I’m taking a break from a whole day of typing in my desperate (yet educational) dash to finish a research paper which is due for presentation this Thursday. So while checking my Twitter for updates, I stubmled upon this @TIME ’s post: “Is running barefoot better for you? | http://su.pr/18y6rc “. Out of curiosity if I’ll see the same post, which was about the Africans running barefoot which I’ve been searching and yet disappointingly haven’t found until my recent purchase of Nike’s running shoes, the one I saw was different but just as interesting. It is barefoot alright, but technically it’s not. See the video below.Â
I don’t know when this Five-Finger will become a trend and make the current Nike shoes obsolete and cheap (to my delight), but right now I have mixed feelings about it. One part of me is excited to see it upfront, while another part of me, doubt that this is just another marketing ploy. It is just one of those things like: when they’d like to sell green tea, they say that coffee is bad; when they’d like to sell a new coffee bean brand, they’d say that drinking coffee is good for one’s health. Well, make up your mind dudes.
Anyway, that rant is a hopeless rant. It has work time and again, and business becomes better than ever. It’s all about marketing and the gullible consumers that hooks up into it like persistent leeches.
Mood: 3/10 Honks! (last stretch of my research paper and I’ll be running the treadmill soon…using my Nike shoes. Not barefoot. Yet)
I’m now done with the Enron Ethics class paper I’ve been doing for days. But there’s more on queue. And one that I’m doing right now is a research on corporate governance, still on Ethics class which quite frankly I feel suddenly overwhelmed about this subject. I’ve been seated for just  more than an hour or so and I was surprised to see that I’ve so far written quite a lot about it.  As I went looking for videos on youtube about this subject matter, a video not actually related to it came to mind. It’s Conan O’Brien visiting Intel’s Santa Clara plant.
While I ponder and sigh as I look at the ever familiar cubicles, thanks to what we used to call as Copy Exactly! if you’ve seen one, highly likely you’ve seen the rest located in some other parts of the world. But of course, being there is another thing, I began to realize that what I’m looking at must have something in common. Well, Intel (at least the Philippine site) will be totally gone (I don’t know exaclty when) soon and so will be Conan – although he’ll probably part with $40 Million which could actually be equivalent or less to what was spent by Intel to…
Man, what coincidence. I’ll surely be missing both.
Mood:Â 4/10 Honks! (misses Intel somehow. So I think I’ll use this video in the class regardless)
At least for most of the men who were identified as key players of this infamous corporate debacle. I’m currently busy doing a midterms paper in our Ethics class and for days already I’ve been focused into finishing it. (Un)fortunately, as I delve into this already complex case which involves white-collar rogues, well as what the news giants like CNN, NYTimes and NBC have reported and portrayed, I seem to get more confused and the dilemma of directly pointing the blame to people like Jeffrey Skilling and revering Enron’s famous whistleblower, Sherron Watkins, gets more harder and harder to deal with.
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Thanks to this blog site, The Enron Blog by Cara Ellison, I now have access to insights other than what is offered by the usual experts or references (Yahoo, CNN, Wikipedia, etc.) I’ve used for my research. The Enron blog gives one a peak to another perspective wherein executives and employees become known as just the ordinary Joe’s who once lived normal lives – before they got accused, convicted and for some, jailed. Now after reading several articles on this informative blog, I now have reservations of tagging Enron as synonymous to cheating. I highly suggest anyone researching about Enron to consider checking this blog to get more details that could affect a conclusion to a case study.
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Mood: 3/10 Honks! (3 reference books and The Enron Blog)
I must be dreaming. Yet I’m not. I’m checking on my blog site stats and this is probably the most number of hits I got or will ever get per day. 1000 hits per day? Have I become another mo twister or what? Anyway, a hit is a hit whatever the reasons are.
I’m not so into checking what went on but right now I’ll consider it a milestone. I’ve got piles of school research to finish and I’m using QuickPress to update this blog.
Good morning everyone. Good morning visitors – if you ever did exist. *LOL*
Yesterday, I was with my (small) business partners trying to figure out how to improve sales of our lechon manok and after scouting for several good locations, we settled and just talked about it somewhere along the Aguinaldo highway. During the discussion, one said that he had an ingenious idea of having our lechon manok sold by mounting it behind a modified tricycle (similar to Thailand’s toktok). Personally, I find it smart yet at the same time ridiculous, as I’m amused at the thought a stall with a chimney running along the highway. But as we half-heartedly muse at the possibility of it being done, our doubts about it soon burst like bubbles after we saw what stopped right in front of us – a mobile lechon manok!
This owner-type jeepney stopped as if on cue. Without ado, the person behind approached the jeepney while its passenger alight in an instant to entertain the customer who came out of nowhere.
Manong here expertly chopped away the merchandise…
…and was gone…well, just barely, in 90 seconds so to speak.
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Here’s another example of a mobile market.
Also the same type of vehicle – owner-type jeepney.
This time however, the rear part of it is full of goods normally seen and sold in the wet market.
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I’m now truly amazed at how enterprising Filipino people can get. I think I now have to brace myself for what might come around being sold using an owner-type jeepney. What about mobile videoke? Hmmm. Hint hint. But then again, what if it already does exist. Can’t wait to see one.
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Mood: 3/10 Honks! (kiddo is now fast asleep and I wonder if he’ll wake up early once again to ride his bike)
I bet that almost everyone who’s commuting daily read this question printed on each and every public transport vehicle. I also bet that most if not all probably thinks this is just some useless print similar to the No Smoking sign inside the jeepneys that not even its drivers care to follow. But guess what, I’ve just proven that this sign behind every buses, jeepneys and taxis, “How’s my driving? Text LTFRB 09214487777,” is after all working even until now. I discovered it after I reported a reckless taxi driver who cut me off while I’m on my way down the Magallanes flyover in EDSA.
A couple of minutes after I reported the incident, a polite sounding voice called me up and asked about the details of the incident and committed to verify the identity of the operator and vehicle and ‘will’ get back to me about any update – if they’ll do it or not, it’s another story. Anyway, at least it’s comforting to know that some things in our government still work somehow. Kudos LTFRB. Screw you PWG 956, you don’t deserve to be on the streets for you just ruined my New Year’s to-do of not minding other drivers and cursing them in the process.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (I’ll have 350+ days to get back on this 2010 ‘to-do’)
This is our second to the last night here at home in Bacolod and other than the company of my parents I will also miss the pets. So to keep them with me, I’ll give them space to my blog site. Introducing our three ‘asong pinoy.’
They say that let sleeping dogs lie…
…well, at least until someone distracts them.
This is pop-c. She’s the docile among the dogs, yet she’s the alpha dog.
This one is sheep.
She’s Marcus’ favorite but so far he wasn’t successful touching her. Sheep hates him…I think.
But if there’s one lucky dog among the three, it would be Hayu. He can’t walk for years already and he’s had deep wounds but he’s been taken care of by my parents.
He’s tough and spoiled. In fact, he now sleeps inside one of the rooms after his nightly wipe down by my mother. And don’t be fooled by that look and inability to stand and walk, he can inflict harm to strangers and trespassers. Trust me.
Once again, our son’s weird sleeping pattern made us go out late in the afternoon and had to settle to a place just nearby our home. But surprise, surprise, this time we got into a new place (thanks to my sister) where my impression of our beloved hometown, Bacolod, comes back up. Once again, I’m proud to be a Bacoleño or Bacolodnon…at least while at this place – the new Bacolod City Hall.
The place is wide and is conducive place to just watch the sun set behind the sugarcane field. It’s also a good alternative for runners/joggers if they get bored running around the Bacolod Lagoon (which is located at the other side of the city).
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The new Bacolod City hall’s fountain looks wonderful during sunset…
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…just as it looks good during night time.
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The lights put more emphasis and beauty to the building’s facade.
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That’s me enjoying family time with kid…
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…and wifey alike.
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And just like any places here in the Philippines, the ever present tarpaulin with faces of those who claim credit to the success of such project is somewhere around the area. My hats off to you Mayor Bing Leonardia, but don’t forget you’ve got more things to do – cleanup downtown Bacolod, continue educating the people not to burn garbage (and who can blame them if they’re not seeing your garbage trucks pick their trashes regularly)…and lastly, and before I forget, remind the people in Manokan Country to bring back the good old taste of the chicken inasal before we lose the pride of Bacolod.
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Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Baby is acting up again…maybe, we’ll push through with our plan to visit the ruins tomorrow and stay there until 9 pm until he gets tired and sleep early)
Our Bacolod vacation is now complete. After days of wondering when this day will ever materialize or if it’s going to happen during our next visit, we finally made it to the city’s famous Manokan Country. What I find more interesting is despite doubt that we can successfully visit the place of the original (sorry Mang Inasal, but you’re not) Bacolod inasal, before we head back to Manila this Thursday, wifey and I gladly made it with our 1.5-year old boy tagging along. We can’t believe it, but he was fairly behaved this time.
A fluffy muffin did the trick and he’s with us throughout the meal.
I understand the feeling – it’s been 2 years since she had one.
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Disappointingly, the excitement to be back in the place proudly synonymous to Bacolod City wasn’t matched by the taste that I’ve known for years. What we had tasted dry, bland and looks unappealing. The pecho size is now smaller than before and my ever favorite isol now comes in 3 per stick instead of 4 – its size shrunk as well. To confirm if it’s not just me, we brought home the same chicken parts for my parents and my mother commented just as I did, “indi na namit…las-ay“. Ti abi. What I don’t know now is if Nena Beth III’s chicken serving is what sucks because based on my wife’s observation, it is where most people flocked to eat tonight. Sigh. Where have all the good chicken inasal and cooks gone? I’d be damned if I learn that they’re now in the Mang Inasal restaurant chain. Boooo.
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Mood: 4/10 Honks! (Need to bring back the tasty inasal in Manokan Country)
