FilipinoWriter.Com is one such enclave that I’ve been regularly visiting since its inception a few years back. A community of wordsmiths both professional and amateur, this niche in cyberspace is a hotbed of talent waiting to erupt, threatening to engulf the mainstream scene and give established writers a run for their money. Consider one of the most popular novellas published in that site:

Judas Priest on a burning bicycle! Okay, so the proposed cover art leaves a lot of room for improvement. In fact, I think it’s about as abominable as an aging, washed-up Thai prostitute getting boned by a mangy Doberman named Rex on streaming video for a few grams of meth. Jeebus, but less excretable artwork have led wretches to the guillotine!

IT GETS WORSE

I received an overseas call from my friend Claire in Manila.  Upset and almost crying, she asked me if I know how she could reach her husband who’s working in the same company with my brother here in Riyadh.  I told her that I will send her a message later with her husband’s company contact number.

That was yesterday.  Until this time, I still don’t know if I should give his number or not.

Mike and Claire have been married for 8 years with 2 kids.  When Mike left to work here in Riyadh almost a year ago, Claire stopped working to personally take care of their kids.  With Mike’s promise of a bulky monthly remittance from this oil- rich country as a Civil Engineer, Claire didn’t hesitate to leave her job to become a full time mom.

But two ago months, I was shocked to hear that Mike wanted to marry another girl.  Later on, he invited me, my husband and my brother to attend their wedding reception in a restaurant near the Phil. Embassy where their wedding took place.  I was not sure how they managed to get “married”. I heard that the “bride” also has a family in Cebu with 4 kids but she’s still proud to “marry” Mike who’s a well known family man too.

Sadly, the Philippine government has been focusing on a massive labor deployment abroad as a major economic strategy of the Philippines, despite the negative social impact to Filipino families.

Several support groups who are helping families of OFW’s have noted an increasing number of complaints against immigrants abandoning their brood- mostly because several OFW’s have gotten involved in illicit affairs with other OFW’s and already have formed new families in their host countries.

Meanwhile, what happens when the OFW family back home stops receiving support from their overseas-based breadwinners for a reason that their parent has engaged with another affair abroad? How many Claire’s, who dream of a better life for her kids, wake up from a nightmare when the man he loves who promised good life for their family abandon them for another woman?

Here in Saudi Arabia, adultery is punishable by death.  Still, countless Filipinos involve themselves with the obscenity.  I hear stories of “couples” who use fake marriage licenses- most of them have their own families in the Philippines.  Some of them admit connivance from some crook Embassy staff forging marriage documents for money.  Other Filipino men convert to Islam to “legalize” their desire to marry other women. Many of these men are convinced with the assumption that Islam is a religion that has introduced polygamy by allowing man to marry more than one wife.  However, they do not follow the rule of Islam which pertains to the religious side of holy matrimony as well as the financial and the social sides. Islam organizes all aspects of life for its followers and not limited only to religious aspect. Thus, full consent is a major corner of the marriage contract in Islam where a wife has full right to refuse a polygamous marriage.

Claire’s story is not new.  Since more than 10 percent of Philippines’ populations are overseas workers, the absence of one parent or both has always created an impact to Filipino children left behind.  Some grandparents become surrogate parents for these children.

Still, some are left among themselves, being forced to early responsibility of “parenting” to their younger siblings. It is a usual case that when an overseas worker acquires a new family in the host country or engages in extramarital affairs, the spouse left behind becomes unfaithful.  In either case, their children suffer from the family’s collapse.  Children become rebellious.  They abhor the idea of their parents’ mere irresponsibility- parents who deprived them of their basic right to a home where their biological parents are united in marriage and in a commitment to support them. In turn, they become socially tormented, and may further become social problems themselves.

The breakup of families and the problems associated with marital discord because of immigration should not be left without a response from the same government who encourages Filipinos to work abroad in order to keep the Philippine economy afloat.  There should be more advocacy efforts from our government to look after the families left behind by OFW’s.  Philippine embassies in host countries should take necessary steps to stop the growing number of illicit affairs among Filipino expatriates.  It is enough for Filipinos to be renowned worldwide for skills, talents, and professionalism.  We should not let some “kabayans” tarnish our image of Filipinos with good family values and strong family ties.

A family is considered the most basic social entity.  How could we expect our society to uphold its dignity if the very basic unit is already disintegrated?

Finally, I’ve decided to send a message to Claire about his husband, Mike.

I swear, condom-buying is already as stressful as it is: you have to walk around the store pretending to be buying something totally unrelated, hence you have to pick up random shit like deodorants and paper clips and toenail clippers and toothpaste and merely pretend to stumble upon the condom by accident in case that hot girl you’ve been eying the moment you walked into the store has been looking at you and think that you’re a perv.

Then you have to lug around your totally unnecessary stuff which you will have to shell out a few hundred bucks for, and when the clerk scans your stuff and gets to the condom, she’d guffaw like crazy, point at you, and with her loud loud voice, announce to the entire shop that you just bought a condom, and unbelievable as it sounds because you look a little like John Candy with a creepy pedo-beard, you’re going to get laid. Finally. More »

My hubby is extremely addicted to Kate Perry and her new song entitled I Kissed A Girl. Like any full blooded and straight man, the concept of two women kissing brings him into a frenzy.

Read more…

A cute mate (my crush before) invited me one saturday night to “chill” at Brews Café in Mango Avenue. He is showing me the place that he used to go and meddled with the live acoustic and/or reggae performance of the band that is a regular in that cafe. Definitely, I gave a thought of coming back on weekends to be one with music of my soul. I find it cool than skinny-dripping wet with party animals in clubhouses.

Lurking around while fantasy-drooled by the lead singer of the acoustic band, came the apple of my eye that night, “Mr. Lonely” ! Yeah, I don’t know his name and don’t have that effort of confidence to ask! He might give his Pseudoname so I’d rather be ready with my Canon cam and wait for some perfect time to capture the “apple”. Click, click, click… I finally hit the spot! Find out who he is at
http://www.obnoxiousqueer.com

Read my other blogs:

http://techalang.blogspot.com
http://foodelity.blogspot.com
http://meneaters.blogspot.com
http://mailboxatrandom.blogspot.com

Name of Establishment: Gerry’s Grill
Location: Ayala Center Cebu
Types of Food: Grilled and other Filipino dishes
Over-all place: Very Spacious
Ratings (1-5): 5
Other Branch: The Northwing SM City Cebu
Contact: 415-8284 (For delivery service)
E-mail: smcebu@gerrysgrill.com

Cebu has lots of good restaurants to fill my open mouth and hungry stomach. With friends around or just on my own, having access to these food haven is a perfect dome to eat and

More after the jump at http://foodelity.blogspot.com

Please read other blogs:

http://www.obnoxiousqueer.com
http://techalang.blogspot.com
http://meneaters.blogspot.com
http://mailboxatrandom.blogspot.com

The only permanent in this world is change.

Sino nga ba ang hindi nagbabago dito sa mundo? Emotional, physiological, metaphysical at psychiatrical nagbabago sa atin. Lalo na sa physicality natin. Dahil sa pagbabago ng environment plus pa ang stress at ageing, nagbabago ito. Humihina ang elasticity ng balat kasi nababawasan ito ng tubig in time.

Ituloy…

Today, August 21, is the 25th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino. The iamninoy campaign seeks to remind all Filipinos not only of Ninoy’s heroism but also of each Filipino’s capacity to be a hero in his/her own way, wherever they are, whatever age they may be. More…

I’ve waited for the photos and now they’re all up! Thanks Sinjin for the photos. Anyway, the photo above was taken by a Cebu blogger last week when we had our Cebu Blogger’s Eye Ball @ Figaro Coffee Shop at The Walk, IT Park, Cebu. In fact, it was one of the meet ups of which I really enjoyed the company of bloggers because of the guys (Linnor & Jerry Rapes) of MorphExchange and Exist Global was there also to check on us especially that we have Aileen Apolo as our guest together with Jay de Jesus.

Read more here..

When you ask me what my favorite movie is, I’d probably stay quiet for a while and give you some pretentious artsy shit like City of God, or even the incomprehensible Babel to impress you. And if you happen to possess a vagina, I’d probably even name Orson Welles and Akira Kurosawa as my favorite directors so I can get into your pants, even though my only experience with these directors was when I snored through Citizen Kane and when I wanked off at the rape scene in Rashomon. (Shut up. 1950’s Japanese rape scene is STILL a Japanese rape scene.)

Yeah, I name all those films I can even barely understand so I can pass off as an artsy dude who gets all the ladies who swoon at a film freak. So far, I managed to nail one: Joan, the girl who sells popcorn at the Cineplex in SM San Lazaro, and she technically doesn’t have a vajajay. Also, Joan may or may not be her real name. For all we know, it might be “Juan”, but I refuse to elaborate any further. More »

“Citius, Altius, Fortius”- those are the three Latin words meaning “Faster, Higher, Stronger” on the Olympic Motto.

I wonder if anybody in this world does not know about Olympic Games. From my school days in primary grade, my teachers already injected the significance of the Olympics in my young mind. Almost every four years, I give a keen attention to one of the world’s anticipated event—always putting my hopes high that my beloved country would bring home a “gold”.

Then it happened again.

This year in Beijing, since the start of the Olympics, I am tracking the performance of Philippine Athletic Delegation to China. At least two times in every single day, when I wake up in the morning and before I sleep at night (sometimes, during lunch at work too), I visit the Beijing Olympics Homepage— wishing to be surprised for a news of the Philippine team bagging a medal (to wish for a gold is way far too high L). I am waiting for a medal for Philippines. Even just one medal….

But is it truly luck which does not favor the Pinoy delegation?

Prior to this year’s Olympics, Filipinos have been pinning their hopes, after 84 years of not getting a gold medal, on Filipino boxer, Harry Tanamor. Since 1924 when Philippines joined Olympic Games, Filipino athletes have won only nine medals, with boxing athletes bagging two silver medals and three bronze medals. In 2004, Tanamor was able to reach the quarterfinals in Athens game. This year, he had to win five matches to bag a gold. Unfortunately, Filipinos had another big upset when boxer Tanamor suffered an immediate defeat from losing to Manyo Plange of Ghana, on August 13

Now, with only a few more days before Beijing Olympics end, I am wondering if I should put the blame on the Pinoy athletes for not wining, or to the country where they came from– embodied by Philippines’ ever grueling politics which I am not proud of.

I watch several clips of amateur Olympiads from other countries (especially those coming from Southeast Asia- our “neighbors”) garnering medals everyday. I am happy for the showcase of skills and talents as well as the spirit of sportsmanship from the athletes’ stories.

But I could not push back my sadness, thinking that I know my country can do better.

Is it that hard?

Filipinos around the globe struggle daily to be recognized.

A medal would have been dearly welcomed amidst the chaos of military conflict in Philippines right now.

In the end, I could just sit and wait—wishing that Philippines might get a “gold” during my lifetime— even just ONE.

One thing you should know about me, aside from my pure hatred for dogs, is that I love rainy days. I love the sound that the rain makes on our roof. I love the gloomy skies. I just love everything about it. Well, not everything. Here’s a list of rainy day things I’m not too crazy about:

1. Wet roads. It being slippery doesn’t really bother me since I’m confident enough with my ill driving skillz. I just don’t like deep puddles doing a number on my wheels. Also, mud on my car is just not sexy.

2. Getting soaked. Most of the time, I like getting a little wet by the rain. I don’t mind water meeting my jacket, but holy Baby Jesus, it pisses me off when my pants get soaked! And let’s not get into the topic of wet socks.

» Read the rest of the entry

I know it’s early. But better be early than sorry. Get ready as the country’s biggest and grandest festival has already released its schedule of activities for the Sinulog Festival 2009!

Continue Reading here Sinulog Festival 2009

You read that right, Linux is coming to an iCafe near you. (1) Ubuntu iCafe is now being offered by at least 1 iCafe group to new entrepreneurs; (2) FREE Linux Distros CD Distribution is available in Market! Market!; (3) the best of FLOSS (Free/Libre Open-Source Software) applications compiled in one CD for Windows users.

Learn more by visiting this link: CHEAP iCafe Investment and Get your FREE Linux CD.

Now I’m back! I’m really happy that my site is back and can’t wait to blog on what’s new and hot these days. Well for the past few days I’ve been experiencing heavy downtimes and the last was a total chaos wherein I can’t see my site. Anyway, everything is up and running and hopefully I’m good to go. Back-up is ready now and I only need my creative juices to leak for me to start banging my keyboards.

Read more here..

It’s been quite a while since we heard from my Inner Child, haven’t we? I honestly don’t know what to do with this next Inner Child Therapy session since I haven’t been emo and shit lately. I know, I know, the reason you return to this blog is that you wanna read up on my failures and now that I don’t carry a shitful of emo around my blog is extremely pointless to read.

Just to prove my point, here’s my traffic lately:

See the downward slope? That’s you people, telling me that my blog is useless without me documenting my many failures in life.

You guys suck.

Anyway, here’s me and my Inner Child, going at each other’s throats as usual. I swear, If he wasn’t all imaginary and subconscious-y, I’d have beaten him up a long time ago.

INNER CHILD: Oh crap, don’t tell me you wanna talk to me again.
ME: Oh yes I do. You see, I totally need you this time.
INNER CHILD: You always need me. But where the fuck are you whenever I need help?
ME: Look, when did you ever ask me for-
INNER CHILD: That’s not the point. The thing is you’re never there when I need help because-
ME: Again: you have never asked me for help. Not once.
INNER CHILD: Again: that is not the fucking point.
ME: …
INNER CHILD: What?
ME: What the fuck is your point, then?
INNER CHILD: My point is that you whack off way too much at your extensive collection of Maria Ozawa videos.

ME: That just did not make any sense.
INNER CHILD: Of course it doesn’t. More »

The lighting of the Olympic Torch during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was probably the most dramatic in the history of the Games. Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo lit his arrow from a burning torch, fired it into the night sky and set the Olympic Flame alight when it landed on the cauldron. Or did it?

Read the rest of the entry from Nihonzaru…

The Senate Joint Resolution No. 10 is about making the Philippines into a Federal Republic. If you don’t like reading such documents or you just want a short and direct information about it, then this is for you. Read: SJR#10 in a Nutshell.