Monday, May 24, 2010

[AD] Okay, I KNOW I'm somewhat geeky and nerdy but WHAT is this for again? O_o

My mum's sister and her husband arrived yesterday (Sunday,23rd May, Philippine time) and brought home goodies from the USA in behalf of my Ate (older sister), who is currently based there indefinitely. She gave me a lot of cool swag, like a cute (and THICK!) hoodie jacket with a vaguely cowgirl-ish pattern, my favourite 24-hour root boosting hair spray from TRESemme, some gold and silver hair ties, Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer, and even a Nine West Neves Large Clutch in Ultra Pink.

... Okay, I promise pictures once I get my spankin' new camera from the Sony Philippines 3-Day Big Sale happening this weekend! I know, the pics would really help a lot. X3

But anyway that's not the point of this post.

The point is, I suddenly found this tiny thing among the contents of the tightly-wrapped plastic bag that my aunt and uncle handed over to me.


Now as you can tell, the Belkin F8V366 Mobile Cassette Adapter for MP3/CD/MD is adorable, in that it appeals to my closeted geek/nerd self, who used to collect cassette tapes of virtually anything (that was wholesome, mind) that could be listened to. My version of this baby is white, although there's a stray black ink ballpen mark, hurr. It reminds me of the times I used to listen to nursery rhymes over and over until either the cassette tape, or the radio did, or (as was unfortunately the case) both tape and radio gave out. It also reminds me of my broadcasting classes and my days as a student DJ in the university radio station, which was one of my favourite places to be; we were required to record our hours not just through 200 hours of logs but through cassette tapes to make sure that we were, indeed, manning the booth from sign on at 12:00 noon to sign off at 5:00 pm.

But to be very honest, what bothers me is that I have NO idea how to use it. I mean, do I plug my MP3 player to it? What happens when I plug it to my dad's 19-year-old gray Honda Civic, which is the only item owned by this family owns that doesn't yet have a built-in CD player to match? Heck, no one even wants this! I mean, seriously, my technophobic Dad already owns a transistor-type radio with a built-in CD player - which is, quite ironically, something my Ate used to own before she moved to the USA - that he is absolutely loathe to part with.

So this cute and geeky but... since it doesn't come with a manual, I don't think I'll be able to use it at all. Sorry Ate! ;0;

I wonder, would anyone help me figure this out if I put one of my things up as a prize? Then again, WHAT do I own that would be valuable...? Hrrm... 6=_=000

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Life & Style

I visited Littlekobaby's blog Koko In Wonderland this weekend and as always, she did not disappoint. She doesn't just recommend which items match or which style should be followed, but she asks questions that few fringe style fashionistas would dare tackle. She's very brave for professing her love for both gyaru and lolita, which is no mean feat because girls from both Japanese street fashion tribes have been at loggerheads since day one. This isn't a unique phenomenon though, as such tribalistic tendencies in fashion can be seen from haute couture to counterfeit culture. The type of mutual disgust that the gyaru and lolita  communities have for each other would make the Cold War look like a campfire where people are singing "Kumbayah." Yes folks, fashion equals serious business.

Gyaru (more likely agejo or hostesses) modelling Gothic Lolita brand dresses in their own style, taken from Vanilla Girl August 2008 issue, through CherryPop.


Thanks to this post and this post, I couldn't resist writing this reply of sorts.


Why I will roll out for "The Transformers"

Here are my reasons why I am voting for Richard "Dick" Gordon and Bayani Fernando as president and vice president respectively in the upcoming elections:

  1. Both of them made their fortunes and took on their jobs well without the good (and not-so-good) name of relatives to back them up.
  2. Gordon's Subic Bay and Olongapo City plus Bayani's Marikina City are all cities built on discipline where people work stable jobs with stable income, follow traffic rules, and enjoy clean surroundings. (I think that Subic Bay's "working girls" earn more in a working day than the girls here at P. Burgos Street in Makati -- where Jejomar Binay is said to part-own 3 girlie bars -- ever will in a week.) And everyone, EVERYONE I know who lives there will attest to their love for their representatives.
  3. Dick Gordon is with the Philippine National Red Cross. They were the first large organisation to take concrete action during the twin typhoon disasters of 2009, and not the government. Hell, Gordon's been doing it since Mount Pinatubo erupted waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back in 1991! 
  4. Gordon's WOW Philippines program for the Department of Tourism was one of the most highly-applauded, ever. Hell, it even convinced Mahal to want to move here. ;P It's too bad his successor couldn't maintain the program's momentum.
  5. Like some other candidates, Bayani rose from the ranks of poverty. His mum sold fish at the market. He was literally freakin' BORN in the market. The only difference is that unlike other candidates, he tries to come up with concrete solutions to get the poor to have a heightened sense of self-esteem and also improve their lives, all WITHOUT rubbing it in your face. 
  6. Bayani Fernando is an engineer by profession. My dad, my aunt and many other friends and relatives of mine are engineers. I have not known a single engineer in my life to lie.
  7. The Transformers camp is extremely clean and green. The fact that they don't have budget for ginormous tarpaulins and posters means that they are not contributing to the pollution that is caused by so many other campaigns. 
  8. Related to the above, Bayani's work in the Metro Manila Development Authority has improved it significantly while making it a source of humour. There have been less cases of extortion by MMDA personnel reported in the news. And those ridiculously neon pink fences? Well, Bayani likes the expression "in the pink of health" originally coined to show that people with blushes in their faces are physically fit. In that case, wouldn't we want a clean and healthy and financially fit country? Think pink! :P  (I prolly should change my blog colours now because orange and yellow are for other candidates that I'm personally not keen on...) 
  9. You may say, "But all of the candidates for the national positions are corrupt anyway, so why vote for Gordon-Bayani?" My answer: Because unlike the other candidates, there are very, VERY FEW issues you can throw at them, and very, VERY MANY achievements of theirs that you simply cannot do anything else but highlight. Do you hear people associate them with drug dealers and girlie bars? Do you hear them say that they offer so-and-so benefit to their constituents and make it sound like it's their own money when really it's money that comes from the dutiful taxpayers? 
  10. Gordon and Bayani have seen how Filipinos work and live abroad -- many are law-abiding citizens with stable jobs, stable incomes, stable resources and big dreams which they know they can achieve. It is that kind of mentality and that kind of sensibility that is strangely and sorely lacking here in the Philippines.  
Granted, they are all human with foibles and faults. But to me, their track records -- and I'm just glossing over them here -- far outshine any faults they have, because the good they have done is the kind of good that is needed and can be seen by my country. Dogged discipline and dogged determination are sadly seen by my countrymen as forms of dictatorship, especially with the botched progress that happened during the Marcos era -- but in my many travels, and through what I am learning of the Gordon-Bayani tandem, I have realised that that cannot be further from the truth. What use is it if you have your freedom but you have no money to buy food or a house with? What kind of freedom is it if for every little thing you say, you need to watch your back because either the military or the left will hurt or even kill you? 

I know this will probably not convince a lot of people, but I believe that if you, as a Filipino who has stumbled into my blog reads this and decide to vote for my candidates too, we will all be forever grateful as a nation. ♥

Don't forget kids, vote tomorrow! And if you can, vote for true change, vote for the Transformers! \^0^/

Friday, May 07, 2010

Ligaya's State of The Nation Address regarding the May 10 Philippine national elections

I know this post probably won't matter since I'm not even running for the lowly position of councilor/konsehal, but I have friends from ALL political backgrounds, from all ends of the spectrum. You know who you are and I shouldn't need to tag/shoutout you people (comment na lang kayo). ;P

As is becoming apparent now, the upcoming elections have become an unusually serious make-or-break affair. So, know only this: Please respect my vote, and I'll respect yours. Whether you ask me to share or discuss my vote or not is fine and you'll be getting a straight answer out of me, but I am not going out of my way to ask you to do the same. I will not whine about your choice not to vote if you so decide, so please don't whine if you hate the country because you chose not to exercise your vote. And please, for the love of God and all that is good, don't hurt or kill anyone just because the other person will not vote for your candidate(s)! (For the record I've been quietly supporting the Gordon-Bayani/Transformers tandem since March of this year, but - partly helped by my sister's active moonlighting as Bayani Babe - I've been more vocal about this recently. Say what you want but I hope you follow suit with my example of not openly attacking your candidates with mine.)

But ultimately, please safeguard your country through safeguarding your vote, and do not sell out or allow it to be sold. Huwag maging talunang mamamayan! Huwag bumoto nang hindi kinikilala at kinikilatis ang kandidato! Huwag bumenta at magpabenta ng boto, at huwag hayaang mabenta ang boto! Huwag hayaang may papatay sa iba o sa inyo para lang manalo ang kandidato nila! Again, unless you've been living under a rock, you can tell that these elctions are so important.

That said, I'm part of both PPCRV (by association through BCBP) and NAMFREL (ever since 2007), but NAMFREL in particular needs help, and it's not too late to volunteer! Please call the NAMFREL Secretariat at 632-484-7590, 632-470-4151, 63927-9611524 and 63919-3389344, or email them at secretariat@namfrel.com.ph, or visit their website at http://www.namfrel.com.ph/home/index.htm. For Makati peeps, you may inquire with Janet and Peter of NAMFREL Makati at these numbers: 632-703-0026 and 63916-2322361. For my fellow BCBP members and associates who would like to assist PPCRV, kindly get in touch with your local chapter head, otherwise contact PPCRV at 632-521-5005, 632-524-2855 and parishpcrv@yahoo.com or visit their website at http://www.ppcrv.org/.

Bantayan natin ang boto at ang bayan! Safeguard your country and your vote! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas (long live the Philippines), I thank you.