Books are evil. They are very addictive. Once a person picks up and opens one, he is put under its spell. The moment he starts reading, he is powerless to stop and put it down until he finishes reading it.
Reading alters the mind, one will start imagining things, go to different places and meet new people. At times, one may even begin to ponder about life itself and develop new ideas and become aware of the world around us. Indeed, books are bad for everyone.
That is why our clever government, the Department of Finance in particular, decided to keep books away from you and me. Starting March this year, government imposed duties on imported books. No more free importation of books. Custom inspectors will now have the sole authority to determine whether books could contribute the education, cultural development and well-being of Filipinos. These type of books are charged 1% duties. If Mr. Inspector thinks a book does not belong to this category, the importer must pay higher duties to get his items. By the way, it takes time to do this sorting thing so Mr. Importer must also pay for the handling and storage fees of the books.
Thank you people in the finance department for this directive. You have single handedly saved Filipinos from the bad effects of books by making books potentially unavailable and unaffordable for them. Now, only the elite who could afford it and have the opportunity to read books. Books are bad for people like you because they could make a new generation of ordinary Filipinos who could question policies like this one.
Let those Filipinos who cannot buy imported books make do with those produced locally but contain factual errors and twisted point of views.
With people like you in government, do we even have to wonder why we continue to lag behind our neighbors in terms of education.
Food, gadgets, books, movies, music, places and everything else under the sun
Friday, May 8, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Bananas!
I love bananas. Here in the Philippines, we have several types of bananas. Small and fat, long and thin, yellow, red, white and even green bananas. I love bananas because they are easy to eat, just peel off the hygienic natural packaging and you’re ready to chomp on them. They also contain lots of vitamins and minerals. My meal is almost incomplete without it.
I bought a variety we call saba. This one is often used for the banana que I kept on having as merienda. But this type of banana can be cooked in different ways. My father likes it fried in oil and usually eat this during breakfast. I cooked some in two of the most common methods: boiled and sweetened.
I boiled the bananas with the peel on and had them for my mid-morning snack. I was happy as can be, of course. I also ate some while surfing the Internet. Though it’s gone cold for the length of time that lapsed since I cooked it, it still tasted good. In fact it tasted refreshing on a warm morning we had today.
In some parts of the Philippines, particularly in the Visayas, saba is cooked before they are fully ripened. Then they eat with bagoong, the smelly fish sauce that is uniquely Filipino. I haven’t tried this one yet but maybe someday, when i get the courage to do it.
The sweetened bananas were reserved for dessert after lunch. I cooked the bananas by boiling them, peeled of course, in a mixture of brown sugar and water. For added flavor, I placed a couple of tablespoons of the preserved jackfruit I was keeping in the fridge. It was so delicious I couldn’t stop myself from eating a few pieces even though they were still hot. I usually put some shaved ice to make it cold. Other people even put some milk to make it creamier.
I ate this while watching the TV news after lunch. Then I had some more of both the boiled and sweetened ones for merienda. Unfortunately, I ran out of ice to shave that I contented myself by eating eat just cold and not chilled.
I had more bananas after dinner and in fact, I plan to eat the rest of the boiled bananas during breakfast tomorrow.
You may say that I really love bananas but I do! I go bananas over bananas!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me x43
Today's my 43rd birthday. When I was younger, I thought 43 years was too old, ancient. I imagined myself when I am 43 I would be weak and frail, wearing eyeglasses and taking everything in a relaxed manner.
Now that I am 43 years old, I still feel okay. Not weak nor frail, though I feel some pains here and there which I attribute to normal wear and tear. I am wearing glasses and taking everything in stride now, though.
So what happened on my 43rd birthday? Summer was officially announced over by the weather bureau. The first typhoon of the season has entered our country. It was raining the whole day in the southern parts of Luzon, including Manila but it was dry here in Bulacan. We had dark, cloudy skies the whole day though. It rained only in the afternoon and only until early evening.
The World Health Organization also raised the pandemic phase of the Human-Swine Flu to level 5 which meant that we are getting close to confirmation of a human to human spread of the virus. The organization also clarified that there were only 7 deaths confirmed due to the flu and not 150 deaths as earlier reported. On the local front, the health department continue to assure the public that the disease has not reached our shores yet and advised those going to the affected areas like the US and Mexico to take the necessary precautions.
Later, I chanced upon an article in the Internet that said US President Obama's term is a presidency of crises. He already has the financial crisis in his hands and when things start to perk up, this health issue arose. No wonder his hair is getting gray and frazzled.
He's also beset by controversy over his decision of making public the methods used in interrogating inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Pundits say that this would put Americans overseas in grave danger since their enemies now know how they deal with their prisoners and these people may use this methods on their American captives. It's really a ghost that some of the American leaders created upon their people and it's quite sad.
I spent the whole day replying to the greetings sent to me by friends on Facebook and other networking site I am a member of. My mother called me early in the morning, followed my father. My sisters called me in the afternoon. They all greeted me a happy birthday! My nieces in the US even sang happy birthday to me, so sweet.
I asked the house helper to cook pansit, the traditional birthday fare to wish me a long life. She also cooked menudo and mixed vegetables.
Over at the American Idol, there was a surprise bottom 3 dweller, Adam! Everybody's favorite suddenly found himself in danger of getting eliminated and going the way of Daughtry. But he was later declared safe and Matt finally gets the door. I think this was a strategy by the producers to make fans to go on a voting frenzy next week. Let's see if Adam goes home next week.
Now that I am 43 years old, I still feel okay. Not weak nor frail, though I feel some pains here and there which I attribute to normal wear and tear. I am wearing glasses and taking everything in stride now, though.
So what happened on my 43rd birthday? Summer was officially announced over by the weather bureau. The first typhoon of the season has entered our country. It was raining the whole day in the southern parts of Luzon, including Manila but it was dry here in Bulacan. We had dark, cloudy skies the whole day though. It rained only in the afternoon and only until early evening.
The World Health Organization also raised the pandemic phase of the Human-Swine Flu to level 5 which meant that we are getting close to confirmation of a human to human spread of the virus. The organization also clarified that there were only 7 deaths confirmed due to the flu and not 150 deaths as earlier reported. On the local front, the health department continue to assure the public that the disease has not reached our shores yet and advised those going to the affected areas like the US and Mexico to take the necessary precautions.
Later, I chanced upon an article in the Internet that said US President Obama's term is a presidency of crises. He already has the financial crisis in his hands and when things start to perk up, this health issue arose. No wonder his hair is getting gray and frazzled.
He's also beset by controversy over his decision of making public the methods used in interrogating inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Pundits say that this would put Americans overseas in grave danger since their enemies now know how they deal with their prisoners and these people may use this methods on their American captives. It's really a ghost that some of the American leaders created upon their people and it's quite sad.
I spent the whole day replying to the greetings sent to me by friends on Facebook and other networking site I am a member of. My mother called me early in the morning, followed my father. My sisters called me in the afternoon. They all greeted me a happy birthday! My nieces in the US even sang happy birthday to me, so sweet.
I asked the house helper to cook pansit, the traditional birthday fare to wish me a long life. She also cooked menudo and mixed vegetables.
Over at the American Idol, there was a surprise bottom 3 dweller, Adam! Everybody's favorite suddenly found himself in danger of getting eliminated and going the way of Daughtry. But he was later declared safe and Matt finally gets the door. I think this was a strategy by the producers to make fans to go on a voting frenzy next week. Let's see if Adam goes home next week.
End of Summer 2009
Today marks the official end of the summer season. The Philippine weather bureau or PAG-ASA announced that this year's summer is quite short. I say short but terrible.
The two hottest days recorded in history occurred this year. I expect my electric bill to really go skyhigh this month because I couldn't stand the daytime heat and my air conditioner had to work full time. It was so hot this summer that I had a bout with my allergies several times this season.
As we say goodbye to summer 2009, we meet the rainy season with not one but two typhoons. As I write this, the weather bureau is already tracking two low pressure areas developing in the southern parts of the country. They are, most likely, going to develop into typhoons.
The two hottest days recorded in history occurred this year. I expect my electric bill to really go skyhigh this month because I couldn't stand the daytime heat and my air conditioner had to work full time. It was so hot this summer that I had a bout with my allergies several times this season.
As we say goodbye to summer 2009, we meet the rainy season with not one but two typhoons. As I write this, the weather bureau is already tracking two low pressure areas developing in the southern parts of the country. They are, most likely, going to develop into typhoons.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Small Wonder
Apple did it again. The wise guys at the Cupertino based company were able to cramp 4GB of memory in a capsule that's smaller and thinner than a thumb drive.
I'm talking about the new 4GB iPod Shuffle that I recently purchased online. It's so small that my initial reaction was that of fear, fear that I might lose it within a month or so. Thank goodness it has a clip that is sturdy enough to keep the iPod from falling off when I attach it like a lapel on my shirt.
The latest iPod, a third generation Shuffle, is packed with features that were recently unavailable to the line that one would wonder where these are packed inside a space that is just a few centimeters thick (or thin).
The new Shuffle, as mentioned earlier, has 4GB of disk space, twice the last space its last iteration had. That's the same size as my old but still working iPod Mini. It has a battery life of around 10 hours. And now, one can make multiple playlists and be prompted by a female speaker, known as the VoiceOver feature.
At first, I thought the voice would come up everytime a new song is about to be played. A female voice would tell the title and artist of the song currently playing when I click and hold on the remote control attached to the earphones. Hold on to the remote until a tone is heard and the VoiceOver will tell the playlists available and just click to select it. Two clicks would transfer to the next song and three clicks would go back to the previous song. The volume control is also found on the remote control.
There's also a switch on the body to turn the shuffle on and off. Use the same switch to tell the Shuffle how to play the songs, whether in sequence or in random order. There's a light indicator for the remaining battery power. To get a reading, turn off the shuffle and then on again. VoiceOver will tell the listener how much power is left (ex. Battery 75% full). Oh, when the shuffle is switched off, it will play for a few seconds, so there will be no disruption in listening while checking the battery.
I took a picture of the shuffle and found it even smaller than a favorite Filipino sweet, the Chocnut. See for yourself in the photo below.
A USB cable is included to charge the iPod through the computer. This is also the same cable used for syncing with iTunes. The user will be prompted to download the VoiceOver kit on the first connection. I have included around 5 playlists already, including the one I will use while I exercise. The iPod Shuffle is so light it did not affect my walking exercise when I tried it.
In spite its size, I am confident that this small wonder would last a long time. I know because I can attest to the quality of an Apple product. Thanks to my iPod Mini and iBook.
I'm talking about the new 4GB iPod Shuffle that I recently purchased online. It's so small that my initial reaction was that of fear, fear that I might lose it within a month or so. Thank goodness it has a clip that is sturdy enough to keep the iPod from falling off when I attach it like a lapel on my shirt.
The latest iPod, a third generation Shuffle, is packed with features that were recently unavailable to the line that one would wonder where these are packed inside a space that is just a few centimeters thick (or thin).
The new Shuffle, as mentioned earlier, has 4GB of disk space, twice the last space its last iteration had. That's the same size as my old but still working iPod Mini. It has a battery life of around 10 hours. And now, one can make multiple playlists and be prompted by a female speaker, known as the VoiceOver feature.
At first, I thought the voice would come up everytime a new song is about to be played. A female voice would tell the title and artist of the song currently playing when I click and hold on the remote control attached to the earphones. Hold on to the remote until a tone is heard and the VoiceOver will tell the playlists available and just click to select it. Two clicks would transfer to the next song and three clicks would go back to the previous song. The volume control is also found on the remote control.
There's also a switch on the body to turn the shuffle on and off. Use the same switch to tell the Shuffle how to play the songs, whether in sequence or in random order. There's a light indicator for the remaining battery power. To get a reading, turn off the shuffle and then on again. VoiceOver will tell the listener how much power is left (ex. Battery 75% full). Oh, when the shuffle is switched off, it will play for a few seconds, so there will be no disruption in listening while checking the battery.
I took a picture of the shuffle and found it even smaller than a favorite Filipino sweet, the Chocnut. See for yourself in the photo below.
A USB cable is included to charge the iPod through the computer. This is also the same cable used for syncing with iTunes. The user will be prompted to download the VoiceOver kit on the first connection. I have included around 5 playlists already, including the one I will use while I exercise. The iPod Shuffle is so light it did not affect my walking exercise when I tried it.
In spite its size, I am confident that this small wonder would last a long time. I know because I can attest to the quality of an Apple product. Thanks to my iPod Mini and iBook.
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