end of day five. That's the day I started to eat rice again.

Quinito Henson lost ten pounds. I lost around six pounds. Not bad because I didn't have much weight to lose anyway. My waist is back to the size my pants measurement. I feel lighter, I am indeed lighter. From now on I will eat just the carbo my body needs. The next and more enduring challenge is to maintain this weight.

Happy New Year

Sharing with you some of the new year text messages I got:

HAPi NEW YEAR! May d Lord cntnually bls ur famly w/ mor hapnes,gud health,prosprty& peace of mind.May u alwys b blsd w/ dis priceles tresures 4 d coming yir!

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Happy New Year! Prosperity, good health, happiness and peace. Good luck and all the best this 2009. :)

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Tatlong mabuting Bisyo para sa bagong taon:
A-L-A-K - Alalahanin Lagi Ang Kapwa.
S-U-G-A-L - Sa Umaga Gunitain Ang Lumikha.
B-A-B-A-E - Basahin ang Bibliya At Ebanghelyo.

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God's gift to me are people like you, so, on wings of prayers, I whispered my thanks to Him &asked Him to blessyou in countless ways... Happy new year.

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Worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles. As children of GOD let us then be wise. Listen to the LORD's news rather than the world news. Let's welcome 2009 with hope excitement and positive outlook. Let's not be afraid to TRUST an unknown future to a well known GOD. We can choose where we go, what wedo, what we believe and how we behave. Have a wonderful,blessed, God glorifying year ahead.

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May God bless u more w/ what's truly essential in life: Stronger spirit, braver heart, healthier body, endless love & God's favor. A Wonderful New Year!!!

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Wishing you & your family not just happiness but pure joy, not just serenity but God's blessings! Happy New Year!

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May God continue to bring grace to you and your family this New Year, as well as in the years to come. Have a most blessed 2009!

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Before 2008 ends, i thank all d good people like U who made diz year beautiful for me.. i pray that u'll be blessed w/another fruitful year! God bless!

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Masayang pagbati sa 2009 kasabay ang panalangin na sana ay maging masagana at mas payapa ang buong taon para sa ating lahat.

Meeting old friends

I got word that a couple of co-workers got back in town and would like to meet old friends. It would be fun to reconnect with friends who once shared the same passion for OR and IT in the early days of the PC, so to MOA I went. It's uncanny to vividly remember how we all looked before and now see the changes that twenty plus years can do.

Reunions are heartwarming. Old friends sharing lunch together after years apart, retelling tales of old memories always with a laugh, even the ones that hurt before. Folks enjoy reuniting with people only if they enjoyed their previous time together. I am sure we all enjoyed the brief time together better than the lunch we had.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

2008 is almost over...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 2008 is almost over and this is the first time that my website gets updated after more than 365 days. The previous update was before Christmas last year yet. Since then, free web hosting service where I keep my resume/CV has discontinued its freebie operations. The free URL redirection service which I use was also down for a while. The service is back and my account surprisingly is still intact but my CV pages are irretrievably lost. Sigh! Anyway, I acquired this domain name and some web space more than a year ago because I planned to do away with some of the free stuff. I am starting to do that now.

Yet, I am still using some of the freebies available out there. I use Picasa, Photobucket, and Flickr. I still have my Gmail and Yahoo accounts. I still have my rarely updated blogspot. These, along with Youtube, are the old reliables. Their servers are still faster than the ordinary webhosting services. Hooray for these free services!

I will be porting this site to Joomla.Perhaps I will move my blog to wordpress. Study Ruby on Rails. All on hugotheboss.com.

Why hugotheboss.com?

• My co-workers from way back (CPM/DOS days) will remember that I called myself the Boss. Not because I was a boss but because I am a Springsteen fan. Then Hugo Boss products started to do well locally. I thought Perry the Boss has a nice brash ring to it.
• Of course the domain name hugoboss.com and its variations are not available anymore. And I could not afford to buy hugoboss.net or other variants from them. But hugotheboss.com is available and I grabbed it before they can get it.
• I also acquired some substantial webspace and bandwidth last year so I can play around with some of the more interesting web-related stuff. This is my sandbox. Bureautocracy does not allow me to tinker with work servers even if it's all legit.
• This will be my portal site. No more redirects or tiny urls. But still, much of the photos and videos are stored on the free multimedia service hosts. Only the html pages and incidental graphics for the banners are here on the server. In fact the whole site will fit on a standard 1.44mb diskette.

Arroyo apologist refuses to see rot in GMA government

Belinda Olivares-Cunanan finds it bothersome that Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr. engaged in irregularities while he was an official of a government corporation, and she questions his credibility. (“Whistle-blower’s own sins,” Inquirer, 2/12/08) She’s alarmed that the religious groups backing Lozada play blind to the double standard. She says “No wonder people are so confused.”

No, Ms Cunanan, we are not confused. We are fully aware of the rampant corruption in government. The Church, for its part, doesn’t play blind. It sees the corruption as borne out in the investigation.

What’s more bothersome and alarming is the refusal of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s apologists (including a Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist) to see the corruption and the continuing efforts of this government to cover it up. The apologists are the ones guilty of double standard. The Chavit Singson exposé was not that different from Joey de Venecia’s. Lozada’s part may not be equal to that of Clarissa Ocampo’s, but it also exposes corruption at the highest level.

I hope Commission on Higher Education Chair Romulo Neri does his part and does a Clarissa. And I hope the press will also relentlessly expose corruption and not cast doubts on the ones who expose them.

appears in:
Phil. Daily Inquirer-March 20, 2008
PDI Special Features - NBN Deal

Sport lang!

The Miami Heat and the Magnolia Beverage Masters, my favorite basketball teams, are both having such nightmarish times that not even Michael Fajatin can amuse me. Then the Fed (the tennis champ not the post-Greenspan board) lost to the Joke. That means it will take a while before he catches up Sampras' Grand Slam record. Rafa also lost, to Tsonga (who he?). New and younger talents indeed. Pete's record will be safe for a while as the younger ones crowd out the top players. Looks like a bad weekend for my sports watching.

The big upside that negates the lows is the all-goddess finals in the Australian Open Tennis Championships. That's enough to make my weekend. Tennis fans can't ask for more. Ana Ivanovic faces Maria Sharapova. Maria won eventually but fans do not care who wins. It is a sight to behold. Lithesome Maria versus shapely Ana. Gone are the Williams sisters, one of which has a body like Lebron James and the other looks like Blakdyak. Never mind if Maria grunts louder than Monica (Seles, not Lewinsky).

Then I caught on HBO the Kevin Costner-starrer "For Love of the Game", one of my top 5 favorite movies. I don't know why this movie clicked with me. I've seen it like a dozen times, I have a copy, but I still spend two hours watching it again on cable. It is both a love story and a sports movie (Costner's 3rd baseball movie?). IMHO, this is Sam Raimi's best work, the same director who gave us Spiderman and the Evil Dead movies. Kelly Preston makes John Travolta a very lucky guy. Good song selections with Bob Seger's "Against the Wind" and Bob Dylan's "I Threw it All Away" capture the drama and emotions.

Not a bad sports weekend after all. The men's tennis finals may prove to be a good weekend capper. I go for the Joke on this one.

Why the Eee PC will not attract Pinoys

The Eee PC from Asus will not be as well received here locally as in the US. The product from the trusted motherboard manufacturer has been receiving rave reviews since its release. Locally selling at Php17,500, it is cheaper to get the Eec here than anywhere else. But why do I think this solid product, with specs just a shade under that of the smallest Fujitsu Lifebook and Toshiba Libretto but selling at 20%-25% of the price, won't be a big hit here?

For Php8,000 more you can get full-featured laptops (bigger screen, bigger harddisk) that won't make you squint. The US markets like the Eec because the package includes customized open-source operating system and office productivity suite. Locally, factoring in the price of Windows OS and Office suite on top of a regular laptop will set you back by another Php22,000. With software costing more than the laptop itself, a BSA-compliant laptop will cost at least Php47,000.

Savvy local users who have Php25,000 to spare can get a laptop that doesn't look like a low-cost Dvd player and still get the latest software by installing wares peddled by Capt. Hook's Penzance-based company. Between a Php17K(7in-screen-4GB disk) and a Php25K (14in-screen-60GB disk), you get more bang for the buck with one with illegal software. Many will risk BSA ire and get the latter. Only if we are as hard on piracy as they are in the West, then the Eec will have a chance here.

Work hard at working smart

A former boss, to whom I was not popular, often said (not to me) 'work smart, not hard'. Maybe it is just the only thing we agree about.

Many workers work hard, very hard. Not only work hard, but work hard for long hours. Never mind if mindless chatter intersperse the hours. Aside from chatter, many workers often work hard because they do not know exactly what they are doing, or the best way to do it, hence the inability to respond to the tasks accordingly. Some equate long hours with working hard. Of course, putting in long hours is hard work. Mahirap yun ha? However, if one has the option of working hard or smart, which would he rather do?

I've been working most of my life now. Majority of the working years were spent in government. One general problem in the bureaucracy is the tendency of management to equate long hours with working hard. In local labor lingo, the government bureaucracy works 'arawan', per day. Private business on the other hand, work 'pakyawan'. The irony there is whenever bureaucrats were to have something fixed in their house or car, for example, they invariably would want 'pakyaw' job orders.

Those coming from the private sector would find work in the layered bureaucracy sluggish, tedious and circuitous. The bureaucratic process trumps efficiency. Productivity is still unquestionably the desired outcome but efficiency is neglected. The bureaucracy will complete a job in 2 months if it can be completed in 2 weeks. That is the law of government planning. For example, the government projects an activity can be completed in X days, the government will then make plans and targets to complete the activity in X weeks, and then actually finish it in X months. Same X, longer unit. So, the next time you hear of a government output delivered in 3 months, more likely it was planned to be completed in 3 weeks, and could actually have been completed in 3 days.

A CEO blogs that the basic rule for success is responsiveness. This morning at the flag ceremony, our big boss talked of further improving our work. For starters, the government should start the crackdown on unresponsive units. It is time to get the bureaucracy out of its inertia.

Sedentary lifestyle in the Grindhouse

The other day, the office was having fun browsing over old photos, chiding someone who claims he's losing weight but whose pictures say otherwise. Indeed, most have gained a lot of weight the past year. No surprise there, I commented about the group's passion for eating before.

That passion for mastication and the sedentary lifestyle conspired to add love handles to my midsection. Though I'm not really a poster-boy for physical fitness before, I'm fast becoming a model for unhealthy. Atrophied muscles, graying hair, flab around the middle, crouching gait. Looks like I aged twice as fast in the last 15 years.

But I intend to do something about it. One of my new year's resolutions is to lose the flab and get some abs.

May the Lord bless the brittle bones.