For the benefir of lala and issa, luis, enzo, and miguel:

Pei's swimming birthday party was a success, despite the grouchy and grumpy attitude of the birthday boy who didn't want to get out of the pool.

It was a bit rainy that afternoon but it was not enough to stop the kids from enjoying the water.  Pei - who was already charcoal gray from sun exposure even before the official party started - did not even want to smile.  He just wanted to stay in the pool.

But his mommy prevailed, and the party ensued.  The host was ok, especially considering how hot it must have been for her to be in her bunny costume.  The games were fun, even for me!  Pei smiled and laughed (finally!) while watching his classmates and playmates play, but he didn't join them.  The host was even able to get 5 daddies and 6 mommies to play parlor games too!  And Oyo also became part of the games, when Abby brought him during the "Bring me" game as the oldest guest at the party. 

The magician was blah.  He was not much of a showman, and his tricks were not very exciting for kids.  Plus, it was unforgivable of him that he smoked a cigarette as part of one of his tricks! Duh! I had to tell him some kids are allergic to that before he put it out. 

Pei's crush also came to the party, although she was late so she didn't take part in the games.  It was so cute how Pei blushed when she arrived and how he totally ignored her while giving dagger looks to Ning who was pointing the cute little girl out to all of us. 

The party ended before 6 p.m., but I think the kids went back to the pool and stayed until 8.  So I think it was still a success, because eventhough Pei did not participate much in the party proper, he certainly had loads of fun before and after.

Pictures of the party will be uploaded in our multiply site.  I don't know what's wrong with blogdrive, but I can't upload the pics here.

(according to this quiz, that is.)


        

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.          Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan          71% Neo orthodox          68% Reformed Evangelical          64% Fundamentalist          54% Modern Liberal          50% Emergent/Postmodern          46% Charismatic/Pentecostal          43% Roman Catholic          39% Classical Liberal          25%   half of the names in that list i have no idea about. sheesh.

and i hate myself because i don't!  or at least, not all the time.

i'm tired, i don't get enough sleep, the money is not commensurate to the stress levels i'm constantly subjected to, i'm pissed at (some of) the people I work with.  but darn, i love the learning.  seriously.

i sat through three and a half hours of meetings today, discussing the power industry, and i loved every minute of it.  how do you structure your company so it complies with the nationality restrictions while remaining attractive to investors?  how do you ensure long-term unassailability of your business contracts?  can you maintain government guarantees for your loans?  *swoon*

heck, this rush of excitement over another huge project will make me rethink my plans again.  i should really stick to doing grunt work and freaking demanding stupid totally un-interesting corporate housekkeping if i want to make sure i can leave sycip soon.

a direct quote from Ms. Korina Sanchez, during an interview with Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga, over at DZMM this morning:

"the definition of bribery is such that even the recipient can be charged with malversation of funds."

So NOT!  Koring, those are two very distinct, very separate felonies. 

And that interview came right after they interviewed Danny Concepcion who explained the different possible charges against those who accepted the money during the meeting in Malacanang!  Danny Con explained both bribery and malversation.  Hay.  Makes me wonder if she's really stupid, or if she's deaf.

i think it's my irritation at korina sanchez that's causing this, but i'm afraid i might be morphing into a passive pro-administration person (the horror!).

i haven't closely followed the NBN-ZTE Broadband issue, but from everything i have heard, my thoughts and comments surprised even me:


Chiz Escudero:  Why should we spend billions on this deal when the broadband will be obsolete in just a few years?

Me:  That's the nature of computer technology.  It becomes obsolete fast.  But does that mean that we should not even try to keep up?  Everyone admits that there are government agencies that still use Wordstar.  Is it not right to try to upgrade that?  If we follow Escudero's line of thinking, we will never achieve inter-connectivity of our government agencies, because all technology that has the potential of becoming passe after a few years would be shut down.



Believe it or not, these things fester in my mind.  I might need to stop listening to the news soon.

how korina sanchez ever got her reputation as one of the country's top "journalists" i will never understand.  i think it bodes really really bad for the country that people listen to her everyday.  and the possibility that she will be the soon-to-be frist lady is just downright terrifying to me. 

i love listening to the news in the mornings but hearing her and her know-it-all tone mouthing off stupidities just makes me want to scratch my eyes out and shave my head while sitting in traffic.  i mean i don't understand how she can get away with being soooooo stupid. 

several weeks ago, they were discussing the Lintang Bedol issue, and they interviewed COMELEC Chair Ben Abalos.  Here's the gist of the interview:

Ted Failon:  Sir, usap-usapan po ngayon na Lintang Bedol seems to be getting away with just a slap on the hand.  Bakit po 6-month suspension lang ang penalty niya?

Ben Abalos:  The 6-month preventive suspension is not yet the penalty.  The administrative case is still being investigated and in such cases the law allows that the person being investigated be preventively suspended, para din hindi niya ma-influence yung investigation.  At sa batas, hanggang 6-months lang ang preventive suspension.  Now, after the investigation is finished, at makapagsampa na ng kaso against Lintang Bedol at ma-prove na guilty siya, that's when she will be meted out her penalty.

Ted Failon:  What about the fine that was imposed on Lintang Bedol?

Ben Abalos:  That fine was just for the Contempt issue.  We declared her in contempt because of her refusal to appear before the investigators. 


So after the interview, which to me seemed pretty clear, here's what Korina said:

(In Nora Aunor's "walang himala" tone)  Nasaan ang katarungan?  Nasaan ang hustisya?  Malinaw na malinaw na hindi sapat ang kaparusahang ipinataw kay Lintang Bedol! Taong-bayan, nasaan ang himala? Iyan ang himala!

Did she not listen to Ben Abalos's explanation at all???  It was not even a political answer that they can choose not to accept!  It was a straight-forward legal explanation regarding Lintang Bedol's suspension and fine!  But no, Korina Sanchez chose to NOT hear that.

Stupid.

Now, just this morning, she got to me again.  They were discussing the pardon offer to Erap.  One of the main issues raised was that Erap has said over the past weeks - before and after his conviction - that he will not accept a pardon because that would be tantamount to admitting his guilt and accepting that GMA is the legitimate president of the Philippines.  Now the news says that Erap is already willing to accept an unconditional pardon.  So of course, people are asking, is he now willing to withdraw his appeal and admit his guilt (which are prerequisites to accepting a pardon)?  Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago already explained the day before that an unconditional pardon does not erase the guilt of the pardoned, because precisely, it is premised on the convict's acceptance of his guilt.  Dean Amado Valdez of the UE College of Law was interviewed in the program immediately prior to Ted and Korina's show, and he explained that a pardon can only be granted to a person who has been convicted and whose conviction has already become final and executory, meaning that no appeals are pending and that if such person has previously filed an appeal, he must first withdraw his appeal and accept the finality of his conviction before he can be pardoned.  That was pretty clear to me.  But when Ted Failon raised that issue, I could not believe what our famous kaibigan, kabalitaan, at kakampi said: 

"E marami namang naco-convict ng walang kasalanan di ba?  So of course Erap can continue to claim that he is innocent.  Hindi naman niya tatanggapin na guilty siya kahit tanggapin niya iyong pardon."

Huh?  How could she still say that?  Why is she on primetime news when she does not even do her homework?  Did she not even read about what pardon means?  Did she not listen - listen na lang! - to Dean Valdez's explanation?  Where does she get off commanding public opinion when she herself is not even informed?!

Hay.  Stupid.

aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!

isasaisangtabi ko muna ang trabaho para sagutan ang sarbey na ito. 

(sa totoo lang, nainggit kasi ako kina moks at john na nakapag-balik tanaw sa kanilang buhay kolehiyo dahil dito.)

UP ako. Ikaw?

1. ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO?
96-11676 (nung panahon namin, we maintained that the '96 batch was the coolest batch sa lahat ng members ng UP Christian Community.  Hehe. =p)

2. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE?
BA Journalism sa Diliman.

3. SECOND CHOICE?
Wala. 

4. ANO COURSE MO NA NATAPOS?
BA Journalism sa Diliman.

5. NAG-SHIFT KA BA?
Hindi.  Pinag-isipan ko nung third year ako - parang trip ko mag-shift sa Philo.  Pero sabi ng mga tiyahin ko, yayaman lang ako sa Philo kapag patay na ko, so di na lang.

6. CHINITO/CHINITA KA BA?
Di ko alam ano'ng connect nito, pero oo yata.  Pag nakangiti ako, para daw akong nakapikit.  Sabi sa kin nong bata ako, mukha daw akong hapon.  Does that still count as chinita?  or pang mukhang chinese lang ba yung term na yun?

7. NAKAPAG-DORM KA BA?
Oo.  Nung undergrad, 1 summer and 1 sem ako sa Ilang-ilang.  Happy days.  Nung law school, 2 years ako sa sanggumay.  at nung bar review, sa sanggumay din ako.  kakaiba ang memories ko dun.  favorite ko siguro was when moks and i were talking while sitting down dun sa gutter sa may parking lot ng sanggumay, and i stupidly dropped my wallet down the sewer.  nag-ala-hercules si moks to lift the concrete cover nung kanal, and he called on a friend pa who lived in philcoa to help him, just to recover my wallet.  naks!

8. NAKA 4 KA BA?
NOPE!

9. NAG-KA 3 KA NA BA?
Oo.  Bad trip.  Sa law school na.  Sa Legal Ethics class.  Hehe.  It doesn't say much about my ethics, though.  Walang kwenta yung exam dun, promise.  for as long as hindi mo nasulat yung sinabi nung author nung suggested textbook, even if you were able to argue your point, mali ka na.  4.0 tuloy ako sa finals.  buti na lang 2.0 ako sa recitations.  so 3.0 ang final grade.

10. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE?
hindi.  nung first to second year college, madalas ako sumama sa mga rally.  at mahilig pa ko mag-walk out sa klase, for a more dramatic aktibista feel.  nung third to fourth year, madalas na ko nakatambay sa christmass.  nung first half ng law school, di ako pumapasok sa class pag nag-aaway kami ni moks.  nung second half ng law school, di ako pumapasok pag tinatamad ako, at pag di ako nakapag-aral for the recitations.

11. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA??
Yes.  UP Academic Scholar ako from 2nd year undergrad hanggang maka-graduate, so P46.50 lang binabayaran ko (student fee).  may stipend pa na P1,000 a month. kailangan lang maintain a GWA of 1.75 or better.  nung law school, scholar ako ng Justice Natividad Almeda Lopez Memorial Scholarship.  P15,000 per sem.  kailangan GWA of 2.0 or better.

12. ILANG UNITS NA ANG NAIPASA MO?
di ko alam e.  basta naka-dalawang kurso ako, at wala naman akong ibinagsak.

13. NANGARAP KA BA NA MAG-CUM LAUDE?
after my first year sa undergrad, yes.  i had to maintain the grades anyway for my scholarship.  nung law school, hindi.  sayang nga e, muntik na sana.  my GWA nung graduation was 1.80.

14. FAVE PROF
Darlene Berberabe Lim (Philo 1) - dahil ipinakilala niya ako sa asawa niyang si Samboy Lim as an advance birthday present.  Edwin Varona (Comm 100) - dahil may comic strips ang prescribed reference book niya.

15. WORST TEACHER
Don't want to say the name, basta teacher ko sa Insurance at Sales & Credit Transactions.  1.0 yata ako in both classes, pero tanungin mo ko ngayon kung ano ang rules on double sales, sasabihin ko sa 'yong teka, pahingi ng civil code, di ko alam e. 

16. FAVE SUBJECT/S:
Negotiable Instruments Law - kasi totoo talaga na the architecture of this law is beautiful.  kahit na it's dead.

17. WORST SUBJECT:
Palihan (Workshop) - naiwala nung teacher yung final exam ko so he gave me an INC e hello, graduating ako! i found out kasi lumabas yung preliminary list of graduates at wala ako dun!  so i had to go to baguio to meet with the prof who was there for a conference to submit my finals, tapos pagdating dun, sabi niya, i'll just give you the benefit of the doubt, and gave me a freaking 2.25!!! bad trip di ba?  why didn't he just "give me the benefit of the doubt" before he gave me an INC?!?

18. FAVE BUILDING:
Malcolm Hall.  Hate it, love it.

19. PABORITONG KAINAN:
Persian, Lutong Bahay, Aristo-cart sa tapat ng Yakal, KFC sa Tandang Sora.

20. MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP?
4.25 yata sa ikot.

21. LAGI KA BA SA LIBRARY?
nung law school, siyempre.  dun ang tambayan e before and in between classes.  lahat na ng last minute reviewers and digests to get through a recitation or an exam, sa library nagcicirculate. 

22. NAGPUPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC?
yes.  i seriously respect the people at the infirmary.  di ba naman, lahat ng doktor dun UP grads, tapos mostly libre ang check-up.  why go elsewhere di ba?

23. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS?
oo yata.  random cute faces na nakikita around. 

24. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING P.E. MO?
PE 1, basketball, defense for women, aikido.  i was stupid in all classes.

25. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO?
diverse.  astig.  well, the girls, at least.  hehe, peace, john! peace, glenn!

26. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG HYMN NIYO?
Hymn ng UP?  Oo. Magaling ako sa lyrics e.  Pati din ung Push On, UP song.

27. MEMBER KA BA NG VARSITY TEAM?
Hindi.  But i seriously wanted to get a varsity boyfriend, get his jacket, and break-up with him.

28. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM?
Sus.  Math 1 exam, score ko 103/100.  (may bonus kasi na 5 extra points.  dun lang ako sa 2 bonus points nagkamali.)

29. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER?
Pano ba natututunan yun? 

30. DITO KA BA UNANG NAINLOVE?
Hmm...parang hindi. 

Ang saya nitong survey na 'to, promise! =) tag niyo sarili niyo, game! =)

Link: The Calvin Or Hobbes Test written by gwendolynbooks on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test thanks to JM for the link to this test!

My Lakbayan grade is C!

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Created by Eugene Villar.