Senator Resigned Due to Corruption

Dear mouse,

Aside from John Grisham and Patterson, I also like Steve Martini when it comes to Mystery suspense thriller.

I will not be discussing with you how good he is as a writer. I will not be discussing with you the novel. I am just curious of the story plot of one of his novels made into a movie for TV where one of the main characters, a Senator whose wife was murdered was being protected from being subjected to investigation by no less than (the lawyer found later) the FBI).

Thru his sleuth, the defense lawyer of the accused found out that the Senator was under investigation for corruption. Silent, closed door investigation.

I thought, that this is fiction. Not in real life maybe. Then I read this news:

The Senator is a real person. The corruption is real.

The news said:

The fallout has led to multiple arrests, and state Sen. John Ford has resigned from office after more than 30 years in the Senate. Besides Ford, Sens. Kathryn Bowers and Ward Crutchfield; Rep. Chris Newton; and former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon were charged with taking bribes from a phony company created by the FBI.

This is getting more interesting as we can relate the jueteng to their illegal bingo operators greasing the pockets of the officials.

A two-year FBI sting operation nicknamed the "Tennessee Waltz" has led to the arrest of several lawmakers. But the probe isn't the state's first dance with scandal. Government corruption cases dot the past three decades of Tennessee history. In the 1970s, the "TennPar" investigation found that associates of then-Gov. Ray Blanton were selling pardons, while another corruption probe in the late '80s and early '90s broke up illegal gambling rings run by bingo operators

.

The Ca t prays:

Sana ganoon din sa atin, closed door,gather evidence muna (not only based on the testimonies of whistleblowers)that there is indeed corruption going on bago ilabas sa media.

Siste, pati yong hindi naman artistang Senador at Congressman, gusto palaging nasa limelight at posible nasa TV kaya probe ng probe kahit ang mga ebidensiya ay hindi sapat ipako ang mga may kasalanan.

The Ca t

A Hoax is a Hoax

Dear mouse,

Another hoax puts the Philippines in the world map. The news about the Japanese Soldiers who allegedly hid and survived in the mountains after the World War II turned out to be a mere hearsay or a concoction of some people whose motives are still questionable.

Judiel Nieva and his claim of receiving messages from the Blessed Virgin was the hoax of all hoaxes as far as I can remember. For a sixteen-year-old teenager who was able to fool not only well-known government officials, socialites, media people, he must have congratulated himself for a great performance.

After several years of hiding he came out of the closet and pursued his dream of acting. So that miracle in Agoo was just a mere screen test for himself.

Nobody applauded for an encore.

Of course who will forget the Faye story where this Ca t was put in the limelight (ilaw sa kalamansi) months ago.

Question is what motivates these people to stage these hoaxes?

Haddock has this interesting article about hoaxes.She wrote:

We are most susceptible to hoaxes that exploit our anxieties: abduction, terrorism, corporations putting profits above safety. Our fears provide fertile soil.

The Ca t

Leonardo da Vinci and Cinderella

Dear mouse,

Well, that was one movie where Da Vinci was depicted as Cupid and was actually the Fairy Godmother of Cinderella. I am talking about EVER AFTER featuring Drew Barrymore.

And this drawing of his entitled LEDA

was supposed to be Cinderella who married the Prince despite the manueverings of the Wicked Stepmother portrayed by Anjelica Huston.

What was funny in the movie was when Da Vinci helped the other servants to free Cinderella/Danielle when she was locked up by the stepmother so she would not be able to attend the ball.

While he was removing the bolts, he uttered, I will go down in history as the Man who opened the door. Funny and prophetic.

This time Cinderella was presented without magic, without the beautiful carriage and horsemen from the rats. But still with the glass slippers and the wings given to her by Da Vinci.

It was not her beauty that captivated the prince but her brain,a peasant who discussed issues with the prince according to what she read from the book THE PRINCE and other scientific books that his father hoarded for her when she was just a little girl. It was her love for books that gave her the confidence to criticize the prince for being coward to admit the obligations of a privileged royalty.

Intellectual approach of presentation of the fairy tale but I still love the romance element-a love story that ended happily ever after. And if the fiction is to be believed, the University where the portrait hung was the brainchild of Cinderella.

It is a fairy tale where there is no fairy and for adults who love to read history.

By the way the setting is France, where Da Vinci was invited by the King to be the resident painter of the Palace when he left Italy.

The Ca t

Mayroong HIMALA

Dear mouse,

Namamalikmata lang ba ako nang aking napapanood ang mga Autoridad na Jueteng Free na ang Metromanila at iba pang sulok ng Pilipinas ?

Parang gusto kong tumayo sa bantayog ni Bonifacio at sumigaw ng MAYROONG HIMALA.

@#$%^&*Toingkalabog pakpikboom

Tunog ho yan ng mga pambabato kay Pusa sa mga hindi naniniwala sa Himala.

Makatakas na nga.

The Ca t

The day when ...

Dear mouse,

According to Conrado de Quiros:

THE GOOD news is that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has sworn before a council of Protestant bishops that she hasn't gotten a centavo from jueteng. "I can assure you," she said fervently with eyes closed while the bishops raised their hands over her in blessing, "that I am one president that did not receive any payola." Bienvenido Abante Jr., a bishop of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church was sufficiently impressed. "We believe that. I don't think that the President would lie before all the bishops."

Yep, Protestant bishops against the word of one Catholic Archbishop,Oscar Cruz, the chair of the Kilusang Bayan Laban sa Huweteng, what sez thou mga anak ng jueteng?

The Ca t

Filipino and AMerican Guerillas, Boondocks and Jazz

Dear mouse,

Tomorrow is Memorial Day-- a holiday to celebrate the bravery, heroism and sacrifice of people who fought for democracy and freedom.

In AMC,a TV channel that shows old pictures, really old...they have the MEMORIAL MOVIE MARATHON since yesterday. I did not like the movie about Mac Arthur. It's obvious that the shooting was not made in the Philippines. Mukhang Spanish ang mga Filipinong extras.

Today, they showed American Guerilla in the Philippines starring Tyrone Power.

Before I watched this movie, I came across the aarticle of Rodil Rodis, a Filipino lawyer who is in the Board of the San Francisco City College.

All along, I thought guerilla warfare started only during the Japanese period.

This is what he wrote:

The dictionary defines "boondocks" as "hinterland, remote and underdeveloped area." Derived from the Tagalog word bundok, meaning mountain, it became part of the American lexicon during the "Philippine Insurrection" that followed the Spanish-American War of 1898.

The Filipino "insurgents" resisted the American occupation of the Philippines but could not engage the superior American forces in conventional warfare. They had to wage a guerilla war mostly in the mountains as the rugged terrains offered the only strategic advantage to the Filipinos fighting for their country's independence.

Patrolling the boondocks in search of Filipino "insurgents" became the everyday assignment for US soldiers who were tasked with eliminating opposition to US rule.

Having worked in San Francisco, a stone throw away from the Union Square, this fact about how jazz originated from the Philippines also caught my attention.

I first heard about the Philippine origins of jazz from a newspaper editor named James Finefrock. I had written an op-ed piece about the Dewey Monument in the center of San Francisco's Union Square ("To the Filipinos, Dewey was no hero," San Francisco Examiner, October 30, 2000). Mr. Finefrock called to tell me that there was once a street by Union Square called "Manila Street" until a jewelry business named Shreve & Co. successfully lobbied San Francisco authorities to rename the street "Maiden Lane" after the London street where jewelers hawk their merchandise.

And I have been stopping that place to admire the jewelries in the display windows.

So back to the movie, these are the things I learned:

1.When the Filipino guerilla built the communication system, it was received by the military headquarters in San Francisco.

2.Para bang e-mail ngayon. Then they were asked of information to verify their identities.(Parang password ngayon).

3.The message was intercepted by the Japanese.

Sila yong mga hackers.

4.The Filipinos, despite war, were depicted as fun-loving and musically inclined people and good dressers as well. During parties, the gentlemen were either wearing the barong, a suit with matching black and white shoes while the ladies wore kimonas or sayas.

5.The Makapilis can be male or female. Hiding their identities from the people they betrayed, they wore the "bayong". They pointed to the Japanese authorities the traitors to Imperial Army. No question asked.

6.They had brothels were the mamasan offered Filipinas in Japanese kimonos in exchange of rice and other goods.

7. Before Mc Arthur came for liberation, there were already goods distributed to people marked with I SHALL RETURN, with the sig of the general. Talagang malakas ang ARRIVE ng heneral. In the other movie which was his story as the Liberator of Asia, he had always a cameraman in tow.Para bang o pose muna.

I did not finish the movie again. I have to get an important call.Di bale pagdating na yon ni Mac Arthur.

The Ca t

Isang PARK, isang araw

Dear mouse,

Noong Biyernes ay pumunta ako sa isang park. Hindi maalis ang aking ubo kaya niyaya ako ng isang kaibigan para suminghot ng tubig dagat.

Ang park dito ay hindi kagaya diyan sa Pinas na may monumento, may swing at may mga magagandang bulaklak. Meron pang relos. (Buhay pa kaya ang relos sa Luneta?) Dito ay park dahil puwede kang magPARK ng kotse mo ng libre. (hehehe)

Sa baba ay ang Pacific Ocean. Napakataas pala ang aming kinalalagyan. Kaya ang mga batang naglalaro sa dalampasigan ay parang sinliliit lang ng mga ibong lumilipad-lipad at manaka-nakang dumadapo sa buhangin.

Sayang nga lang at di ko nadala ang aking camera.

Ang mga ibon ay parang nagpapasikat paglipad sa mga taong naroroon sa park.

Minsan ay anim sila na para bang mga eruplanong naka”formation” at biglang Maghihiwalay na dalawahan, isahan at muling magsasama-sama.

Napapalakpak ang batang hila-hila ng aso ang taling hawak niya.Sabi siguro ng aso, ano kaya kung bigla akong tumakbo?

May lalaki ring sinusundan ang kaniyang aso. Pahinto-hinto ang aso na para bang nagsasabing—Tagal naman maglakad ng amo ko.

May babaeng dalawa ang kasabay na aso. Isa ay may suot na damit.Kakulay ng damit ng suot ng babae. Greyhound ang aso kaya matulis at payat ang mukha nito.

Parang gusto kong lapitan at tanungin kong mag-ina ba sila ?

Lumapit sa akin ang kasama ko. Maamo ang mata niya. Hinalikan niya ang kamay ko. Sa isip ko huwag mo akong tuksuhin. May nag-aari na saiyo. Pagod na ako nang pagmamahal sa hindi sa akin.

Tumakbo siya na parang nagpapahabol. Kinuha niya ang isang bola ng tennis na Ang pagka-akala ko ay bulaklak ng mga damong makakapal.

Humiga siya sa damo at parang nagsasabing, halika. Kalimutan mo ang iyong lungkot. Tingnan nating ang bughaw na langit.

Lumayo ako at lumakad sa may bangin. Tinanaw ko ang lalaking nagsisimula ng Tumalon sa kabilang gilid ng park. Hang glider siya.

Mga ilang saglit lang ay kasama na siya ng mga ibon sa kalawakan.

Malaya, masaya, malapit sa langit.

Sumunod siya sa akin. Tinitingnan niya ako at tila nagtatanong kung may balak akong tumalon.

Minarapat ko nang umuwi. Nilalamig na ako.

Tahimik siya sa sasakyan. Nangiti ang nagmamay-ari sa kaniya.

How are you love? Tanong sa kaniya.

Bow wow wow. Lakas ng tahol niya.

The Ca t

What’s wrong with some people’s blogs?

Dear mouse,

Nothing.

Ow kala ng iba, intriga na naman ako.

Sa isang seminar na aking napuntahan, isang speaker ang nagsabi ng: When writing an article, be sure that your title will catch the attention of your readers. But also see to it that the essay itself is not a disappointment just like the news stories in the tabloids that have misleading headlines.

kagaya ng...

Bat like boy prowling the neighborhood. Pag bukas mo ng balita, gusto mong puntahan ang publisher at isalaksak sa kaniyang lalamunan ang dyaryo dahil bata lang pala talagang nakacostume ng Batman. Di kaya si Batjay yon?

Pero balik tayo sa titulo ko.

Maraming mga bloggers ang nagcritisize ng blog ng may blog kasi hindi kagaya ng sa kanila.

May nagkicriticize na bakit pati naman ang paghinga ng kanilang pusa ay sinusulat pa sa blog o kaya ang kanilang pag-utot.

Sabi nga kanya-kanyang diskarte lang yan.

May mga bagong blogger na nagsisimulang parang diary-like ang kanilang weblog. Normal, kasi pag nagsisimula ka pa lang, mas alam mo ang sarili mo.

Sabi nila :

1. Oweno kung nakakita ka ng ibong patay sa daan?

Ang iyong nararamdaman ay maaring nararamdaman din ng ibang tao,ibang lahi, ibang relihiyon. Ibig sabihin ang pakiramdam na yan ay pangkatauhan, bahagi ng inilagay sa ating kaluluwa Ng isang Kinapal. Bahagi niyang magkaroon ng pagdamdam Ng sakit para sa ibang nilalang.

Ang aking blog entry tungkol sa dove with a broken wing ay kasama tungkol sa paksa ng ibon, tungkol sa dove, tula tungkol sa ibon at mga kuwentong bata tungkol sa ibon.

Ito ang goggle link.

Google: morning dove with broken wing in yard

Hindi ko pinagmamalaki na itong entry lang ang galing sa isang Pinoy na humalo sa mga iba't ibang klaseng wbsites, weblogs ng ibang lahi.

Pero, maipagmamalaki ko na ang blog ko ang may puso. Tingnan ninyo ang sabi sa isang weblog.

"Yes, there is this dove, and it's walking away from me but not flying, I think its wing might be broken or something." "No," she responded. "Dove's sometimes choose not to fly." I laughed and this and answered, "Haha. . .Dove's are pretty stupid."

Ito ang aking blog:

I saw a pigeon in the middle of the road. It won't fly. It won't move. It was just there. It seems saying, kill me. It was looking at what appeared to be the remains of another pigeon that might have been run over by a car, as to when, who knows.Only a few feathers left. The pigeon looked like, it cannot get over the death of a friend or a lover

2. Oweno kung ang almusal mo ay tuyo at kanin?

Maaring ang makabasa nito ay isang successful na overseas Filipino na dahil Sa kaniyang pagkamal ng salapi at katanyagan, nakalimutan na niya ang Kaniyang pinagdaanan. Ang mga araw na kasama niya ang kaniyang Magulang na kumakain ng tuyo bilang pamatid gutom.

Sa akin ay nagpaalala ng mga araw na nagsisimula pa lang kami ng buhay naming Na wala na ang aming ama.

Madalas ay tuyo ang aming ulam sa dahilang ayaw ng aking inang maubos ang kaunting perang naiwan ng aking ama upang kami ay makapagtapos ng pag-aaral.

Sa halip na magreklamo ang aking kuyakoy, siya ay sisigaw nang malakas.

Oy kain na tayo. Sarap ng litson uhhmmmyumyum. Parinig sa kapitbahay.

Saan kaya nakakita ng nakakubyertos with matching napkins pa pagkain ng tuyo na may kamatis. Onli in our household. Pero ako nakataas ang isang paa na madalas pitikin ng aking kuya na may kasamang laki ng mata. BABA.

3. Oweno kung may nakakita lang nangulangot sa teren o kaya may nagmemek-ap kang nakasabay.

At least alam mo na hindi lang ikaw ay pakiramdam na kung maari lang Na buhatin sila at pangaralang huwag mong gagawin sa publiko, Yan o kaya tatawa ka at magtatanong…gawa ko rin ?

Habang tumatagal, nag-iiba ang inyong weblog dahil sainyong pagbabasa ng iba pang blog.

Ang iba ay nagiging parang media na may balita at may opinion.

Ang iba ay ayaw ito dahil daw kailan man ang nagkokopya lang ng Balita ay hindi naman journalist.

Kaya nga yong iba tumataas ang kilay ng style ni Sassy at iba pang blogger na sumusulat ng balita at nagbibigay ng opinion. Ayaw din nila ito dahil anong karapatan daw Niya ang magbigay ng opinion.

Ito nga ang style na ginagawang participatory ang media. Hindi media kung hindi ang laman ng media, ang balita.

Kung magbabasa ng dayaryo, ito na rin ang istilo ng mga online dailies. Ang naghihingi ng opinion.

Ang iba naming blog ay ginagawang dingding ang kanilang blog. Sabitan ng kanilang Mga certificate. Walang problema yan. Yon ang comfort zones nila. Yon ang nagbibigay sa kanila ng confidence. Hayaan natin.

Ako, may mapatawa lang akong isa, kuntento na.

Ganyan lang ako kababaw.

Mas malalim ang pilosopiyang nakasandwich sa patawang iyan. Kung hindi niya naarok, mabuti dahil hindi ninyo ako kamumuhian dahil nandoon ang pilantik ng buhay.

Sa mga magaling sumulat na nagbabasa ng aking walang 'wenta-wentang blog. Salamat sainyo. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The Ca t

Panatang hindi para sa bayan...

Dear mouse,

1. Sumumpa na po ako sa harap ng aking keyboard na madalas nagiging biktima ng init ng ulo ko lately dahil wala talaga akong pasensiya sa mga....ang mga sumusunod:

2. Hindi na po ako makikialam sa usap- usapan ng iba kahit ito ay nararamdaman kong walang pakundangang pananakit sa kalooban ng kapwa nila.

3. At hinuhubad ko na po ang uniporme kong Darna na laging tagapagtanggol ng mga naaapi, mga nagagamit, mga naiinsulto. (bakit nga ba ako ang nasasaktan minsan)

4. Alalahanin ko pa rin ang sinabi sa akin ng aking mentor. In this world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent vested interests.

At ang aking paborito:

If you love something very much, let it go free...

If it does not return, baka naligaw...

If it does...

Sabihin mo lang, bakit ngayon ka lang... sabay ang bugbog...

Yon pong huli ay patawa lang.

Sa akin po kasing blog. dalawa ang klase ng audience, yong tahimik na nagbabasa lang at mag-eemail..hindi nakakatawa ang article mo ngayon.. at ang ibang matiyagang naghihintay lumabas ang aking comment box pagtakapos ng ilang minuto. Mas marami ho yong una.

The Ca t

Steganography, what ? Virtual cybersex ?

Dear mouse,

Yesterday , I blogged about sex offenders charging their prescriptions of viagra to the medicaid.

But in my mind I was asking" why do these sex offenders need a miracle drug for erectile dysfunction?"

As if an answer to that question, the Law and Order episode for the night was about the murder of an eight year old kid by a convicted pedophile.

A few years ago, the criminals accused of sex perversions such as rape/abuse/murder of adults and minors alike, were punished by chemical castrations. The libido is still there but the erectile function of the male organ is no more.

Thus rehabilitated felons who wanted to have normal lives and have families use viagra.

But where does steganogprahy come in the picture?

(ste-g&n-o´gr&-f?) (n.) The art and science of hiding information by embedding messages within other, seemingly harmless messages.

The paroled felon claimed that upon release from prison, he received e-mails fron a certain entertainment company urging him to browse their website that promises sexual gratification

The website contained innocent pictures of kids, landscapes and skies using steganography.

Hidden behind the picture of a rainbow is a nude picture of a child.

Through the instruction of the DA office, the police authorities raided the sex den but found no minor working in the establishment. The girls in the pictures were those of young women whose pictures were technologically enhanced to make them looked younger.

It is a virtual cybersex website.

The DA office had the diffulty convicting the porn site owner as a FACILITATOR of the crime who thru his lawyer (the professor of the ADA ) invoked the freedom of speech under the Bill of Rights. Don't ask me why. I got no clue, except for the lawyer's statement that laws should be updated with the advancement of the technology.

To cut the story short, the accused was convicted guilty of being a facilitator, simply because despite the repeated requests for opt-outs of the pedophile, the e-mails of invitations kept coming in.

Why do I have to devote a blog for this mouse?

Among the reasons are:

Because of the recent news of the death of the cybersex den owners,Deutschland brothers, who exploited the girls, most of the are minors, I came up with the ff:observations.

1. In the US, operation of cybersex dens are protected by Consitution.

2. The operation of the cybersex dens in the Philippines is being protected from the prying eyes of the neighbor by high wallfence of rented house in upscale subdivion .

The raid yielded the arrest of the minor children who dressed and undressed in the camera.

3. The cybersex website owners were of Dutch nationality; one of whom was married to a Pinay who did not care if it is her young kababayans are being exploited. Since time immemorial, the Pinays are seduced to marriage to give these foreigners the opportunity to operate a business, legal or illegal.

4. Big time criminals engaged in drugs, in cd piracy and now operation of the cybersex dens are foreigners.

Why do we let this happen in the country ?

The Ca t

Abortion Pills, Black Candles, Condoms

Dear mouse,

Learn your ABCs dahleengs.

Let it be written that one mayor of Manila, Mayor Atienza in the year of the Lord 2005 declared war against ABC; abortion pills, black candles and condoms that he ordered the confiscation of the black candles (via Click-mo-mukha mo) from the Quiapo vendors and the arrest of vendors of contraceptives and abortion pills.Atienza also said he will revitalize a program against the selling and use of condoms.

Pakisabi nga sa mayor na ang malakas mag-abortion ay yong mga manghihilot.

Ang mga tinitinda sa Quiapo na sabing pampalaglag ay minsan pangparegulate ng mga may abnormal na reglatic kagaya rin ng contraceptive pill na minsan prenipriscribe ng doctor para maging 25 to 30 day- cycle yong mga babaeng minsan "naglalayag" sa PAcific Ocean ang kanilang buwanang dalaw, hindi dahil sila ay may biik na dinadala.

Tungkol sa condom. May bagong saltang pinay galing sa pinas na medyo may katangahan at ang concept nga niya sa condom ay para hindi mabuntis. May nakita siyang Filam na laging may dalang condom sa kaniyang bag lalo pag may date sila ng boyfriend niya. Tanong niya: bakit ayaw mong mabuntis?

Sabi ni Filam: and who gave you the idea that condom is only to avoid being preggy?

Sa akin naman ang concern ko ay yong pagpakumpiska niya sa mga itim na kandila.

Takot siguro siyang tirikan ng kandila ng mga vendor.

Sana pinakumpiska na rin niya yong mga kandilang pormang tao, babae at lalaki.

Yon din ay pwedeng sunugin para gantihan ang mga kinaiinisang tao. May nagdala sa akin nyan galing sa Quiapo, para daw sa mga Puting kinaiinisan ko.

Kala niya sa akin Mangkukulam. OOPs nahulog ang crystal ball. Mwehehehe.

By the way dito po sa US ay may mabibilhan ng itim,puti,pink,blue,green, purple candles of different shades sa isang tindahan na maari ka ring bumili ng mga kulam, anting-anting.

'No kanyo magdala kayo ng crucifix pagpasok. Huwag na dahil makakabili rin kayo ng mga krusipiho na galing sa iba't ibang bansa, mga Christian articles, buddhism and isms reading articles.

Meron din silang crystals at meron silang mga pendulum.

Pag pasok mo ay ibang feeling sa loob siguro dahil iba't ibang materials na nag-aatract ng forces ang nandoon. Nang dumaan ako sa hanging crystals ay nagsway sila. Tiningnan ako ng may-ari. You got something in you that made the crystals move. Sabi ko sa kaniya, you want that angel crystal to fly.

Ngeeee, naniwala naman siya.binigyan ako ng discount.

Sandali bakit tayo napunta sa CRYSTAL?

By the way bago ako lumabas, nahulog yong angel na nakasabit.

hihihihih

Tsarot ko lang yan.

The Ca t

Beware of Zombies

Dear mouse,

You do not have to be a geek to have a love affair with a zombie. It may be with you, 8 hours a day and another 2 to 4 hours in your own bedroom or study room in the evening.

Operation Spam Zombies

Hacker-controlled computers are on the rise, according to research.

The average number of new computer zombies created each day in May increased almost 10 percent from April, according to a report released Thursday.

Zombies are personal computers controlled remotely by hackers. An average of 172,000 computer users lose control of their machines each day, according to a report by anti-spam company CipherTrust.

The zombie computers can be made to attack web servers, collect personal information, or send spam emails.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission went on the z ombie warpath Tuesday, announcing a campaign to educate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on anti-zombie techniques.

The commission has called on more than 3,000 ISPs to limit the rate at which emails may be sent and be vigilant for users who send abnormal amounts of emails. It has also asked ISPs to help their customers understand the threats and to provide them with zombie-killing software upon request.

The Ca t

Graduate ka ba sa University of Claro M. Recto?

Dear mouse,

Before the different foreign consulates/ embassies imposed the authentication of college diplomas by the Department of Education as a requirement for valid documents and before birth certificates/marriage certificates have to be secured from the National Census and Statistics Office only, many Filipinos became instant accountants, enginyers and other professionals as graduates of universities of their choice through the courtesy of the master forgers at the University of Claro Recto. You can add years to your age or reduce the years with the faked birth certificates.

When I was a student in the university, I was surprised to hear that one dean of the college was dismissed due to forged documents of his doctorate from an American university.

So fellow Filipinos, forget the saying "ONLI IN THE PILIPINS.

Alvarado Street Corridor ID theft probes

Alvarado Street in Downtown Los Angeles is notorious as a haven of forgers and people looking for fake IDs for various purposes—employment, immigration, bank loans, etc. According to the task force statement, this is an ongoing operation which has been targeting numerous counterfeit identify document plants which manufacture and distribute false documents—driver’s license, birth certificates, school diplomas, etc.—in support of various identity theft and fraud schemes. The counterfeit documents are manufactured using highly sophisticated computer templates.

The Ca t

*BOBBIT PILL instead of V-iagra for Sex Offenders

Dear mouse,

Our own SS Medicare in the Philippines is alleged to be being bled dry by unscrupulous people using their brains to deceitfully avail the sick benefits for non-existent pensioners. On the other hand the US SS medicare and medicaid was found to be reimbursing drug prescriptions for V-iagra for sex offenders because of bureaucratic mental dysfunction.

"how in heaven's name did it take so long? "for somebody to figure this out?"

As Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., observed, "giving convicted sex offenders government-funded Viagra is like giving convicted murderers an assault rifle when they get out of jail.

"Give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services credit for acting just one day after the New York comptroller's office revealed audits that found nearly 200 rapists and other high-risk sex offenders received taxpayer-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions.But seven years?

For seven years, convicted rapists, pedophiles and other high-risk sex offenders have been strolling out of pharmacies clutching little bags containing erectile dysfunction drugs that were purchased with taxpayer dollars.

Such "unintended consequences" make it easy to understand why many Americans regard the federal government in general, and vast entitlement programs such as Medicaid in particular, with such distrust. In any government agency, there are bound to be occasional abuses. But Medicaid-paid V-iagra for convicted sex offenders? For seven years? Perhaps its time for the pharmaceutical industry to develop a new miracle drug that treats another distressingly common malady - the one called bureaucratic brain dysfunction.

The Ca t sez: Why don't they come up with BOBBIT pill. One pill taken would automatically cut a piece of the pe... giving out sensation that would make the sex offenders crave for more until the whole part is cut clean from the roots preventing these felons to commit another crime.

For the bureaucrats, another V-iagra like drug but this time, it will give a hard on to the brains to become active.

The Ca t

BLOGGING

Dear mouse,

IT is a waste of bandwidth when a blogger spent one whole blog to speak ill of other people.

There are a lot of topics to explore and to record for posterity about you, about the country, about what you see and observed.

Sassy wrote:

Blog about you, what goes on around you and how you perceive events and issues.

A.BLOG ABOUT YOU :

You do not have to present your resume.

The people will be more interested in your characters to which they can relate.

THIS IS ME according to my blogs when I started less than two years ago; half of which was just blog- blog- no links, no sitemeter and no photos.

1.I should congratulate myself. The carpet in the bedroom is still clutter free. Whoaaa. Must be that I am not reading. The books are in the shelves. Oops, there are two under my pillows. Must be that I am on-line most of the time. . Not into chatting. Like a cigarette, this is habit-forming. I AM BLOGGING.

2. Indeed, it is nice to have a CAT as a friend, a friend who will simply walk away in order to pave the way for a complete reconciliation of friends whose relationship suffered a crack, as to what caused it is entirely beyond the Cat's comprehension.

3. I cannot use a stronger word than STUPID and I do not want to use more derogatory word other than SH… I can blame my family’s stickler for moral uprightness for my inability to use an F word…There, I let it go.

4. Ako ay patron ng Art of Being Vague. Yon bang I VAGUE YOUR PARDON and your point is?

5. When I am pissed.

They say hatred is self-punishment. I am consumed by hate since last night. I punished myself by washing the refrigerator inside-out. I scrubbed, rinse and wiped until it is sparklingly clean. I learned a lesson today. The color of my refrigerator is WHITE and not cream. By the way, my hatred is directed to my mouse. I was copying some posts and the mouse just went into a shock and froze.

6. I am not religious but I do believe in God.

There is no act of lovingkindness that is too small or inconsequential. A flower picked from the roadside and is given to a depressed friend. A thank you note for a gift that was received in any occasion. A call to ask how is one doing when the person feels so alone. A 100 bill from a brother while in-between jobs. A touch to an ailing person and soothing sssssh for those in pain. Yes, dear mouse, all these acts have only one message. I love you LORD.

7. My short term lapses

Now where is it ? I probably put it my coat’s pocket.? Or in my tote bag? Or in my purse ? I better call myself. Ringggggggggggggggggggggg ggggggg Got it. It is under the heap of clothes lying around my hamper for laundry. My cell phone. Now where is that darn TV remote. These are reminders to jolt my memory that I cannot write in the post it notes. BTW, where did I put that bright chatreuse-colored post it notes ?

8. When I am on a pensive mood , I try to recall happy errrm funny moments in my life

a. Nawala pati ang mga malalaking serving spoon sa lamesa.Kinuha ng ibang guests na katulad ko ay gutom na. Lumaki sana ang kanilang bibig. Ang tao pag gutom, nawawala ang pagkasibilisado. Ako, na tagahanga ni Mc Gyver ay alam ko ang gagawin ko sa sitwasyong yaon.Kumuha ako ng tahong, kinain ko ang laman, mayroon na akong kutsara. Wala pang limang minuto, ubos ang tahong.Wala na namang kutsara. Problema na nila yon, basta ako busog na. burppp.

b.Kindergarten class. I found my classmate’s long braided hair beautiful and a good pencil holder. She sat in front of me. The two braids can hold two pencils. Cool. Then she stood up. Her mom was picking her up early. My pencils. They’re gone.

c. ouch

I remembered my MCGyver-mom putting cigarette to an open wound minus the wrapper to stop the bleeding. My bro used to tease me that the food I eat would come out of the wound leaving me weak and hungry all the time. I imagined myself emaciated and dying because of the small wound. I got scared. Kids...they are cute and silly ...even during the fearful moments in their lives.

8. My dad

I have no photo of my dad. Somewhere in between changes of residence, the albums of the family were misplaced and never were recovered. From my mom’s description.. he looked like a movie icon, tall, dark and handsome. He got high bridge nose and deep set eyes. In my memory, I would imagine him as the tall guy who would put me in his shoulder in order to cross a stream or to reach a fruit in a tree; a tall guy who stood in the crowd waiting for me to appear in stage with my awkward dance costume of a duck or balancing lights in my head and my hands while dancing in the tune of Pandanggo sa Ilaw. A tall guy who would stoop to pin my first medal and the other medals to come. A tall guy who would appear in my dream to pin my medal from the battles of life that I have won. Looking back and looking forward, there are challenges and difficulties to overcome but my father left us values that we can use to emerge victorious.

MORE....

The Ca t

Mona Lisas, Mona Liza, Mona Liza

Dear mouse,

Valferno kept everything on a tight schedule. He was going to meet Perugia, an Italian who had worked as a glazier in the protective glass of the "Mona Liza."

At the appointed time, Perugia swaggered into the office followed by two men dressed in uniform of workmen of the museum.

Valferno continued to observe the three men as they grabbed their seats in front of the big desk. Each looked like your average Joe but in truth, they were the most notorious robbing crews recommended to him. TO STEAL THE MONA LISA.

On August 21, 1911, after hiding inside the storeroom,the gang casually walked out the museum with the 18 pound portrait.

This is not a page torn from a paperback. I just like to present a novel-like story about the forgeries of the masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci.

The master forger, Yves Chaudron was a former picture restorer specialized on copying paintings of famous artists which his accomplice self-styled Marquiz de Valfierno sold to the rich art patrons showing faked newspaper clippings on the report of theft of paintings from the museums.

After selling paintings "stolen" from Louvre Museum, Valfierno convinced an American that they could steal the Mona Liza for him. But to them the stealing was just a means to produce more fake paintings and sell them as the original. With the real Mona Liza stolen, who would not believe that it is the original?

Six Americans became proud possessors of nothing more than a clever fake of the painting.

It was only when they surrendered the paintings,when they learned that they were duped for 300,000 dollars for a poor reproductions of the smiling maiden.

Valfierno could not sell the original. It was too risky. Perugia stole it from him and tried to sell it to a Florentine art dealer. He got caught and the painting was returned to the Louvre where it had been smiling mysteriously to the visitors since 1911.

Similar crime was committed in San Francisco according to the wife of my former boss. She owned an art gallery which she sold after the husband died. So I was not surprised to see walls of the daughter's lving room covered by paintings of known artists; some original and some are repros. They cost a lot of money but are considered investments as they grow in value thru years.

I asked the old lady as to how they detect if they are not fake.

She said that it is not easy to tell if they are the original or mere reproductions.

She told a story about an artist who was caught faking old masters and selling them to rich patrons of the gallery.

The buyers of the fake paintings did not dispose of the fakes because the discovery of the fraud, brought greater value to the fake paintings.

Why am I telling this story? The last time, I visited her, the caregiver was too careless to bump the hundred year old clay sculpture of her grandmother displayed in her coffee table causing a big dent on the shoulder. I saw the old woman winced but did not utter a single word of disgust to the young lady.

That art of work for her is priceless.

The Ca t

A New Software

Dear mouse,

Only a few people in the blogosphere understand the Ca t.

Don't blame them. I don't either.

This is how jobert sees me as a software.

If you do not get the message of the comic strip, you need an upgrade.

Bwahahaha

The Ca t

IPod

Dear mouse,

Jobert of World Famous of the Philippines, quoted:

IPod Plug-In Sets Music Free "IPod users are raving about a plug-in that makes the Winamp digital jukebox a better way to manage the iPod than Apple's iTunes.

The plug-in, called ml_iPod, allows iPod users to bypass iTunes and manage music collections in Winamp instead. The iPod is supposed to work with iTunes only. A new version of the software was released Monday..."

Then he wrote:

Let's do the math:

Memory used by iTunes= 40mb

Memory used by Winamp= 130kb

The Cat sez: Let's do the math:

photo from the web from fwded mail

The Ca t

Fight POVERTY- donate please

Dear mouse,

The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed. Yesterday was that day for me. I have to make up by being charitable. Join me in the crusade of fighting poverty. DONATE TO THIS POOR MAN.

photo from the web courtesy of polo

The Ca t

Nostradamus-believe him or not

Dear mouse,

The wife of the Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels drew attention to a set of prophecies made by Nostradamus.

The prophecies included the rise of Hitler.

It was so precise that the name of the German leader was mentioned with just one letter missed, HISTER.

Unfortunately, no one can interpret the verses that would give them the prophecy about the success of the Third Reich.

So the Propaganda machines composed fake verses prophesying the victory of Germany over the Allied power.

The British intelligence also made up "Nostradamus writings" that predicted the Allied victory over Germany.

Sabi nga ganiyan lang. kanya-kanyang diskarte.

The Ca t

Ang Parabula at Salawikain

Dear mouse,

I like Juan Flavier. I like his column where he writes parables.

Ako rin may parabula.

Isang garapata ang gustong makilala bilang pinakapopular na garapata sa kaniyang mga kasamahan.

Nag-isip siya kung sino sa mga aso ang kaniyang aatakehin. Nakita niya ang maliit na aso. Sabi niya sa sarili, ayaw ko ito, maliit, baka pag kinagat ko, hindi pa marinig ang tahol.

Nakita niya ang magandang aso na alagang- alaga ang kaniyang sarili. Hinahangaan tuloy siya ng ibang aso at ginawa siyang parang idolo pamarisan upang sila rin ay maging malinis at maganda. Hindi naman siya naging maramot. Binigyan pa niya ang ibang aso ng magiging laruan nila para sila ay magkasama-sama.

Pag ito ang aking inatake, magiging sikat ako. Yon ang inisip niya.

Ayaw niyang madumihan. Tiyak itong sisigaw at makikilala ako kung sino ang GARAPATANG ITO na nagpabagsak sa sikat na aso.

Pero, hindi siya pinansin ng Magandang Aso. Humingi siya ng tulong sa iba pang garapata. Mga garapatang galit sa mga ibang aso dahil hindi nila mapasok ang katawan. Hindi kasi ugali ng mga asong ito ang siraan ang kapwa nila aso. Naging paninindigan na nila na malinis ang kanilang laruan at walang mga duming kutyaan, sa katawan man o sa kanilang buntot.

Ngayon gusto ba ninyong sumama sa mga garapata ?

Ang ningas ng apoy, nasa uri ng kahoy.

The Ca t

It all depends on whose ox is gored

Dear mouse,

This is the proverb used by Martin Luther (1483-1546)which is the view of the justness of the outcome of a dispute depending on which side you are in.

Garapata: Hey, Ca t, masyadong malalim. Pakibaba para makuha ko.

The Ca t: Simple lang yan, sa mga away-away kahit sa blogosphere, kakampi ka kung saan nakita mong ikaw ay nasama sa isang naapi.

Garapata: Paki isplika nang medyo maliwanag.

The Ca t: Kagaya nang mga awards at mga titles. Kung kakampi mo ang blogger, hindi mo papansinin yon, pero sa inis kang blogger, yon ay pagyayabang.

MORE

The gain is not worth the effort

Dear mouse,

I love this blog entry of Jobert of the World Famous in the Philippines about Donna Cruz, being a buttered errrm battered wife.

I really have no clue why it seems that the publicity gimmicks of the pr managers of these people are the physical abuses that these movie stars/starlets/soon to be stars endure for the purpose of putting them in the front page.

Don't they have some sort of evaluations if these really work for the stars? Do they court sympathy for the persons at the expense of the relatives?

Lowlife gimmicks. Nakakasuka.

So they have this new champion from the singing contest "SEARCH...whatever.

I could not imagine why his father has to agree to appear with BOy Abunda and admit that the one-time scolding and physical punishment for the refusal of the boy to join a contest is considered child battery.

The impression left to the viewers especially to the parents who dream to have succesful kids is to abuse them.

Isang beses lang ginawa and then ipinaliwanag pa niya ang dahilan, so why make it controversial as if the child was so abused that he struggled hard to win.

Ginagaya ba nila ang Michael Jackson's story?

Then, there is this nymphet, a former sexy movie star who must have employed Abunda or his other cohorts to give her another shot in the movieworld since her marriage to another bitplayer was going nowhere.

She claimed she is a battered wife again!!!!!

Sinampal siya, tapos naghiwalay sila.

Kawawa naman....When Abunda asked her to send the message to the husband...Sabi niya... I love you and that four year-marriage was a bliss (hindi exact words).

Noong tinanong kung gaano na katagal silang hiwalay. Sagot...three months.Toinktoinktoink

Cheap publicity. Kung pwede tigilan na nila. Hindi naman nakakaiyak. Nakakainis lang. Makita mo ang mga battered wives na sinasabi..nakahighlight pa.. nakalowneckline. Sheesh.

Battered wives such as Melissa Martel showed telltale signs of the abuse.

Battered wives usually endure the abuse for years and deny it.

The Ca t

Strange Stories, Amazing facts

Dear mouse,

When I am not in the internet, I am reading books and when I am not reading books, I am watching TV.

For the last few nights, I have been dozing off ...would you believe...the last five minutes of the movies I was watching.

Parang sino pumatay, ano ang nangyari?

Feeling ko gusto kong i-rewind ang palabas.

Last night, and the other nights, I watched very interesting and intriguing movies for TV.

One was the "The Princess and the Marine".

Yes, Virginia, it was a love story.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.ano kanyo mahilig ako sa love story?

Batuhin ko kaya kayo ng sandwich na ang palaman ay penaut butter na may jelly.

Sa totoo lang. I did not see the first few minutes of the movie.

Ganyan naman talaga ako. I never sit down to watch TV not unless, I find the program interesting.

May nakita kasi akong mukhang Pilipina doon sa movie.

Pilipina nga. Ang role niya ay isa siyang sales associate sa mall na naging tulay noong Princess na taga Middle East at noong US marine. They communicated thru letters kahit na mayroon na ngayong internet at cell phone. Pilipinong pilipino. Naalala ko tuloy noong high school ako at ginawa rin along tulay noong dalawa kong teacher. Hindi ko alam sulat na pala ng pagtatanan ang dala-dala ko sa kapitbahay kong titser.

Anyway, so the plan of elopement and bringing her out of the country was mapped out.

The marine forged a mission order and produced a fake id for the princess as a marine.

Being an eighteen year old lady, first time to fall in love, she agreed to go with him.

She talked to her mother not to tell her about the plan to run away but to ask her if she loved her father when they got married.

Their marriage was fixed and she has never seen him until their wedding day. Now she is living in luxury and she thinks that she is blessed. Happy? happiness is relative.

That night after her talk with the mother,she run away.

Upon landing in the US, she was nabbed and detained in the US immigration using the no relative, no lawyer, no judge excuse for the speedy deportation.

At first, the authority would like to deport her but another INS guy who must have took pity on her, interceded on her behalf.

They tried to dissuade her to give up the plan of settling in the US because she had no right to be in this land where her family and sources of livelihood as "nourishment" is back home.

Writer's line or not, I like this dialogue:

Back home, we have a tree in the middle of the desert. People said, it has no right to be there since there is no water, the place is dry. But the tree lives.

Here, I am the tree and your land is my desert. I think I am going to live.

When she was told that the marine-boyfriend abandoned her, she did not believe them. According to her boyfriend, marines do not leave their posts, they wait, so she believed that he is just waiting for her call.

After meeting with the officers during her detention, she is brought back to the small detention cell where all she had was a small bed and a lavatory.

The agent asked one time, in your country, you are a princess living luxuriously, here here,it is all what you have, to which the princess responded. It is the same, I am still locked up.

What is very intriguing is the fact that the princess revealed when she was being convinced to go home.

She was seeking asylum for fear of being punished according to their laws, marrying a foreigner.

She told them the story of a woman who married a Briton.

Convinced that her family already accepted her marriage with the foreigner, the woman came home with the husband.

While the couple was in the country, the Briton was deported, woman was locked up in her parents' home and was sent to the doctor for a surgery to make her virgin again as if nothing happened.

This was a fact based story. The princess was able to marry the Marine who was demoted to corporal and was made to work with hard labor for 2 years because of the forgery he made.

Huwag muna kayong umiyak sa love story.

After five years of marriage, they divorced.

Pakisampal nga ako mouse. Sayang din ang mga sacrifices nila. Oh well. strange story indeed but amazing facts.

The Ca t

Never on a Friday

Dear Ca t,

You read it right. It is my mouse writing me a letter to clarify about superstitions.

The Mouse: How come humans believe that cats bring bad luck ?

The Ca t: Where did you read that ?

Only if a black cat crosses your road.

In ancient Europe, black cats are believed to be guarding the door of hell.

The Mouse: Ngeeeee

The Ca t: Humans would adopt defenses in order to protect themselves from perils of the unknown or for the sake of luck.

The Mouse: Like what ?

The Ca t:

1. To some people, the home should be blessed with kindly spirits.

2. It is still traditional in some parts of Britain to take the embers from the old fireplace and burn them in a new one. HOUSEWARMING parties are a development of this old custom.

3. One of the most widely known superstition is the one about not walking under a ladder in case a tool or a can of paint falls from above. It was believed that walking between the ladder and a wall is breaking the triangle--the early Christian symbol for Holy Trinity.

Some superstitions transcended national boundaries. For example, in the Philippines and Nigeria, it brings bad luck to sweep the house at night.

The fear for 13 is manifested in many countries by their avoidance to the use of the number 13 in building storeys or number in the houses.

Christians associated the unlucky 13 to number of people in the Last Supper-Jesus and the twelve apostles.

In Norse mythology, the feast of the 12 gods ended in a tragedy when the 13th god, Loki provoked a fight resulting in the death of another god.

Many people dimissed superstitions as absurd.

One attempt to disprove a superstition cherished by the British Admiralty-- that of sailing except Friday was the launching of a ship.

The ship was called Friday, commanded by Captain Friday, sailed on a Friday and never came back.

The Ca t: What about you mouse? Do you know that humans think that you gnaw the dress or clothes if you hear them curse you?

The mouse:Don't know about my colleagues and cousins in the boondocks and cities.

The Ca t

Balitang Artista muna

Dear mouse,

Headline: Echo gagawa ng "soap" sa Malaysia."

The Ca t sez: panlaba o pampaligo.

Ann Curtis Ba yon? "Panoorin ho ninyo ang KAMPANYERANG KUBA ?

The Ca t sez" Ano nakuba sa kakakampanya?"

Bakit kaya ang mga TV hosts at ang mga nagiging bisita sa noontime show palaging sumisigaw?

Mga bingi ba ang mga Pinoy ?

Ito talagang mga survey survey ay ikinapuputi ng aking kilay sa konsumisyon.

Tanong: Sa pagtaas ng tuition fee, palagay kaya ninyo ay nakukuha ang dapat na kalidad ng edukasyon?

Okay ang tanong. Ang maling pinili ay ang mga respondents. Mga taga public schools.

'NO BA KAYO?

Wala bang mga Accountant ang mga artistang nasasangkot sa tax evasion?

Dapat pasagutin din sila sa kasong yan.

Sila dapat ang nag-iisplika sa kanilang kliyente kung ano ang dapat ireport, ano ang dapat ibawas at magkano ang babayaran.

Wala namang garapalan para sa mga kapatid ko sa profession. Alam naman nila na pag may withholding sa mga kinita ng artista, dapat ideclare ito at bayaran ang anumang kulang sa ibinawas.

The Ca t

Darth Vader vs the Ca t

Dear mouse,

When 'Sith' sticks to Darth, it's brilliant. When it doesn't, it lacks luster.--Mick LaSalle, Chronicle movie critic on Star Wars Episode III "Revenge of the Sith."

When Darth "sticks" to the Ca t, it's disaster!!!

graphics by retzwerkfor the Ca t.

The Ca t

Si Pinay at Pinsan ni Kabalay

Dear mouse,

UPdate ni Pinaysaamerika.

Sa Pagbabalik ng nakaraan

Work to death ako. Five days a week nga pero 5:30 pa lang, alis na ako ng bahay. Ang balik ko ay alas diyes.

Ang aking kasama naman ay pasok siya ng alas 2:30 ng hapon at ang uwi rin niya ay alas 10. Sabay kaming kumakain ng hapunan. Hati kami sa gastos.

Minsang umuwi ako ay may naabutan akong isang babae sa aming kusina. Kumakain. Pinsan daw ni kabalay. Galing sa Pinas, turista.

HMMMM

Sohgal na shogal ang dating niya, mamah. < Nagkakadatikwas ang mga daliri niya sa paggamit ng kubyertos. Maliliit din ang subo niya. Malamya siya kung magsalita. Ang ulo niya ay gagalaw-galaw na tila yong asong plastic na dinidsipley sa kotse, tatango-tango, iling-iling pag gumagalaw ang sasakyan.

HMMMMMMM

Kung hindi lang sinabi siyang BABAE PO AKO, mukha siyang shukling. Laki ng Adam’s Apple. Parang gusto kong pangangahin at ipaluwa ang mansanas.

Cashier daw ito sa isang hotel.

HMMMMMMM

Mukhang may kaya. KAYABANGAN.

Ikaw anong trabaho mo sa Pinas ? Pinipilit niyang kutsarain ang spaghetti. Mangani-nganing agawin ko ang tinidor, paikutin ang spaghetti at sabihing NGANGA. Pagkain ng spaghetti, tinidor ang ginagamit ano. SUYA.

Hingang malalim, hingang mababaw.

Bakit ba mainit ang dugo ko sa kaniya.

Antibiotic ang dating niya sa akin kaya lumabas na naman ang aking dugong Berde. Si Santa Inez kaya ay patrona ng mga naiinis na tao?

Ikaw anong trabaho sa Pilipinas? Tanong niya sa akin nang walang kagatol-gatol, walang preno, walang beep beep.

HMMMMMMMM

Ayyy,Ginaya ko rin ang paggalaw ng kaniyang leeg . Pati pagtikwas ng daliri. METRO AIDE.

Ay ganda mo namang METRO AIDE.

AY Ganda ko raw ow. Kung hindi doon sa ganda, siguro kinurapan ko siya nang walang tigil at Sabihin sa kaniyang GAGAH,naniwala ka naman.

Kaya lang magmumukha naman akong si ATE VI. niyan.

Basahin po ang KARUGTONG.

The Ca t

Nothing human is alien to me

Dear mouse,

Nothing human is alien to me--Tenessee Williams, The night of the Iguana.

Heavy ba ? Bigat nga. Parang hindi ko rin maaccept na masyado akong SERYWUS.

As they say, it is human nature to be imperfect. I am human and therefore I am imperfect. This is not the type of Sapagkat Kami ay Tao Lamang excuse to transgress one of the Ten Commandments, but it is rather the ability to control one's temper.

This I learned from two women.

One is not actually a woman yet, she is just a tiny four year old kid and the woman is the 84 year- old Caucasian living in the retirement home.

Last Tuesday, I helped out my friend to connect her high speed internet.She was the friend whom I helped order the computer.

While assembling the unit, I found out that the floppy disk drive was missing. I called the DELL that advertises 24/7 operation via phone calls.

I asked my friend to dial for me since I was installing the cd of the SBC dsl and it will take some time before the dsl lights go green.

So, we got a live customer service representative.

CSR: hewwo. (Intsik ang dating sa akin.)

Me: Is this Dell?

Isip ko kasi baka yong restaurant ng intsik na inoorderan namin ng food-to-go ang tinawagan ng aking kaibigan.

CSR: Yes (accent pa rin ng intsik).

Pagkatapos ng isang oras na pakikibaka sa pagreklamo na kulang ang ipinadala nilang components ng computer...

Pagktapos insinuate niyang hindi ako marunong kung ano ang floppy drive na muntik kong sagutin... HOYYYYYYYY IBM ang ikalawa kong desktop at TOSHIBA Ang aking laptop, lahat may floppy at CD/DVD anoooooooooooooooooo.

Hindi ko po sinabi yon.

Ito sabi niya sa akin.

CSR: I cannot solve the problem so I want you to call this extension number.

Me: Why did you not say so the first few minutes that I was talking to you?

Ma'am please dial this extension.

Me: Can you not just direct my call or transfer my call to whoever can solve this issue for me? You see, my knee hurts and it would take another 30 minutes just to follow all the instructions in your trunk line.(anong kinalaman ng tuhod ko sa pagtawag? NAKALUHOD ako noong kausap ko siya noh.)

By this time, Tumataas na ang aking blood pressure. Before I made another call, I remember that I have to call the old lady at the retirement home to make her feel that she is still remembered. I told her that I was talking to some CSRs and that I am pissed off. Before I hung up, SHE REMINDED ME this. JUST THINK THAT THESE PEOPLE NEED A JOB and the language barrier indicates that he is coming from a non-English speaking country. IF YOU HAVE BEEN STRETCHING YOUR PATIENCE BY A FOOT, STRETCH IT FURTHER BY A MILE.

Para akong sinampal ano. plak, plak, plak.

So I dialled the number again. This time, the CSR with the same accent offered to solve the problem for me. That time that I may be off the phone, he must have consulted the supervisor or the supervisor must have reprimanded him.I need not shout or complain for his inability to handle a problem brought to his attention.

While waiting for the dsl to be activated, my friend served a merienda.

The boy-from-hell dipped the dsl cd in the water. The mother screamed.

I rolled eyes.

The little girl was blessing me with her coke.

I feel that I am a saint.

DApat sagutin ko siya ng Amen. But I asked her mother to tell her, IT's BAD.

The little girl said, COKE IS NOT BAD. You are lying.

Napatingin ako sa nanay. Sabi ko mali ka nga.Ito ang dapat sabihin.

Coke is not bad but spraying me or someone with COKE is bad.

(

The little girl said nothing but stopped whatever she was doing. She mused.

I said, you can say sorry and I will give you another can of coke.

Hindi na niya ako winisikan.

Dapat ieexplain pala sa kanila what is bad. hindi lang yong That is bad, kasi confuse sila.

Sabi ko sa nanay niya, ayan tandaan mo yan. My Child Psychology 101.

The Ca t

My Prayer and Angels' Prayers

Dear mouse,

What is creative writing ?

For me, creative writing is when I do not have time to think what to blog?

Let this Ca t pray.

Give me a sense of humor, Lord,

Give me the grace to share a joke,

To get some humor out of life,

And pass it on to other foke, ermm polk erm poke...!@#$^&*** crash, bang , pwong, @#$%

Nothing to worry folks, my keyboard is a Dell quiet keyboard.

I will let my angels pray for me. The angel on my left and the angel on my right. Yes folks, now you will see those little winged creatures that I talked to in some of my blogs.

Here they are.

Thought zoomed out:

GOD grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things, I cannot accept,and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I killed today because they pissed me off.

Thought zoomed out:

And help me remember when I am really having a bad day and it seems that people are really pissing me off, that it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to bite me.

Ooops, I do the praying myself.

The Ca t

Monster-in-law ?

Dear mouse,

The movie Monster-in-law of Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda is now showing.

But that is not what my blog is all about.

Via my brother.

You don't have to own a cat to appreciate this one... A couple was dressed and ready to go out for the evening. They turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered their pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard. They phoned the local cab company and requested a taxi. The taxi arrived and the couple opened the front door to leave their house. The cat they had put out into the yard scoots back into the house. They don't want the cat in the house because she always tries to eat the bird. The wife goes out to the taxi while the husband goes inside to get the cat. The cat runs upstairs, the man in hot pursuit. Waiting in the cab, the wife doesn't want the driver to know the house will be empty for the night. She explains to the taxi driver that her husband will be out soon "He's just going upstairs to say good-bye to my mother." A few minutes later, the husband gets into the cab. "Sorry I took so long," he says, as they drive away. "Stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. Had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take off so I grabbed her by the neck. Then I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it worked. I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the backyard!" The cabdriver hit a parked car...

BEEEE

The Ca t

StrangeLoves 2

Dear mouse,

Continuation of the compilation of Harvey Barkin in this newspaper.

1. An old British custom was to throw the wedding cake at the bride so that she would be fertile and blessed with luck.

The Ca t sez: Parang pie-throwing. SPLAT, SPLOINK. Yon pala may kasamang bato. TOINK.

2. In northern Siberia, the women are said to throw slugs at men whom they think are cool dudes.

The Ca t sez: BUTI HINDI UNDIES.

3.In old Greece, a Spartan who didn’t get hitched by age 30 lost his right to vote.

The Ca t sez: OWENO ?

In 1288, a Scottish law fined a man one pound if he refused a woman’s offer of marriage during a leap year.

The Cat sez: Mura naman.

4.Some guys never forget their lady love. King Edward VII drank champagne only from a glass molded exactly to his first mistress’ bosom.

The Ca t sez: Ano kayang shape? Arenola?

5.Louis X made love to Maria Leszcynska seven times on their first night and he told the graphic account to Premier Duc de Bourbon. In 1499, servants applauded Cesare Borgia making love to Charlotte on their honeymoon night.

The Ca t sez:Hindi kiss and tell, f...k and tell.

6.And then there were guys whose only love was to sell their wives. In Medieval Europe, many guys sold their wives for the very valuable . . . pepper. Understand this: in A.D. 476 to A.D.1453, people usually cooked rancid meat (no refrigerators, hardly any salt in the continent and most had to hunt to get meat) and only the rich remedied the situation by cooking the awful meat in musk, violets, roses, primroses and hawthorn flowers. But no spices. In the 1700s, an Englishman pawned his wife for a quart of gin. In 1803, an Australian bartered his wife for six bushels of wheat and a large pig. In 1832, Cumberland farmer Joseph Thomson sold the wifey in Carlisle market for 20 shillings and a Newfoundland dog. Another Australian bought a wife for £5 cash and a gallon of rum. Brides in the United Arab Emirates could cost up to $50,000. So some Arabs outsource their wives.

The Ca t sez: May nagbenta ng asawa sa e-bay di ba?

7.Some guys would really go to greater lengths just to satisfy their women. The Malays of Borneo used ampallang. Meaning, they perforated their penises with brass wires spread out at the ends. The poor ones used bamboo; the rich ones, ivory or silver rods with metal ball endings. The Bataks of Sumatra, disliking the feel and look of a TV antenna for their private part, wounded their penises and inserted layers of stones instead. When the wounds healed, a monster was born supposedly for the greater thrill of their women.

The Ca t sez: Ano raw?

The Ca t

Strange Loves

Dear mouse,

You must have heard already about the Runaway Bride that baffled many for what she did in order to avoid being hitched forever to her fiance. Baffling but not strange.

Compiled by Harvey Barkin, here are some selected strange loves that you can read from this newspaper.

The best wedding any guy could ever go to is a Nasamonian ceremony. All the male wedding guests are invited to make love with the bride as a matter of courtesy.

The Ca t sez: Instead of kiss the bride... its F..ck the bride.Kabaliw.

In pre-communist Russia, the apple was a sex sign. Nothing biblical, really. When a couple got married, the peasants tied an apple by its stem to the honeymoon bed. The string connecting the apple to the bed was thrown over the lovers’ window where a hushed crowd waited expectantly. A sure sign that the lovemaking had begun was the motion of the apple. If the apple swung or shook vigorously, the crowd cheered at the robust quality of the lovemaking. If the apple broke from its stem because of violent tremors from the matrimonial bed, the earth moved for the honeymooners and the peasants found the epitome of the Russian bear.

The Ca t sez: MGA TSISMOSO.

In feudal Japan, the Samurai sent the bill to his wife after enjoying the services of a courtesan.

The Ca t sez: KABWISET

Louis XII of France annulled his marriage to Queen Jeanne because “she was excessively ugly.”

The Ca t: Hmm reminds me of someone.

Henry VIII of England played cards during his first night of marriage to Ann Cleves because she had body odor. B.O. was brought about by excessive sweating when she was nervous.

The Ca t: WALA PANG ANTIPERSPIRANT

Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were in no hurry. They consummated their marriage seven years after their wedding.

The Ca t sez: ALA eh, KATAGAL NAMAN.

Cesare Borgia (1475-1507) was the victim of a most cruel joke. On his wedding night, a prankster substituted laxatives with his normal medication. Frustrated was the foremost of the Hapsburgs. In the middle of the 10th century, he had to get drummers to imitate thunder while the servants on the roof poured water. You see, Mrs. H was a moody wife who did not like making love unless it rained.

The Ca t sez: KAARTE naman. hmph.

Doesn’t matter if the bride was a virgin or not to men in ancient Rome. After the marriage ceremony, she ran home and sat on the statue of Mutunus Tatunus. He is the Roman god of sex and fertility. After sitting on Mutie’s mythical endowment, the bride was ready for the real thing from her groom.

The Ca t sez: WALA NG ARAY ?

In English King Canute’s time (1016-1035), adulterous women had their noses and ears cut off.

The Ca t sez: MAy narinig ba akong Aray?

To be continued...

The Ca t

Meet the Ghost Buster

Dear mouse,

Welcome the ghostbuster errrm graft buster.

Hong Kong's former graft-buster Tony Kwok said Tuesday he had begun a European-funded project to fight corruption in 16 key government offices in the Philippines, promising dramatic results in 20 months. (hige nga ).

Named as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's chief adviser on anti-corruption earlier this year, Kwok said he believed the president was sincere in changing the country's reputation as one of the most corrupt places to do business in Asia.

"Corruption can be eradicated," the retired Hong Kong official said, citing the experience of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in the territory, which he described as "probably one of the most corrupt places on earth" in the 1960s.

The Cat sez: Can he bust the ghost purchases?

You know, when there are innovations made to mouse traps to enhance their efficiency in catching mice, the rodents become innovative too to outsmart the gadgets.

When stick ons are used to catch these little mighty mice, the usefulness of sticky stuff lasts only for a day or two. The following days and thereafter, either the mice increase their running speed or they change their "paper routes" of the day.

Then the genius product developerslashinnovators launched the sound-emitting gadget that shoo away the relatives of Mickey Mouse.

Was it my imagination, when I saw mice with ear plugs circling the lighted gadget.

Sa Graft Buster, ano naman kaya ang laban ng mga Corrupt na Officials.

The Ca t

Did you get this notice from g-mail?

Dear mouse,

Our system indicates unusual usage of your account. In order to protect Gmail users from potentially harmful use of Gmail, this account has been disabled for up to 24 hours.

If you are using any third party software that interacts with your Gmail account, please disable it or adjust it so that its use complies with the Gmail Terms of Use. If you feel that you have been using your Gmail account according to the Terms of Use or otherwise normally, please contact us at gmail-lockdown@google.com to report this problem.

Since I use mozilla, i have never used my other e-mail accounts.

For those who are e-mailing me, be informed that I cannot receive your e-mail as cathy.Arggghhhhhhhhhhhh

The Ca t

Witness to a crime

Dear mouse,

It has been a long time since I visited an old friend in her small boutique.

It was just across the beauty parlor which I visited regularly for my hair grooming.

My favorite hair dresser was out for lunch, so I decided to cross the street to say hi to my friend.

The cardboard sign "out for lunch/be back after an hour" was taped to the glass door from outside.

The boutique owner does not drive. She relies on her husband every day to get to the boutique from her home at the suburb.

Some friends must have picked her up ?

Or she had ambled down to the nearest Pinoy restaurant two blocks away?

An hour? What time did she leave ?

I started to walk back to the beauty parlor then stopped. Isn't that stupid thing to do? Taping the sign outside the glass door?

Did she have that sign coming from inside the shop, walked out and taped it outside?

Why not just flip over her clock sign which indicates what time she was out and what time she expects to be back?

Some nuts may just rip it off and throw the sign to the street for the fun of it.

I retraced my footsteps, inspected the sign and peered within.

The curtain that gives her privacy from the customer was half-drawn towards the right. Uhmmm.

I tried the door knob. Strange. It turned easily. I opened the door a few inches and called out her name.

No answer but there was movement behind the curtain.

I entered cautiously still calling her name.

I am afraid that she must have suffered a stroke and could not speak.

I immediately rushed past the rows of dresses displayed in the middle of the shop, stepping carefully not to topple any of the glass figurines on top of the glass showcase that serves as a divider between her private office and the store.

She was lying on the floor. Her skull has been bashed many times and a pool of fresh blood has been formed under her head.

Fresh blood. As a CSI fan, I thought that she was just murdered in less than an hour.

Fear gripped me with this thought and the realization why the door is opened.

The murderer could still be inside.

Is he crouched behind the desk ready to leap out and say BOO?

Then a hand covered my mouth from my behind. I saw the knife.

I was not able to shout.

I was awaken by the noise coming from the TV. I searched my body for wound. I looked around. I am in my living room and the cable is back.

Arraaay, nambatok na naman kasi.

Nanaginip lang ang Pusa noh? I was watching Law and Order when the cable service was interrupted. So i dozed off.

Then fell asleep again.

I was able to wrestle with the murderer.

He was not alone. He had three more companions who just appeared to the view.

They aimed their guns to my direction as I shield my face with my two hands.

Then with a lot of courage, I blurted out, "I can see dead people. I can make them come and save me especially my mother." (sabi siguro ng mother ko, bakit pati sa panaginip mo sinasama mo ako, buti sana kung comedy).

An empty threat.

But they did come not to kill my pursuers but to lift me high up on the air so the bad guys can not reach me.

Weird. My continuation yong nightmare ko.

Makapaligo nga.

The Ca t

(Note from the Ca t: this is not story-telling- a-lie. It really happened. My dream).

Ransom or Donation -Case of Australian hostage

Dear mouse,

In my blog entry entitled "Australian foreign minister downer" I quoted his reaction on the Philippines' withdrawal of the Philippine troops in exchange for the freedom of Angelo Reyes.

This was his statement :

"This is the problem with the Filipino decision, you see," Downer said. "They’ve acceded to the demands of terrorists and within a day or so of the Filipinos doing that, six more people were taken hostage in Iraq." He said "these actions have encouraged terrorists to continue these threats, so now we are subjected, as the Italians are and the Poles and the Bulgarians, from this particular group,to further threats."

Now they have a new definition for ransom or for anything that may be traded off to free the hostage.

Read.

NATIONAL NEWS

16/05/2005 11:45:18

AMHoward backs Wood family's Iraq donation Prime Minister John Howard says a donation to the Iraqi people from the family of Australian hostage Douglas Wood does not amount to a ransom payment.The family of Mr Wood has promised his Iraqi captors what it calls a generous donatio n if the 63-year-old engineer is released unharmed. The Australian has been in captivity for more than two weeks, held by a rebel group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq.The last official word from Mr Wood's captors was over a week ago, when they demanded the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq and issued a DVD showing Mr Wood battered, bruised and pleading for help.When Mr Howard was asked on Monday whether he thought the family's donation offer could be seen as a ransom payment to the hostage-takers, he replied: "No I don't, it is a desperately sad situation," he told Southern Cross Broadcasting."What I've tried to do in this case is to see that everybody is working together, that everybody knows what the other person's doing."He said the family was acting admirably given the tragic circumstances."So dignified, obviously very concerned about their brother, but understanding the broader issues at stake," he said."

Pardon me, sir?

Pakisabunutan nga ang buhok ko.

The Ca t

Who is Vivian Alvarez?

Dear mouse,

I blogged about the journey back home of the "wrongly deported woman" Vivian Alvarez to Australia after staying in the hospice in Olongapo, Philippines for four years.

According to the news article, she figured in a vehicular accident, suffered memory loss, got no papers to show that she was an Austalian citizen, so she was deported to the Philippines in 2001.

Being left brain domninant, I could not resist asking many questions while reading the story about this poor woman.

I was reading the news about Australia's efforts to free the Australian hostage in Iraq, (this is a separate blog) when I came across another news article about Vivian Alvarez Solon, aka Vivian Young, aka Vivian Wilson.

Who is Vivian Alvarez?

The news said that she will be reunited with her sons.

How come, the husband's whereabouts were never mentioned?

How come one son was in the foster care and one son was in high school; are there no immediate relatives of the husband ?

How come, she has had no contacts with her relatives in the Philippines ?

How did she become an Australian citizen ?

How come after 18 years in Australia, she was reported to be unable to talk in English?

Who was looking for her or who reported that she was missing?

How did they find out about the blunder of the Immigration department of Canberra.

This is one news that says who Vivian Alvarez is.

Vivian Alvarez, a dual Australian-Filipino citizen, was injured in a car accident and mistakenly deported from Australia after she told authorities - apparently because of memory loss - that she wasn't Australian and had been kept as a sex slave in Brisbane, according to Australian media reports.

So yeah , we know that, it is all over the newspapers, local and international.

I tend to believe this version.

The woman, who gave her name as Vivian Alvarez and spoke little English, had married an Australian and become an Australian citizen. However, he later abandoned her, after which she said she was imprisoned and forced to act as a sex slave in a Brisbane suburb. She escaped, only to be arrested after being injured in a traffic accident in Lismore, NSW.

Her story was so confused and appalling that she appears to have been deemed either mentally unwell or untruthful by officials prior to her deportation. And now, despite extensive (and belated) investigation by Australian officials, she has disappeared altogether.

It answers several questions that I raised about the woman, especially about her husband.

This news tell another story that supports the sex slave issue.

Betty Graham-Higgs, a former social worker at Lismore Base Hospital in northern NSW, told ABC TV, Ms Alvarez had been brought in to the hospital by a passer-by who found her "lying in a sort of gutter", contradicting reports that Ms Alvarez had been injured in a car accident before her deportation."She couldn't walk and she never walked when she was in Lismore Base Hospital," she told ABC TV."The only way she could have been injured like that is if she was beaten up."

Interesting ,isn't it?

But wait,this story was about her last few hours before she was deported.

Vivian Alvarez's last hours in Australia before being deported four years ago were at a Brisbane motel guarded by Immigration officials, a group of Filipino and religious workers say.She was shaking, complaining she had no money or clothes and that her passport had been taken, the group told ABC TV.Two members of the group spoke to her through the door of the motel room, which was blocked by the officials who ordered them to leave.

So what drove the Government to look for Vivian Alvarez, when a statement was made by Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone that her department has no responsibility to people who have already been deported.

Only after a review prompted by the revelation that mentally ill Australian woman Cornelia Rau had been held in the Baxter Immigration Detention Centre for months did the Department realise its mistake.

Immigration officials were unable to locate Ms Solon, and her whereabouts were only discovered when a priest at the convent where she was being cared for saw a news report on the case.

The last question is how come she has no contact with her family in the Philippines?

Horror stories about interracial marriages between Australian men and Filipino women revealed that mostly these women were kept apart from their families back home by severing the communications.

The racist issue is going to be brought out as an issue in the effort to demand for compensation from the government.

But Alvarez is not only the victim of the ineptness of the commission.

The ABC TV's Lateline program has revealed that more than a hundred people have been wrongfully held in Australian detention centres over the last three years.

The figure has been leaked from the government's secret inquiry into wrongful detention, which was prompted by the shocking case of German-speaking Australian Cornelia Rau. A schizophrenia sufferer, Ms Rau was discovered wrongfully incarcerated in Baxter Detention Centre last year by her sister, who had searched for her since her disappearance nine months earlier.

Pinag-isip ko ba kayo ?

Ang lagay ako lang.

The Ca t

Tula para sa isang Kaibigan

Dear mouse,

Paminsan-minsan po ako ay humahabi ng tula. Alam kong hindi kasing galing kagaya nina Angelo, Jardine at iba pang mga manunulat ng tula dito sa cyber world (huwag babatuhin si Pusa. toink) subali't pinapalagay ko na sapat naman upang ibahagi ang aking ibig ipahatid.

Sa isang kaibigan na ngayon ay naghihirap ang kalooban sa pagkaawa sa kapatid na maysakit. Frat, para saiyo.

Guhit ng liwanag galing sa taas, Bigay niya sa taong madilim ang landas na tinatahak. Parang nagsasabing hindi ito ang wakas. May naghihintay pang pag-asa at sa lungkot ay may lunas.

Nang gunawin ang mundo, bahaghari ang dumating. Parang nagbabadyang pangamba ay alisin. Kagaya rin ng taong sukdol ang hilahil. May bukas pa, kahit gabi ay madilim.

Hirap ng loob, lahat ay nakakaramdam, Pagpatunay na tayo’y may pusong nilalang, Sakit ay nagpapagupo sa mortal na katawan, hindi sa kaluluwang buhay ay walang hanggan.

cb2005

The Ca t

Ang Mamamatay

Dear mouse,

Karamihan sa nakakita ng pumatay sa isang mamamahayag, pulitiko o kaya isang sikat na tao, ay nagkakasundo sa kanilang paglalarawan sa kriminal.

Tahimik pagdating at pag-alis, walang mababakas na takot, lungkot o awa sa mukha. Tila isang rebulto; malamig, walang puso.

Ang kinaiiba nito sa ibang kriminal ay hindi sila pumapatay ng ibang tao kung hindi ang binayaran lang sa kanila.

Sa dami ng pinapatay na mamamahayag ngayon, hindi ko maiwasang maalala ang nakaraan.

Umaga noon nang nasa opisina na ako at nakikinig ng balita. May pinatay malapit lang sa aming opisina. Binaril habang nakaupo sa kotse subali’t ligtas ang asawang kasama.

Parang kilala ko ang pangalang binanggit. Kilala ko nga. Kausap ko silang magkikita kami sa opisina nila para sa isang pinag-uusapan naming proyekto.

Dali-dali kong tinawag ang driver upang dalhin ako sa opisinang nabanggit. Wala na sila. Dinala na sa pulisya ang bangkay kasama ang maybahay.

Naging kaibigan ko sila dahil sa aking boss. Paborito akong alaskahin noong matandang lalaki pag tungkol sa gobyerno dahil siya ay Marcos forever. Hindi niya matanggap na wala na ang kaniyang dating amo. Ako ang pinagbubuntunan niya ng inis dahil nabalitaan niya na kasama ako sa EDSA. Nang nagdaang gabi ay naanyayahan kaming dumalo sa kaarawan ng isang kaibigan nilang consul.

Masama ang aking pakiramdam kaya kahit anong tampo ng kanilang anak sa akin Ay hindi ako napilit na sumama.

Dumating ang kaniyang anak. Sinabi niya ang sama ng loob niya sa akin. Kung sana raw ay sumama ako ng gabing yaon, marahil daw ay hindi makapasok ng maaga ang mga magulang nila dahil magsasaya kaming magkakasama bago umuwi.

Ugali na kasi naman ang dumaan sa isang kapihan bago tuluyang umuwi, saan mang kami nanggaling at kahit madaling araw na.

Nagkausap kami ng maybahay ng pinatay Isa siyang manananggol at naging Bise Presidente ng isang bangko.

Hindi siya umiiyak. Shock pa siya.

Yumakap siya nang ako ay makita. Ako ang unang-unang dumating dahil malapit nga ang opisina niya sa amin at talagang dapat kaming magkita ng umagang yaon.

Hindi niya makakalimutan ang ilang minutong iyon sa kaniyang buhay.

Nakaupo ang kaniyang asawa sa harapan ng kotse, katabi niya, nang isang lalaki ang yumuko sa may bintanang nakabukas at sinilip sila. Ilang saglit lang ay pumutok ang baril at lumungayngay ang katawan ng kaniyang asawa.

Tiningnan niya ang mukha ng pumatay. Mapula ang mata, makapal ang labi, walang damdaming mababakas sa pagkatao nito. Sumigaw siya ng bakit. Hindi niya naisip na baka naman siya balikan. Tiningnan lang siya at tahimik na lumayo.

Isang bala lang binayaran, isang katawan lang ang nalugmok.

Sa kanila, hanapbuhay lang yaon. Ang pagkaalam namin ay mula limang libo pataas ang bayad sa ganoong gawain.

Patuka sa manok kung ihahambing ang mga matatakpang katiwalian sa pagpinid ng bibig ng mga mamahayag.

Ikanga weatherweather lang. Noon ang lucrative cottage industry ay pagkidnap ng mga Intsik na mayayaman. Ngayon naman ay mga hired assassins.

Ang tanong, may big boss ba sila na siyang nagbibigay ng proyekto o kusang palo lang sila?

Kung baga sa marketing, word of mouth promotion.

The Ca t

Why did the chicken cross the road ?

Dear mouse,

I saw this question posted in a forum, several years back with dozens of possible answers.

Now I know why, the chicken crossed the road.

Linc and Helena Moore may have finally learned the answer to that age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road? Because the chicken doesn't know jaywalking is illegal. Kern County Sheriff's Deputy J. Nicholson does know, however. The deputy issued a ticket March 26 because one of the couple's chickens allegedly impeded traffic in Johannesburg, a rural mining community near Ridgecrest, some 220 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The Moores were in Superior Court on Friday to plead not guilty. A trial was scheduled for May 16.

Sa Pinas naman, bakit tumawid ang manok sa kalsada ?

Posibleng mga kasagutan.

1. Kasi alam niyang bawal ang tumawid doon. hahahaha , this is not a joke.

2. Kasi may makakasalubong siyang nagtitinda ng lechong manok.

The Ca t

Tattoo

Dear mouse,

ANG AKING TATTOO

Fourth round sa blogkadahan. Tinggggggggg (bell ho yon). Hindi ho mahirap ang topic ngayon.

Ang love/hate kong body part.

Ang mahirap lang ay kung paano ko susulatin ng may humor.

If eyes are windows of the soul, then my eyes are the Windows XP of my being. ehek.

Sabi ng isa kong kaibigan, ang mata ko raw ay dolorosa. Malungkutin. Akala mo naiiyak palagi. Lalo pag gutom.

(ang larawan pong ito ay kinunan habang tinitigan ko ang pagkain).

So nasaan ang titulo kong tattoo?

Basahin po dito.

The Ca t

Hiram na Kultura ?

Dear mouse,

Nanonood ako ng noon time show kung saan ang unang number ay rap music at "New York street dancing". Yong paikot-ikot at pasirko- sirko sa lapag.

Sa audience ay may naligaw na mga Puti.

Ano kaya ang nasa isipan nila?

Na ang ating kultura ay gaya sa mga Itim na nasa kalsada ng magulong lungsod ng New York?

Ano rin kaya ang nasa isip nila na habang sila ay manipis ang suot dahil sa init ng panahon sa Pilipinas, ang mga artista naman natin ay naka snow cap, nakaleather jacket at nakalong boots ?

Hindi ko sinabing magsayaw sila ng pandanggo o itik-itik pero marami naman sa ating mga dance groups ang magagaling sa choreography na nakakaimbay ding sumayaw.

Marami rin sa ating mga banda ang magagaling kumanta ng Pinoy music na masisigla ang kumpas.

Palagay ko hindi naman ang mga tinedyer na mahilig sa rap music ang target ng programang ito dahil karamihan na nandoon ay may mga edad na.

Mula nang maglagay ng rapper sa Dong Puno sa programa niya noon, hindi na ako sumilip ulit.

A ewan ko. Ang alam ko ang mga has-been na mga entertainers diyan sa Pinas ay pumapatok dito sa Estet.

The Ca t