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AMAMI: The Hidden Jewel of Puerto Galera
By: Njoli Brown
Tags: Philippines, Nature, Travel

Travel: Philippines

By Njoli Brown

I’ve been to the Philippines quite a few times. As often as not I’m able to build in some time to kick back, relax and enjoy some of the country’s amazing beaches. You’ve probably all heard of Palawan and Boracay by now. As powerful and awesome as these places are sometimes you hit Manila and want to figure a way to the water without taking another flight. Besides, there’s something worthwhile about travel by land and sea, having the opportunity to see the landscape as it transitions. Here’s where Puerto Galera comes in.

Puerto Galera, officially the Municipality of Puerto Galera, is a region in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is located at the north-westernmost part of Oriental Mindoro, at the south-western end of the Isla Verde Passage, maybe 3.5 hours from Manila (total travel).

When I first mentioned to my Filipino friends my thoughts of hitting this spot across the board, most of them tried to dissuade me. Not because the beaches aren’t lovely but because the white beach area is know for some shady tourism and a bit of wild going ons. Nevertheless, I did some research and decided to take a risk with a spot I found located about 10 minutes (by trike) from all the rowdiness.

AMAMI Beach Resort is a unique haven designed in an eco-friendly style with structures built from native products and natural materials, coconuts, bamboo, woods, banana leaves and cotton. The property is replete with hammocks, basket chairs, and shaded places to kick back. The food is clean and delicious! Prepared wonderfully with a menu both reflecting the italian cuisine of the owners and and filipino dishes taking advantage of local veggies, mangoes, honey and daily catches of fishes directly from the sea with no intermediate.

Sure, I went to check out the white beach area and… it was what it was. But I’d definitely say AMAMI is a hidden jewel worth checking out and making the base for your stay.
So what goes on behind a one minuter ad?
By: George Padin
Tags: Ad, Philippines, Agency, Commercial

It’s another episode/blogisode of weird writing style by George.

On today’s blogisode I’d like to tackle the topic of what goes on behind a one minuter ad. Okay, you now have a camera and a vague overview of your crazy ad idea, you now are ready to execute (you think), so you start filming, directing, letting your friends act, then after that tireless day of shooting you start reviewing your footage then it starts to sink in that your output is lightyears (exaggeration alert) from what you were trying to copy or the imagination you had in your head of how this whole thing would turn out. Then it fully sinks in, that there’s a real reason why there are ad agencies, k. I’m not selling here, I’m just stopping you from buying your first expensive camera coz you think you can start making your own ads for your company, except of course if you’re working to become a vloger, go buy that camera!

What I’m simply saying by prefacing with that paragraph is, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, the days of planning and storyboarding, the hours of production time, lighting the whole set, set design, casting, post production, colouring, sound design, and many more necessary parts of making a high production value ad.

I’ll be showing below just a few behind the scenes shots of our recent ad works.

The lighting of the image below you would think is coming from a golden hour sunlight, actually this was shot at 11pm with big lights installed from the outside of the set.

Big lights covered with thick sheets of blanket to create this effect.

This one was to create a shadowy effect (someone was vaping behind the camera guy to create that smokey effect…. joke, that was a smoke machine!)

Now, for a different kind of shoot.

This image below you would think was shot on daytime, truth was this was late evening as well.

This was how it was lighted from the outside, reason for this was to create a more controlled lighting environment.

Lastly, here’s the result of a controlled lighting set.

Alright, I’m done with my speech, bow!
Commute With Me to Makati
By: Harry Male
Tags: Philippines, Travel, Culture, Nonfiction, Photography

Commute With Me to Makati

It’s surprising how the most stressful moments could become nostalgic now that the world shifted. I’m talking about commuting and heavy traffic. The rush hour. The bundy clock.

In my past life, I mean before Covid, I was a hotel salesperson who was always out meeting clients. Therefore, isolating for more than a year made me realize how much I miss the streets.

My camera roll is my own rabbit hole. (Hey, that rhymed!) For my first day with Dark Room pub, allow me to pour my heart out and share a story that's been sitting in my drafts for months now. I have the tendency to hyper-organize and my favorite victim is my camera roll. I’d browse “All Photos” and notice a theme and put relevant pictures in a folder. One is full of petty shots of the distant moon. Another is full of empty chairs and tables. In doing so, I saw random shots while on the commute. Then, I became nostalgic to see some office photos.

Commuting was strangely meditative for me. It gave me peace of mind. Leaving earlier for work allowed me to avoid the rush hour. Fewer cars and people means saving myself from the city’s toxic pollution — both air and noise. Imagine the calm, quiet, and crisp city mornings you’d miss if you choose to join the panic of city congestion.

The following photos were taken at random times and are years apart but obsessive organizing naturally wrote the story of traveling to and from work.

Accompany me, please?
Prince Harry And Frustrated Rival Brother Prince William To Attend Grandfather’s Burial Without Megan’s Presence.
Tags: Prince, Philippines, Harry Potter, Prince Philip

Prince Harry And Frustrated Rival Brother Prince William To Attend Grandfather’s Burial Without Megan’s Presence. Riri Apr 13·2 min read

Prince Harry And William.

A few days ago news came out that Queen Elizabeth II husband dies that is Prince Philip. Philip died at the age age of 99. His death occurred in the Winston Palace and his death was announced by the queen herself.

Remember the death has occurred in the times where the Palace was not in place at at all. It has came at a time when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan moved out in what they later said was racism against Meghan and other things which happened to them.

They shared what befell them after they left the royal family. And after the death of their grandfather, many were asking if the two who are now residing in United States of America would came back for burial.

And in fact, they posted their condolences in a certain website and it read, “In loving memory of his royal highness.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921–2021. Thank you for your service, you will greatly be missed.”

Now news has came out that the burial of Prince Philip will be on April 17 which will be on Saturday.And that Prince Henry and Prince William be shoulder to shoulder on this burial.

And during the time of burial the two will stand behind the coffin of their grandfather and this will be the first time these two will be seen together again after the fall out.

The issue has brought tension after Henry and his wife opened up everything that was happening in the Palace. Already prince Harry has boarded a plane to the UK and Meghan won’t be attending the burial since she has been adviced by the doctor on health issues she has and the expectation of baby number two.
Malacanang’s Assurance Over Sinovac Strengthens
By: The Asian Affairs
Tags: Sinovac, Philippines, Malacanang

Surprisingly, Malacañang demanded that Sinovac’s COVID-19 immunizations are viable against genuine ailments, after a Chinese authority conceded that the China-made shots don’t have high insurance rates.

In view of this, Accepting that the 50% viability rate is valid, specialists have over and again clarified that. That is as yet an assurance against genuine ailment or even demise on account of COVID-19 and that is the reason it’s still OK as a security against the pandemic.

In view of this, Gao Fu, overseer of China’s infectious prevention community, has been cited in before reports as saying that China is thinking about blending distinctive COVID-19 antibodies to address its low adequacy rate. Gao likewise said China is making changes in the dose. In spite of the tight worldwide immunization supply, Roque guaranteed the public that the Philippines would get the pandemic pokes it requested.

They defended that there is no issue with respect to the second portion of Sinovac on the grounds that Sinovac ensured our inventory. It was also highlighted that fhey glanced through every one of the distinctive financial areas that have significant degrees of connection with or openness to general society, especially the individuals who can’t actually keep an air pocket which was uttered by NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon.
Nonna’s Pasta and Pizzeria Food Review (Jolo and Bea make a food review?!)
By: Jolo Lat
Tags: Foodies, Restaurant, Philippines, Food

Order: Truffle Pasta, Salted Egg Pasta and Pizza Bianca

Ambience

We really liked the simple design of Nonna’s in Robinsons Galleria, the colors were bright and cheerful and would make anyone smile. They kept it clean and neat.

Staff

Very friendly and attentive. The manager even approached us after paying the bill to ask us how our meal was (which means a lot to anyone! Makes the customer feel valued) She even told us she’ll tell the chef about our feedback!

They were smiling often and easy to locate when we needed more water so kudos to them.

Food Taste and Value for Money

Truffle Pasta- The Thing we liked about the truffle pasta was that it was a big serving and showed value for money, as for the taste, it wasn’t great, but it was good. It was a good truffle pasta. The sauce got that truffle taste right. I don’t exactly know what noodles they used but it was fun to eat. The texture of it was good and it was chewy, and the way it goes with the sauce is amazing! For some reason, I felt like it was home-made pasta noodles although I don’t even know the difference to begin with. However, if you eat it on it’s own, you’ll get umay, so it needs to be partnered with something that adds variety to the flavors you’re taking in.

Salted Egg Pasta-. This didn’t taste like salted egg much. Like we feel like it was 25% salted egg and 75% cream and other things. We ordered this hoping it would taste like the salted egg pasta from Gino’s brick oven pasta, but we were disappointed. Of course, the pasta in itself is alright, it’s just sad when expectations were not met!

Pizza Bianca- It was great. It tasted delicious and had a great size. But the amount of 450 php? Probably not worth it.

Conclusion

We’ve always wondered why not a lot of people go to it or it’s not a “go-to” place to eat, but maybe it’s because of it’s location and so much competition around the area. Nonna’s is actually a good place to go on a date if you want pizza or pasta. We would get the truffle pasta again and then just share one pizza since we didn’t finish everything. It’s actually good value for money and the ambience spells for a great day!
“Is Filipino Worth Dying For?”
Tags: Philippines, Government, Filipino, Democracy

I am a plain and ordinary citizen who has witnessed the government's and country's progress and flaws. We've been plundered, some of us have been killed, and some have received justice. I want for a more effective means of providing justice and liberty to my folks. Because we are all in this together, don't be frightened to speak the truth.

The pandemic is still raging, and contracting the virus can result in sickness and disability at best, and death at worst. So, certainly, the possibility of someone dying for the sake of another Filipino still exists. We're talking about our medical professionals, as well as those in security, janitorial, delivery, local government, and other fields, who continue to put their lives on the line even during the pandemic to ensure that the economy doesn't collapse, that patients are cared for, and that people have food and other necessities delivered to them, among other things. It's comforting to know that the spirit underlying Ninoy's words lives on, especially in these trying times. Open your eyes and see that still, Filipinos are worth dying for!
The Islands of Saint Lazarus
By: Joseph Cmw
Tags: History, Philippines, Asian Representation, Colonialism, Southeast Asian

The knight found himself staring at the remnants of his meal. Pork from the Thieves’ Island prepared in honor of Saint Lazarus. Antonio muttered a quick prayer of thanks for the saint’s intercession in their mournful journey across the Pacific Sea. And he chucked into the brush a leathery piece of fat he had been chewing on. He was grateful that they no longer needed to live off the barest scraps of animals like they had done over the long winter at sea.

His tired gaze drifted over to the tent housing the sickest crew members. God willing, this island’s air would set their humors right… Antonio watched the Captain-General passing among the sick, giving each of them care and attention. He would make sure each one had their dinner, however little they could swallow.

Something offshore caught the Captain-General’s attention. He stood suddenly and gazed out intently. “QUIET, EVERYONE!” he commanded, while Antonio turned his head to see what startled the captain: a single boat was approaching, carrying several men.

As the general clamor came to silence and all heads collectively turned towards the sea, the Captain-General continued in his sternest, driest voice, “No one move. No one say anything or do anything unless I say.”

He spoke without even turning his head to see who would listen; the Captain-General of the Armada de Molucca expected obedience. And he received it. He strode forward out from under the tent with his eyes still locked on the approaching boat. All the other men, dozens of them including the knight of Rhodes, Antonio Pigafetta, stood like statues. Men sitting at the cooking fire stood and let the firewood crackle and crumble. Men preparing more firewood held still with one hand on the lumber, the other gripping their hatchets. Some of the sick stood from their piled rags. Even the ones closest to death propped themselves up and opened their eyes wide. Sentries nearer to the shore (who lacked the eyes or the wits of their commander) turned and gripped either lances upright in one hand, or crossbows patiently in two hands. The whole Armada seemed to hold its breath.

Antonio wore his long knife on his left hip. The woodcutter’s tools were a few steps away, if he needed them. The knight counted nine men on the boat. Four with paddles. Five others dressed in bright colors. One among them stood in the prow, his arms stretched to the sides with his palms upraised and empty. Antonio saw a yellowish glimmer off the islander’s arms, neck, and ears. A golden glimmer. His face was smiling. The knight prayed it was a smile his Captain-General could trust…

The boat scraped the rough sand on the island’s edge and came to a stop. The islander who had been standing disembarked nimbly, though not in a rush. Four followed him with straight faces and four stayed near the boat. The smiling leader approached.

Captain-General Fernão Magalhães stood firmly in the sand, loosely flanked by his sentries with spears and crossbows.

“Maupay!”
Kind Filipinos
By: Carlo Cruz
Tags: Philippines, Travel, Kindness, Immigrants, Filipino

It’s good to be Filipino.

I was born in America and spent most of my earlier years in the Philippines, where both my parents are from.

Growing up, I had the good fortune of being able to fly back and forth Manila and New York. I’ve lived in both cities, considering each of them to be “home.”

Recently, I made the big move to Sydney, Australia with my girlfriend.

As is the case in any new land, it wasn’t easy getting settled.

I’m here on a Working Holiday which only lasts a year, so I can just imagine how difficult it must be for immigrants trying to build a future from scratch.

The rough start, however, opened my eyes to the kindness of Filipinos which I had rarely paid attention to.

Photo by Bash Carlos on Unsplash

One of my first jobs in Australia was in a cafe, where I met Julius, who was a Filipino cook. He was a graphic designer in Manila, but working in the kitchen was the best option for him once he moved. It had regular hours. He had no prior experience and just learned as he went.

I worked as an all-rounder, which literally meant I had to do a little bit of everything. It was tiring work and sometimes I needed an extra push.

Julius was already busy with his responsibilities but made it a point to do what he could to make things better for me.

Be it cracking a joke, making me a sandwich, or just being a good example by working hard. He did everything with a smile and never complained.
Why the Rainbow Makes Us Gay
By: A.M. Baq
Tags: Philippines, Pride Month, Society, LGBTQ, Social Issues

The Essence of Being Gay and Happy

The world we live in is constantly changing and we are transposed to reexplore it, lest we fail to remain humane. When people become more judgmental of others, we can be more introspective. If we think our children were less than what we expected, we can be more other-directed. In times that we are frustrated and disgusted over the use of technological advances along with mass media to exploit, abuse or maltreat individualities, we can help by never using negative symbolisms, destructing labels, and positivizing meanings that dehumanize and minimize human value. As the ultimate product of our humanity, we all endeavor to be joyful and live life with glee. This, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable tasks ahead, the occasional ignorance and lapses, the onset of disability, fear and emotional blocks, and the impact of anger from and disappointment (over us) of the people we love. The key to being gay and happy is to be different as we all are; yes, being different is normal.
Analyzing the Characteristics of the Top 200 Song Tracks in Spotify Philippines using Exploratory Data Analysis
By: Alexandra Mangune
Tags: Spotify, Philippines, Songs, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Science

Analyzing the Characteristics of the Top 200 Song Tracks in Spotify Philippines using Exploratory Data Analysis Alexandra Mangune Jun 1·9 min read

Spotify is one of the largest music streaming services in the world that gives its customers access to millions of songs and podcasts from all over the world. Each country has its own top 200 Spotify songs, depending on what kinds of music are trending, what music appeals to the masses, etc.

Photo taken from Pexels

With millions of songs available for listeners, one might ask what makes a song popular enough to make it into the top 200? Is it because the song is full of energy and rhythm? Is it because the song is so easy to move your body? Is it because of the song being sung by a specific artist? Or is it simply the number of streams?

Photo taken from Pexels

In this project, we wanted to answer these questions by analyzing how a song gets into the Top 200 Daily Chart in the Philippines using data from Spotify Philippines from 2017 to 2021 and which songs. We also wanted to find out how many playlists each song in the daily charts using data from the Spotify API.

Using exploratory data, we investigate the number of streams needed to get into the top 200, if the number of playlists a song is included in affects its chances to be in the daily top 200 songs, which groups or artists appeared the most in the list, what danceability, energy, and valence rating places them into the top 200, and what musical key is more prone to being see on the list.

Through this exploratory data, we would be able to see what standards have to be met for a song to get into the daily top 200 tracks in Spotify, Philippines. In order for us to achieve this, we developed the following research questions:

General Research Question: How does a song get into the Spotify daily top 200 songs in the Philippines?

Specific Research Questions:

Is there a specific number of streams needed to get into the top 200?

2. Does the number of playlists a song is included in affect its chances to be in the daily top 200 songs?

3. Which groups or solo artists appeared the most in the list?

4. Does danceability affect a song’s standing in the list, if so how?

5. Does energy affect a song’s standing in the list, if so how?

6. Does valence affect a song’s standing in the list, if so how?

7. What key (of songs) is more prone or most seen on the list?
When life after death is also temporary
By: Maverick Asio
Tags: Cemetery, Philippines, Death

Tombstones are marked with white masking tapes to inform their visitors that payment for tomb renewal is already due.

Tombstones are marked with white masking tapes to inform visitors that payment for renewal is already due.

The Parañaque Catholic Cemetery has 2 common ossuaries or “butuhan”. The bones here are mostly from unpaid apartment-style tombs. The picture above is the first one built for the mentioned purpose.

Due to the increasing number of exhumed remains and the constraint in cemetery space, a second “butuhan” was built within the premise. Here, bones are placed under the shelter’s floorings through a floor hatch.

Currently, there are no more vacant “private plots” in Parañaque Catholic Cemetery. Apartment-style tombs are what is left; however, slots are also running short.

Just like in any other graveyards in the Philippines, an apartment-style tomb can be rented in Parañaque Catholic Cemetery for a 5-year fixed contract which costs Php 8,500.00. This includes the tombstone or “lapida”, 2 cemented flower pots, and a cemented face of either Jesus (for deceased males), Virgin Mary (for deceased females) or of an angel (for deceased children). This contract can then be renewed every 3 years for Php 1,350.00. Failure in renewal will result to tomb exhumation. The remains of the deceased will then be placed in a common ossuary or “butuhan” together with the exhumed others. In such cases, bones of the deceased can never be retrieved by their families as bones are mixed up together.

There are currently thousands of bones placed collectively in the “butuhan”. Failure in payment renewal is the number one cause of exhumation; however, financial issue is not the only reason for this. Cemetery personnel are sometimes forced to open the tombs as relatives of the deceased no longer visit, making space for “new occupants”. Families of the dead may have already moved to further places or may have also passed on, leaving the cemetery notice untouched and the tombs forgotten.
Jimmy Belleza: How the Filipino “Happiness Guru” Came To Be; A Success Story
By: Maria Urduja Osit-Li
Tags: Philippines, Manila, Happiness In Life, Happiness, Life

Jimmy Bellaza rose from poverty that maybe any of us has ever known.

Because of a drunk Father (although not violent to his family) would take every cent and get drunk; so the family was left literally Starving.

Hailing from Calapan Mindoro Jimmy Belleza took odd jobs to survive, later he went to school while he worked blue collar jobs at dividing his time, even worked a third job.

Jimmy Belleza

“I never hated my Father for being a drunkard, He became just frustrated.

As children’s story writer Lucy Lombos wrote; “He rose from abject poverty and became a successful entrepreneur, radio anchor and sought-after public speaker.

Jimmy Belleza, the Philippines’ very own Happiness Guru, chooses to live this way 365 days a year.”

You can buy the book online:

Crossing over from poverty to becoming a successful entrepreneur in his own right, Jimmy Belleza is a humble soft spoken individual who takes care of his Mother amid his busy schedule.

Just recently Jimmy ventured into Indie Film Making with the notable film called “ Balikuko” and joined in TV guesting, apart from his own online TV show “Happines Guru” that airs every Thursday on Euro TV.

He is currently filming “Lakad” His first Directorial project.

Making his niche as a Happiness Guru along side Marci Shimoff, GRETCHEN RUBIN, Dr. Sanjiv Chopra in an eclectic world we live in now, not to mention a problematic country like the Philippines? We really need our very own local version of a Happiness Guru in the Person of Jimmy Belleza.
Music Review: Lou Baron Sings Culture Club’s “Do you Really Want to Hurt Me”
By: Maria Urduja Osit-Li
Tags: Philippines, Music, 80s, New Wave, Los Angeles

Originally recorded by English New wave Group that featured Boy George with the band Culture Club “Do you Really Want to hurt Me” with their front man Boy George, the band have sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 6 million BPI certified records sold in the UK and over 7 million RIAA certified records sold in the US.

Their hits include “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” In the UK they amassed twelve Top 40 hit singles between 1982 and 1999, including the number ones “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon”, the latter being the biggest selling single of 1983, and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.

Music Review: Artist Lourdes Duque Baron

Producer: Timeless Entertainment Inc.

Music benefits society and its people no matter what era. Whether it is a nomadic pastor curbing his boredom or a Barrio villager bonding through grief, music enriches the lives of those who indulge in it & your chance to travel back in time like the 1980s perhaps.

Lourdes Duque Baron’s version of this Boy George hit is omnipotent from sunrise to sunset — it is the alarm that puts you in the 80’s era, it is the voice that motivates you in the library, it is the friend that convinces you to chill (if you are planning to kill yourself if the cutest villain you have ever seen suddenly gets married in a movie) and it is the main melody that puts you to sleep.

Lou Baron’s vocal performance has that natural ease effortlessly charismatic and engaging, Lou might as well be conversing with the audience while crooning this song because of her soft sincere voice.
How And Where To Buy Cheap ‘Ryzen PC’ In Manila, Philippines During Lockdown?
By: Terry Ajayi
Tags: Ryzen, Philippines, Manila, How To, Amd

In my ulog video above, i covered all the options that you have, if you are located in ‘Manila, Philippines’ and wanting to purchase your Ryzen PC, whether ‘Ryzen 3’ or ‘Ryzen 5’ as soon as possible.

While the option of Facebook marketplace exists, even if you got a trusted dealer, they are likely to have you wait for days or weeks to deliver your ‘Ryzen PC’ to you. If you had to use marketplaces like Shopee or Lazada, that takes days too!

At ‘Gilmore’ in Quezon City, you can purchase your Ryzen PC as soon as today.

Even so, you will have needed to search a store that actually has ‘stock’ (of Ryzen), in conjunction with ‘all the parts that will make up your computer’. These PC stores at ‘Gilmore’ like to sell ‘PCs’ in ‘bundles’. This way, they can make ‘profit’ in such a way that allows to pay a reasonable price. Assuming that they do not have all the PC-parts that you want and have had to seek out those parts from other stores, the price you will end up paying for your Ryzen, will be drastically high.

In these lockdown period, Ryzen is quite scarce across ‘stalls’ even in Gilmore. Many who have ‘Ryzen PCs’ have old-stock and are likely to hoard it to sell to the highest bidder as ‘customers are quite scarce too’. Besides, there are many people as ‘Ryzen customers’.

Where do you go to then to buy ‘Ryzen PCs’ in Manila during this lockdown, at a reasonable price?

If you have seen the video above, i have answered your question in it. At the bottom of that video, i have also added the exact address and contact-information of a store in Gilmore of Quezon city, that is a supplier of PC-parts, especially ‘Ryzen’ and that will offer you a reasonable price from the outset.

If you haven’t my video above yet, here is where you can buy ‘Ryzen PCs’ in Manila during this lockdown, at a reasonable price:

KCAM store — ‘2ND floor, #25 Gilmore avenue, Cor. aurora blvd, Valencia 4, Quezon city. (Telephone: 86318307/87210359)

I compared ‘prices’ from a range of stores within ‘Gilmore, Quezon City’ to attain this conclusion. While you may find another store with a reasonable price in Gilmore, they may not have all exact parts that you need and where they have had to obtain these parts from other stores, your final-payment becomes high.
Rekindled
By: Santiago Villafania
Tags: Philippines, Villafania, Poetry, Literatura, Poetry Sunday

Rekindled

there’s a rice-pounding song tonight playing

somewhere not too distant the hunter’s moon

bathe in all her glory unconcealing

the primeval dance of the gathering

where the reapers offer what they have sown

to the goddess of the earth and planting

i hear their silent chanting and singing

the last of the Tumatagaumen

with his uncouth orison commencing

the rhythmic gyrations - the quickening

i see them all glistening flesh and worn

ere the embers consumed its own breathing

they touched me not softly with rememb’ring

this pagan ritual this primal passion

but the bardic voice within my being

there’s a rice-pounding song tonight playing

somewhere not too distant the reaper’s moon

will embrace my adamhood arising

they will hear me scream my poems of hunting

...

la canzone del riso-saltellante suona stasera

da qualche parte non troppo lontano la luna del cacciatore

...bagna in tutta la sua gloria incancellabile

la primordiale danza del raduno

dove i mietitori offrono ciò che seminarono

alla dea della terra e del raccolto

io sento il loro silenzioso recitare e cantare

l'ultimo dei Tumatagaumen

con la sua preghiera rozza dischiudere

le ritmiche gilavolte - l'accelerazione

li vedo tutta carne scintillante e indossata

prima che la brace consumi il suo respiro

mi hanno toccato non lievemente col ricordo

questo rito pagano questa passione primordiale

ma la voce del bardo dentro del mio esistere

la canzone del riso-saltellante suona stasera

da qualche parte non troppo lontano la luna mietitrice

abbraccerà il mio essere Adamo sorgente

sentiranno urlare le mie poesie di caccia

(Traduzione di Renzo Piovesan e Ute Margaret Saine)
Taal eruption 2020: how do we anticipate the impacts?
By: Jd Dianala
Tags: Taal, Philippines, Volcano, Science

One way is to look back into history.

Taal Volcano has been erupting since 12 January 2020, after several decades of relative quiet.

Lava gushing out of the main crater in Volcano Island inside Taal Lake. Image from PHIVOLCS.

Historical accounts of an eruption in the year 1754 — one of the ‘worse-case scenarios’ — put some details on a six-month period of heightened activity of Taal Volcano in the Philippines. A great summary of those accounts can be found here: https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/disasters/93809-taal-volcano-1754-eruption. Like a lot of historical records in the Philippines, these are based on writings of Spanish priests. Let me just pull an excerpt from the article:

‘The black smoke streaming upwards from the main crater was also topped by a “huge tempest cloud” where thunderstorms would form. Forks of lightning would then cut through the smoke, said [Father] Buencochillo’

Does that look familiar?

If Augustinian priest Fr. Buencochillo had a smartphone, he probably would have had similar footage (except maybe with a different choice of expletives).

Prior to the 1754 eruption, Chinese sailboats (junks) used to be able to sail into Taal Lake. They went through Pansipit River from Balayan Bay to trade with towns *inside* Taal Lake. I’m not sure how the 18th century junks looked like, but I like to imagine Taal Lake looked something like below:

Chinese junks in Guangzhou, 1880. Lai Afong [Public domain]

Spanish ships would also seek shelter in Taal Lake then (in connection to the galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco). As the lake was at the same level as the sea, and with a wide Pansipit River, the lake water was brackish (Taal is now a freshwater lake with lots of Tilapia).

The 1754 eruption material — some of which was just like the ash what we see today — buried surrounding towns, blocked the river, and, in consequence, the river became narrower. People migrated, towns moved.

Nowadays, some of the sites of previously buried towns around Taal Lake have been repopulated. The accounts of eruptions past have given us an idea of what to expect for these places.

Brighter colors mean more people. A LOT of people live around or near Taal Lake. Map from Reddit u/Mr_M00.

Present-day ash fall has also reached Metro Manila.

Geologists also run computer models and study rocks to anticipate certain scenarios that the historical record misses. After all, Taal has been active for longer than local human history. For example, volcanic deposits more then 5,000 years old exist.

How long will the eruption last? It can be in a matter of days or months. @phivolcs_dost continues to monitor the volcano 24/7 with a wide array of instruments and experience, and will report about what is happening.
Ontology Weekly Report (April 15–21)
By: The Ontology Team
Tags: Philippines, Mousebelt, Recaps, Binance, Blockchain

Back-end

- Completed 20% of smart contract API optimizations



Product Development

· ONTO

- The online campaign on ONTO for the Bibox Russian community has attracted about 800 active participants



· ont.io

- Newly added members to team page and updated hiring page

dApp

- 62 total live Ontology dApps

- 5,326,273 total transactions, representing an increase of 14,568 transactions



Bounty Program

- The Bounty Program page is under development, will be upgraded soon

- The technical community has been invited to raise up new bounty ideas via https://bounty.ont.io/

- Added one new application for the Technical Documentation Translation and one for the SDKs



Community Growth

- The Ontology Chinese, Sri Lankan, Philippines, and Italian communities have gained 441 new members

- The newly opened Ontology Pakistan Community has gained 166 members

- Our Philippine community 1-year anniversary event is currently ongoing



Newly Released

- The Ontology Foundation released its latest Financial Report, which covers expenditures & assets under management from Dec 2019 to Mar 2020. By Mar 31, the total assets managed by the Foundation were valued at approximately US $258,251,842

- Ontology has officially joined the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the world’s leading trade association, along with leading global organizations including Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, Microsoft, Citi & Cisco to continue global blockchain advocacy and adoption

- OKEx Pool, one of Ontology’s consensus nodes, has launched an ONT staking service

- Binance has added a new token pegged to ONT on Binance Chain, providing a decentralized alternative for trading between ONT and BNB. ONT-33D is a BEP-2 token backed by ONT at a 1:1 ratio. It became available for trading on Binance DEX on April 21, 2020



Global Events

- Ontology has been invited to the 72-hour, non-stop, virtual crypto conference REIMAGINE 2020 by MouseBelt this May 4. Erick Pinos, Ontology’s Americas Ecosystem Lead, will be giving a keynote and a workshop at the event to contribute to blockchain education
Three Reasons Why I Won’t Go Back to Siargao, Philippines
By: Taylor Ashley
Tags: Philippines, Travel, Travel Tips

Three Reasons Why I Won’t Go Back to Siargao, Philippines

sdPhoto by Louise Burton on Unsplash

After traveling to several Southeast Asian countries, I have been to my fair share of islands. The Philippines was never on the top of my list, but some friends were going last year and I decided to join them. The company was lovely. Siargao itself was lacking.

Here are three reasons I wouldn’t go back.

1. It’s not cheap.

The accommodations we found after scouring Airbnb, Agoda, and Booking.com were discouraging. They paled in comparison to what you can find for the same price in Bali or Thailand. We were a group of six and you can usually find some pretty epic villas that once divided up are reasonable. Where we stayed in Siargao cost more than we would have liked and was underwhelming.

2. It’s not for beginner surfers.

I took my first surf lesson at Cloud 9. My teacher was a local Filipino, high on life among other things. After giving a brief lesson on the beach on how to pop up, he took me into the water and pushed me into the waves. I didn’t learn anything, but I stood up. In the next few days, I wanted to try again without having to pay for a lucrative surf school with the prices to go with it. There was nowhere to go for beginners to practice. You would get yelled off the line up for not having a guide or almost die on the reef break. I’m scarred for life, but it’s cool.

3. There isn’t a beach.

For those of us who were not going to surf, there was nowhere for us to go to relax and curl up with a good beach read. At least, we never found one. If pristine, sandy beaches are hard to find on an island, this is never a good thing. It’s standard for you to rent a boat in the Philippines. The boat will take you out and you can jump into the water from there and snorkel. Again, this gets expensive and doesn’t compare to a free beach.
Early Morning Feelings about Teaching and Studying Today
By: Mariane Grace
Tags: Philippines, Covid 19, Covid, Academicfreezenow, Online Learning

Image by LEEROY Agency from Pixabay

I came across a shared Facebook post from one former student. The post talks about the trending Twitter hashtag: AcademicFreezeNow. I decided to visit Twitter and read through the top related tweets. Then I went and read the latest tweets.

I am feeling heavy. I rarely post about my opinions on Facebook. However, tonight, I feel very sad.

So I want to share a little something.

Around five months ago, I started asking my students the question, “Are you doing OK?”

It was when the series of community quarantine periods happened. I would always start my classes by asking that question and other questions like, “Did you eat your breakfast?”, “What did you do before joining my class today?”, “How are you feeling?”

My students and I spend time on these kinds of conversations before starting the online class. On my end, I believe it made the sudden change in the delivery of instruction a little lighter. I believe I was able to prevent putting extra, unnecessary pressure on them. We all have our own bag of problems and issues to deal with. It is not hard to spare people around us from additional stress.

I do not know if it is right for me to apologize for the situation. Nonetheless, I am sorry. I know it’s not fair. Nothing’s working out well. If there’s any, it couldn’t balance or outweigh the weight we’re all experiencing.

Our usual way and methods inside the physical classroom were all effective and valuable. It’s what teachers were trained to do, after all. But then, these would no longer work this time. We’re doing everything online.

There are too many issues why online learning is difficult. Though I don’t have enough evidence to support this; in our country, it’s even more exigent because not everyone owns a computer, an internet connection or even a mobile phone to work with.

Into the bargain, working and studying at home is totally different and it will definitely be affecting our and our students’ well-being. Not everyone may understand this, but it is valid. It is happening.

Tonight, I realized that my job as a professor has changed. Perhaps, revamped?

Aside from teaching content, I think I should focus more on facilitating opportunities for students’ growth and learning. I think I should at least do something, even small things, so my students’ well-being and mine are kept intact.

I am pretty sure that I haven’t made a stand relevant to the ingress of this post. I haven’t read enough to do so.

I do not guarantee that this post is free from all kinds of errors. I also do not wish to be either applauded or criticized for sharing my thoughts (which I am certain are in an awry jumble).

Whatever happens, all I wish is for myself, for my loved-ones and for my students to be strong, empathetic, unprejudiced and prayerful.

To my students: Never forget to pray and thank God for every day. Know that He listens. :)

Good night!
BPO Industry Briefing: Manila Ranks 2nd in Top 100 Super Cities by Dennis Pabelico
By: Marge Friginal-Sanchez
Tags: Bpo, Industry Briefing, Philippines, Jcci Edi Events

Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB

The John Clements Industry Briefing on the BPO sector, held last January 30, was accompanied with BBQ, noodles and Dan Reyes, our “last resort” speaker and a very good friend of John Clements, as he was a JCCI client as far back as his early Genpact days.

Our original speaker, Pushkar Misra of SPI Global, had to beg off because of an emergency family matter back in India. Dan graciously accepted our spur-of-the-moment invitation. However, having already retired from Genpact, he pointed out that he scrambled for something to wear ASAP, and in the end, he relied on his respectable barong tagalog.

Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB

Here are some updates on the BPO industry:

The Philippines remains the number 1 provider of voice BPO services worldwide.

The BPO industry in the Philippines consists of 1.3M direct employees, 4.1M indirect employees, and 300k direct employees in 23 provinces.

We have a 13% global market share with $25B in revenues.

The Philippines made it to the Top 5 Digital Nations, where Manila placed second in the Top 100 Super Cities, while Cebu placed 12th and Davao 95th.

The Philippine advantages: robust and diverse talent, cost competitiveness, expanding infrastructure, strong linkages with the government, an academe industry, a leader in voice capabilities, and growing in IT & non-voice business processing.

Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB

The headwinds that put our growth targets at risk:

Cost competitiveness and uncertainty over incentives

AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IA (Intelligent Automation)

Talent supply and quality

According to Dan Reyes, “Growth in the Philippine IT-BPM industry is dependent upon a number of factors and its corresponding programs. While the industry is already implementing multiple programs, it needs to accelerate progress in order to achieve the growth potential.”

Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB

In the end, everyone was enlightened on how our country fared compared to our global competitors. Surely, 2020 will be an exciting year for the BPO industry.
Canada to support lesbian, bisexual and trans women’s economic empowerment in the Philippines in partnership with UNDP/Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific
Tags: LGBTQ, Philippines, Equality, Inclusion

Canada to support lesbian, bisexual and trans women’s economic empowerment in the Philippines in partnership with UNDP/Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific BLIA Follow Mar 21, 2019 · 3 min read

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is proud to welcome Global Affairs Canada as a new partner to the Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific programme, with the signing of an agreement to support work on economic empowerment of lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) women in the Philippines.

Canada’s contribution strengthens community engagement in the research efforts and will be implemented jointly with Galang, a community-based human rights organization that works with lesbian and bisexual women, and trans men in poor urban communities in the Philippines, and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

“The Government of Canada is working with its partners toward a world where the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all are respected and where no one is left behind, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics,” said John T. Holmes, Ambassador of Canada to the Philippines. “We recognize that LGBTI persons must be meaningfully engaged in inclusive development efforts and must benefit from these efforts in a non-discriminatory manner. This partnership with UNDP is a welcome means to increase the inclusiveness of our women’s economic empowerment assistance.”

The vast majority of literature on women’s economic empowerment ignores the dimension of sexual orientation, and trans women’s voices have been effectively absent from the conversation, while official statistics are virtually never disaggregated by sexual orientation or gender identity. This invisibility of LBT women pushes them to the margins of the conversation and excludes them from effective programming and policy-making.

The research being undertaken through the Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific programme aims to start filling this gap by conducting a needs and resources assessment by and for LBT women in the Philippines on economic empowerment that will inform future advocacy, programming and policymaking.

“We are very excited that Canada has joined the Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific partnership. Both Canada and UNDP have a firm and longstanding commitment towards social inclusion of LGBTI people and promoting their human rights,” said Håkan Björkman, UNDP Regional Health Advisor for Asia and the Pacific. “In partnership with Canada, we will be able to better engage local communities in these applied research efforts, paving the way for policy changes that will have real positive impacts on the lives of LBT women in the Philippines.”

For more information, contact:

Ian Mungall, Programme Analyst, HIV, Health and Development, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub

ian.mungall@undp.org
Who loves stories?
Tags: Philippines, Fashion, Lifestyle, Influencer, Blogger

Who loves stories?

Let me tell you one. When I got my High school degree, I was so excited to step-in college. At first, it was so hard to adjust, find new friends that might be with me through my whole life in college. Never be afraid to try new things *that’s what I’ve learned*. I was so scared back then, there are lots of “what if" inside my head. Moving on, college wasn’t that bad at all. I found my second family, the Ateneo Blue Vigors (dance org.) and I’ve been with them these past 5 years of my college life. Now, it’s only a week and 2 more days to go till our graduation. Saying good bye is a bit hard for me. Welcoming myself to the adulting life, I’m still not ready. I’m still finding myself or shall I say looking forward to what will I become. I’m happy of what I am now, but the world is big. There’s a lot of opportunity, i guess? Where are my manners? ha-ha I am Dayle Lao a Business Administration Major in Corporate Management student, a simple lifestyle/fashion influencer in Zamboanga City, Philippines and to cut the story short. I’m very honoured to share my so called “college experience” here. Keep moving forward. How’s everyone doing?

Instagram: @ethriellao

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvOhPs0haQ6/