Mula Sa 'Puso'

Puso or "hanging rice" is a staple of Cebu's vibrant barbecue culture. It's easy to find this prefabricated boiled rice all along Cebu's towns, where there are barbecue stands. I didn't realize this before, but apparently puso has a Malay equivalent, packaged in the same palm leaves and served in the same manner.

The rice has a distinct taste, apart from regular boiled rice, probably a product of the colorful eco friendly wrapping. Puso, tastes heavenly with some soy sauce and chili, grab a stick of barbecued pork or chicken, wash it down with some Red Horse and you're all set.

Working out the kinks on my new DSLR

Just bought a new lens for my Canon Digital Rebel Xti, and tested it out on one of my favorite photo subjects, my cute mestiza niece. Hailey's not at all camera shy, and loves to pose for pictures, like a true Filipino lol.

This Picture is taken with a Quantaray 55-200mm Autofocus Telephoto Lens, at maximum Aperture setting. I'm just learning to take shots like this, hopefully I can figure out how to work the kinks out.

Looking ahead to Pacquiao vs Marquez II

I've been waiting for this fight since 2004, Marquez is the last of Mexico's three-headed monster who hasn't been taken down by the Pacman whirlwind. The last time around, Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the first round, but with a lot of heart and skill Marquez managed to convince the Judges, though not this blogger, that it was a draw. Marquez is older now, but doesn't have that much "ring" age, it should still be a great fight and I can hardly wait till the middle of March for the fight! Go pac!

Check out the Honey Pot

A nice new club just opened up in Ybor City, it has a burlesque theme, which sets it apart from many of the other night spots in the historic Ybor District. Tonight, was an 18 and up night, and honestly the place was kind of empty, though with my clubber's eyes I can tell that this place has potential to more.

Lunar Eclipse

Apparently tonight is the last chance to catch a glimpse of a Full Lunar Eclipse, 7:00 P.M Pacific Time and 10:00 Atlantic Time. Because of how the Earth bends the reflected light, the Moon will not appear black, but rather Orange! Amazing, I've seen these once or twice in my life, and it's an eerie feeling staring at the glowing red/orange moon.

Its serene after the storm

Its Serene after the Storm:

I’ve met nights’ acquaintance; and like Frost I too know the feeling of being lost.

Your voice, like so much incandescent noise, cries in a song for Lithium to cure your incessant delirium.

Up and down, in your roller coaster view where thoughts of darkness and light accrue, you tried to weave your life anew.

You long to be reborn in Dawn’s fiery sunrise, yet a phoenix can only arise, until after it dies,

I’ve been where you’ve been; I’ve seen what you’ve seen.

A peaceful calm the storm can allude, yet this is but a teasing prelude to the force of the coming delude,

Even amidst the worse of the maelstroms wrecking bloody havoc within my mind’s sea, I had my Island of Serenity, a sunlit haven from the insanity.

Into the tempests’ grim obsidian skies, your life has gone terribly awry, and we who love you are left painfully asking, why?

Through this late introspection and though they wrapped themselves in many layers of deception, I saw your inner-demons from their very first inception.

I should have stepped-in, and fought them from within,

I should have broken down your crenellated defensive walls, and then maybe I would not have to sit idly by as a star falls.

Now you founder at the mercy of a pagan God’s turbulent sea, the waves battering your sanity, the anger of the wind snuffing out your vitality.

Leaving me at a lost and unable to inform; that it truly is serene after the storm.

Lithium Dreams

I hear light footfalls coming from the hall and cruel sibilant indecipherable words bringing the promise to consume all.

These night wraiths have shaken my faith, for beyond white washed door hanging from only its hinges my death awaits.

The frosted windows foretold, of a witching hour of bitter cold, derelict remnants of a grim winter’s harsh foothold

A thing borne of nightmares most black, reared up on shapely legs to a most unusual method of attack, a rake of a sanguine painted finger nail across my bare back.

A voice full of pleasure and soft as velvet, purred bidding me sweetly not yet, for we are just but recently met.

I dared gaze into those beautiful expectant eyes, but her heart was as chill as winter's ice, sweet lethal allure that was the device.

Stabbing tendrils of pain meshed with ecstasy came from a touch of those full silk lips, only to dance away with a mere sway of those curvaceous hips, a flick of a wrist produced an assorted coterie of wicked whips.

A lusty smile served to hide bared ivory fangs, I wailed both from horror and from my uncontrollable angst, induced with pleasure my head rang.

I felt like Lu Bu staring at beautiful Diao Chan, as she revealed wings like that of a swan, Zeus came to Leda in this form and so I rose and ran.

No seraphim was she, but a stalker of the night that must be, the embodiment of unabridged ecstatic joy with your soul currency as a fee.

A mocking avarice grin framed by a shock of perfumed raven hair, did nothing to dispel her face so fair, but I was reminded of the caveat telling me to beware.

Her hazel eyes burned with unearthly anger, as her body quivered with terrible hunger, demonic and full of lust she came at me with talon fingers froth with danger.

Her upswept nephilim wings shattered the night’s oppressive silence, beating the air with a maelstrom of lurid violence.

I ran on filled with dark primal fears, as her anguished tortured voice filled my riveted ears, as the nightmare drew ever near.

You never hear the sound that wakes you, but with heart fluttering and careening I awoke from Midnight’s Lithium dreaming.

Japanese Create "female" android..

The Apocalypse is here, didn't these Jap proffessors watch Terminator? and DARYL?? and BattleStar Galactica?? It's the end of the World; I just don't understand the Japanese fixation on robots, last year they built a mech that looked like a walker from Star Wars, now they are attempting to build a robot that mimicks human behavior... She has soft silicone, for skin instead of hard plastic and a number of motors that allow "her" to mimick human gestures. Proffessor Ishiguro the creator of Android 18 says that one day humans will be fooled by these androids into believeing that they are human beings rather than machines...

"Android 18 can interact with people, it can respond to people touching it,. It's very satisfying.." I bet it is you perv Japanese professor..

Hmm Silicone? Mimicking Human movements??OMG!!! I think I've been fooled by an Android Before... I was on a date once, and I swear this girl was dumb as a box of rocks and she definately had silicone, in fact she had alot of silicone... and silly simplistic gestures.. I can't believe I was fooled!!! I've been had!! I was really on a date with an android..

As a matter of fact there's a lot of female androids walking around Cebu City... I mean they look like girls, "chest, butt" and long hair, however there was always something awry with how they looked and honestly they kind of freaked me out... Either they were too tall to be real human females, or their voice recorder servos inside their necks were too prominent for them to be real women, but from a cursory glance they looked like real women.. The androids are so real looking that they even fooled a lot of the sexpats walking around Cebu into believing they were seeing real humans.. I'm too smart for that though; I always use the patented "android" test on each woman I talk to there..

It takes a lonely, lonely, lonely man to create a female android.. Why would you want to sit around making a female android...?? There's only one answer to that, a normal human being would make Astroboy or something, not a strangely attractive looking female android. Might as well hold a press conference about how perverted you are. I think Sam Milby is an android, I think some perverted Japanese Proffessor created him in a lab so he could have a little filipino boi to play with.. but Sam Milby the android escaped and secretly became a T.V Star.. An actor with such wooden talents, and plastic skills, has to be an android..

I Hate Sam Milby!!

If you didn't know Sam Milby is a famous Hot Dog Vendor in the Philippines, girls swoon and certain guys walking around Ayala salivate at the thought of biting into a Sam Milby Hot Dog.. This is a prime example of 15 mins of fame being extrapolated into a quasi career that somehow manages to malignantly insinuate itself into every fiber of existence.. Everywhere you look this Zolander, can't turn left, Blue Steel nitwit is prominently displayed on Bill Boards, T. V shows, Movies, and coming soon Cereal Boxes.. Is there anything he doesn't endorse? Does he endorse Ichiban Japanese Condoms sold at Watson's?? Look I'm sure he's a nice guy in person blah blah, but do we have to saturate him all over Filipino Culture? The guy can't even speak any Filipino Dialects, and when he does scenes on "Homeboi" he just sits there and looks like a goofy idiot while the Actors and Actresses are speaking Tagalog.. They just picked scenes where he doesn't say anything because he's a moron..

I bet every Balikbayan probably comes home and says to themselves, WTF?????? I'm sorry, but him peddling Bench Clothing does not in any way make me want to go purchase clothes at Bench, eventhough I actually like Bench.. In fact, I'm boycotting Bench and refuse to buy anything from Bench untill I return to the Phils.........I'm also not consuming whatever bottled water or hotdog he is endorsing. For the love of God, I just want to eat a hotdog, drink some water, shop at Bench, get some load without having to look at Sam Milby's Idiotic Mug... I mean the guy has two looks, he has that plastic smile which he probably sits around and practices everyday, then he has that "Hey I'm Sam Milby, I don't understand a word that's coming out of your mouth because my dad was a fat old sexpat," look.

I just don't understand Filipinos sometimes, is it truly necessary to over expose these glorified reality T.V show stars to the point where they have their own Albums, their faces are on Hotdog Wrappers, and they are on T.V variety and gameshows EVERY FREAKING DAY??? It's like we take, the worse of Western Comercialism and Materialism and multiply it by 10; eventhough most Filipinos aren't even like this.. Sam Milby is the epitome of Filipinos mimicking Annoying American Pop, Fast Food Culture ,which is awful on its' own, and somehow managing to make it even more awful. This kind of shameless marketing ticks me off in the States but drives me nuts in the Phils, somehow I thought I was getting a break from "The Real World, Laguna Beach" mentality only to have it Highlighted in the Philippines. The Phils can be such a beautiful place sometimes, free from this choking cancer of postmodernism and relativism, but then Sam Milby a.k.a The Son of Sam, Jezebel, and Judas all rolled into one comes along and ruins your rosy picture, not to mention your hotdog....

The Flight Back:

Well my flight back home was boring and uneventful, just the way I like it! One way I can tell I'm in America; other than the hordes of "foreigners" walking around; is by how ugly the flight attendants become.. One moment I'm in blissful heaven being catered to by tall, nice complexioned young sirens working for that Airlines of Airlines Cathay Pacific, the next I'm being handed crappy peanuts by some old behemoth on American Airlines.. I mean "Ngheee", the "women" and I use the term loosely working for American Airlines had manish haircuts and build, and reminded me of Roz from Nightcourt, its like any bum off the street can just stroll up and become a flight attendant in this country! It's a bit of a shock to go from Statuesque Idealized looking oriental women to Ross from Nightcourt.. Just another example of Unions run amok.. Please DeUnionize the United States Flight Attendants, for the love of God., go Cathay and Eva Airlines! I mean, seriously would you rather fly Northwest or Cathay? or Eva?? It's a no brainer.

No Erik Estradas on my plane this time! Well Im in Dallas Fort Worth Airport, using a comp at the Gate, I'm very bored and paying .25 cents a min to blog, which is like 13.2 pesos per min, that sux this is no Netopia that's for sure I miss Netopia I pay like two dollars and hang out for 2 hours. Yes Im still converting dollars to pesos, I just spent 300 psos for a mcgriddle and a cup of coffee! That's bs, I could have gotten a burger and spaghetti meal with unlimited Iced Tea at Jolibee! Then I spent 200 Pesos on a coin operated massager, which is painful, especially since I could have gotten a full body massage at that Thai place in SM! Urggh reality is hitting me here, and I can't convince some person to give me a massage for 10 bucks I have to settle for coin operated ones.

I feel weird being almost home, I was starting to enjoy my vac and coming around from the culture shock when suddenly I have to jump on some plane and get my ass home, my karaoke voice was starting to come around too! I spent my precious last few hours in Cebu delivering pizza and chocolate to an office building near Ayala, lol, not what I imagined I'd be doing but I'm not a total sap, there was at least some good looking girls there, my perpetually hungry pregnant cousin and one old lady, I think she's a nurse, I wonder if she's single??? Probably not perish the thought, its surprising that with the two million tranvestites frolicking around Cebu City that there aren't any single girls in Cebu! I've only met a few, but they have "textmates" which apparently is some person you send barely sensible messages to like "Vre, cst 25 to Mol," "Tre r no tlt ppr n da CR" My Text Messaging skills are slightly below my Badminton skills which is to say not very good, the TextWizzes in Cebu can sing Karaoke, and Txt somebody at the same time while not even breaking tune and being completely understandble to their txtmates! I've seen in happen! Even the Vhire Drivers Txts and deftly avoids pedecabs and jeepneys with ease.

I think one month is not enough in the Phils, just when ur bisaya accent becomes less alien enough to the point where Taxi Drivers and Pedecab drivers aren't trying to rip u off every time you ride, you have to head back home. I was genuinely sad, leaving Cebu on Friday, I think another 3 weeks would have been close to perfect. Anyways, this comp port is eating up my bills, lol, I have two more hours in this stupid airport, which is cold as hell by the way....

Well, no more Orange Brutus, no more cheap Karaoke, cheap internet access, and roadside barbeques, I'm going to miss that cute Teddy Bear Vendor in Ayala, I won't miss the Koreans though, good God the Koreans in the US are cool what's up with the ones in Cebu.. but at least I have my car to look forward too, I'm going to drive the hell out of my car this weekend and drink a 12% belgian beer!

Dog Whisperer Mauled to Death by a Chihuahua

On the heels of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter's untimely death, the Animal Loving World is once again shocked by the death of another of their T.V personalities. Caesar Milan also known as "The Dog Whisperer", died on Wednesday September 6, 2006 while filming an episode of his hit T.V series now available on the National Geographic Channel. Caesar is world reknowned for his uncanny ability to understand Dog Psychology and focuses skills and talents on "rehabbing" problematic canines into docile pets, as well teaching Dog Owners to become pack leaders.

Accounts of Caesar's death are still sketchy, and under investigation however Caesar's long time friend and colleague Sebastien Keyes captured footage of the tragic event while in the process of filming a new episode. Caesar was in Beveryly Hills attending to his client, Charo Velazquez a widowed woman with several unruly Chihuahuas, when apparently one of the small canines suddenly reared up and attacked Caesar.

The distraught Sebastien had this say about the death of his long time friend, "I was shocked, I've seen Caesar tame Pittbulls and Dobermans, I never would have expected him to be killed by a Chihuahua,"

Both Sebastien and Charo testified to what occured in that posh Beverly Hills Home. Caesar arrived and began in his usual manner, interviewing the Pet Owner and discussing the problems the dysfunctional canine is displaying. Mrs. Velazquez mentioned that her pet Chihuhua "Fluffy" did not like to be left alone and often cried when she left the home, another problem was "Fluffy's" fright of strangers. Next, Caesar asked to be taken to the Dog, who meakly quivered in fear in the corner of Charo's bedroom. Caesar approached the Dog in quickly attempts to assert himself using positive energy and that fansy noise he makes with his mouth, "shhhhhh". The chihuhua at first tries to flee from Caesar, but the Dog Whisper squats down next to her. What happened next, shocked everyone in the room.

The Cameraman, Sebastien attested that perhaps "fluffy" felt boxed in and threatened as he positioned himself for a shot in front of the discordant little chihuahua, but for what ever reason "fluffy" reared up and bit with her deceptively small razor sharp teeth. The first bite, on Caesar's nose, didn't seem to be fatal but Caesar emmidiately rocked upwards and started to cry like a little sissy. Caesar tried to "shhhhhhh" the angry Chihuahua, to no avail as the dog continued its' vicious attack. The famed dog whisperer ran outside of Charo's room, with "fluffy" in hot pursuit, fiery teeths of rage snapping at Caesar's Dulce Y Gabbana shoes.

Eventually "fluffy" caught and dragged down Caesar by the arm, inside Charo's posh living room where the horrified crew watched mutely and impotently as the vicious chihuaha mauled Caesar. The T.V star attempted to fend off the tiny dog with a few ineffectual slaps of his girly hands, but it only served to enrage the canine more. The crew heard Caesar crying out "Ohh Dios Mio" as 'fluffy' sank her teeth into his neck.

World reknowned chihuahua expert Don Oscar "Poncho" Villa, commented on the tragic event, " Chihuahuas are not known for their viciousness, but when they are frightened by fancy dog whisperers and his entourage of cameramen they can act out defensively"... Up untill today there has never been a recorded incident of a chihuahua mauling a human being to death.

The National Geographic Channel has expressed their sadness at Caesar's Death, yet are perflexed by the circumstances of it. National Geographic President Thomas Silas lamented on a press conference, "Caesar was loved by all, not just dogs, and his death is a grave blow to our bottom line, however I can't help but feel disgusted that he was mauled to death by a chihuahua! A chihuahua, how do you get killed by a chihuahua?"

A tribute for Caesar Milan, will be on National Geographic tommorrow night, followed by a marathon of his hit show. Caesar is survived by his friend Sebastien, his dogs , cookie, okie, doc, razor, buck, bendi, spikie, and julius..

Velifying so-called "Rice Smugglers" in the Philippines.

From the Manila Standard http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news01_mar17_2006 "Rice Smuggler Haven Raided,"

In the positively Orwellian world we call the Philippines, the highly publicized seizure of a boat load of smuggled rice contraband is the moral equivalent of let’s say an intercepted shipment of Columbian cocaine on America’s shores. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo President of the Republic of the Philippines even commented on the smuggling bust, saying “I am very proud to have received [a report] that today, even as we speak, we are conducting the biggest raid against smugglers in the history of the Philippines,” Judging by the hoopla surrounding the bust, you’d think Filipino Law Enforcement seized containers full of weapons, barges full of drugs, and other serious contraband. Amidst all this bluster and pomp, hardly a voice dares to speak out the obvious. The contraband in question here, is not drugs, trafficked humans, or guns, but rice. In a nation suffering from poverty and its’ agonizing effects why is the Government actively trying to suppress cheaper rice from being imported into the country?

Arroyo also had this to say “This is going to fight corruption. This is going to raise revenues. This is going to protect the businessmen who are doing legitimate production, and this is the kind of reform that we will continue to do alongside our constitutional reform to make our process of lawmaking more attuned to the new flat economy,”

On the contrary Madame President, this will not fight corruption but create it. The Government in the Philippines has monopolized the rice trade, hence the necessity of an illegal black market for rice. The very same Government officials who accuse smugglers of corruption are put in ideal conditions to receive bribes and kickbacks for looking the other way. It makes a crime of an honest profession, trading rice, and yet another generation of corrupt politicians. Sadly, the journalists in the Philippines are out of touch with such thinking, and they continue to rail against the corruption without knowing its’ true source. The barriers should be removed and the Government’s corrupt monopoly on rice stricken from the law.