The COMELEC rejected Ang Ladlad’s bid for a party list accreditation for the May 2010 election. From the definition of the party list, these organization should represent the minority. They represent the voice of the small people in the congress were congressmen represents the majority of the people that elected them. COMELEC have sited that the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community that Ladlad represents promotes immorality. I being openly gay is affected by this blind judgment that my government have cast upon me.
Just recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ruled to clear the Ampatuans. Seeing 57 dead bodies in a dugout mass grave who wanted to bring change in the Autonomous Region of the country breaks my heart and spirit. My government not doing anything with this blatant display of arrogance and power affects me.

How can I in good conscience root for this government? A government who discriminates me because of my sexuality instead of protecting me. A government that calls me immoral yet takes my ‘immoral’ tax. A government who turns a blind eye on the arrogance of its official for favors and wealth.

My countrymen, I beg you this election to grab your concerns and your worries. Put it in your heart and mind. Take control of you future. I will not persuade you who to vote, but I implore you to vote according to your conscience. The future is upon us now, this May. Own it.

for me, the measure of a good government is not gnp, or increased export or number of jobs created. it’s simply how much trust its citizen has in the government, and right now i have too little respect more so trust to this government. i used to say better gma nd fpj. now i wonder how it would be if fpj won.

listening to:
The Soul Sessions – Joss Stone : Dirty Man (Live)

but it doesn’t take away from the celebration of a woman; her sexuality, body, mind and spirit. i guess it’s all about how you portray a woman. a woman in skin tight clothes in the arms of a burly man is different from a woman in skin tight clothes running a multi-million company.

pink’s performance  in the recently concluded 2010 grammys is amazing. the purity of the song, its artistic articulation in aerial acrobatic and carefully selected costume. in the sea of artistic compromises, this is art.

you can download this track here.

listening to:
Funhouse – Pink : Glitter In The Air

and their commercials help too. the marketing is genius if you ask me. the appeal is universal and simplistic, very relatable. its strong presence and character stands out. so here’s to a product that is not only enjoyable but also is an icon on its own.

listening to:
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books – Ella Fitzgerald : Get Happy

the year seemed to be my stand still moment, a time to reflect. that in hindsight seemed over done. who in their right mind would need a year to reflect? yes, i’m one big crazy. the question is am i that big of a crazy. but who cares, supposedly as long as i have learned something from it. that’s all that matters. between you and me, i haven’t learned anything at all. that’s life for me. it’s a short life, i rather live it.

it’s 2010, supposedly a fresh start. it’s not just a new year but a new decade. in retrospect, i am proud of my career. 9 years in the making to be where i am right now. that in fact is what the decade is all about for me, career building. that is what i have for show kids, an untarnished, shinning and dare say enviable career.

but through it all, all the hardships, pain, travels, employers, vacations that i should have taken, 3 hospitalizations, paranoia, weddings, living alone, deals and pursuits, the years have been good to me. benjamin franklin might be a great man but i beg to disagree. it’s not only death and taxes that are constant in this world, also good friends. to the tsongers, we may not be related by blood, but you are my family. you have put up with this crazy, as i have put up with yours. and it’s no easy feat but it’s something we all have helped to build. so dahon stop your whining and sudden bouts of migration plans, we are here to stay.

I’m old fashioned
I love the moonlight
I love the old fashioned things

The sound of rain
Upon a window pane
The starry song that April sings

This year’s fancies
Are passing fancies
But sighing sighs holding hands
These my heart understands

I know I’m old fashioned
But I don’t mind it
That’s how I want to be
As long as you agree
To stay old fashioned with me

I’m old fashioned
But I don’t mind it
That’s how I want to be
As long as you agree

To stay old fashioned with me
Oh won’t you stay old fashioned with me
Oh please stay old fashioned with me

i can’t resist. i have this thing with action figures and construction. it’s a character in a game and i’m thinking of buying the whole thing. of course i got my essentials, meaning 4 cartons of tropicana juice. i am so in love with tropicana! the only juice i drink here. was thinking between dr. pepper and tropicana and remembered my trainor, the juice then. off to pick some more items. but i had to, i have to get the dove dark chocolate promises. it’s like fortune cookie in smooth, silky chocolate form! grabbed dinner at a mexican place, a burito plate and went straight home.

immediately, i put together my new toys. it took me 3 minutes to piece the first one. i’m not big on following instructions but i have to. too many pieces to put together. skrall looked like this.

angry, mean with a long sword. no pun intended. mata nui is more complex to put together. he’s like the the warrior in yellow. if you ask me, he’s a little gay. hehehe. no straight man, warrior or not, can pull that shade of yellow if you ask me.

after all of that “construction”, i unpacked my grocery bag. now my kitchen pantry looks like this. i bought 2 packs of energy bar. since most of the food here is high calorie, i figured to stuff protein bars.

the only person i will acknowledge as my president. you can argue with figures, poverty line, growth, etc. but the fact is, her presidency is not about those. it’s restoring social order, it’s about giving you back your freedom, your democracy.

i respect her as a leader, even without the title of president of the philippines. i admire her selflessness, her undying passion to do what is right even how contentious it is. she followed what she believes is right and just. they say that presidents should do what is right, but she followed what is in her heart and conscience. she may not have made the best decisions, alleviate us from poverty but she led us out of the hands of a tyrant. selflessly gave up power. silently and vigilantly watch over our best interest.

i hope you get better. in these days were morality, intentions and heart are in question, we need you more than ever. show us once again how to lead.

pardon me if i choose not to elaborate. i’m in an awkward place simply put. some things can be easily decided; socks, nail polish, upsized meals and holding out the tomato. some things are better left in the dark, like pandora’s box. there are times that the right thing to do is no the best thing to do. he makes me happy, i know that much. my mind and common sense is telling that i will hurt in the end. in all likelihood i would end up bawling given how sensitive i’ve become listening to you and i both (waiting for my rocket – jason mraz). a friend is right, i have the flare for drama in my life. don’t ask my heart, it doesn’t listen to reason nor respond to common sense. it chooses to follow it’s own rhythm, it beats only to have its own voice. it heeds no opinion. often people say that life is cruel and unfair. i don’t believe in that, i believe that life throws you a curve ball because it throws you a curve ball. why blame some thing that can never defend itself? a tempting escape goat but not for me. this is my doing, this is entirely me.

for what it’s worth, i’m happy-for now. so life can suck it.

p.s. i know you read my blog, and hopefully you haven’t figured out you’re you. but if you do, i hope you wouldn’t change. what we have is perfect that i choose to keep my silence between us.

listening to: 
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Jason Mraz : Lucky featuring Colbie Caillat

good thing i availed my retention plan with smart, i got the verzio duplii with the awkward keypad. it was stuck in my room for almost 2 months with no use other than a glorified watch and pseudo-flashlight. it looks ok, but i really don’t like the keypad. i was thinking of giving it to my niece who’s graduating this april from college, but i guess i’ll be using it for a while until i can afford to buy a vertu. or not. i’m just pissed on how stupid of me loosing something like a third arm. it’s one thing being held up as oppose to loosing your phone for no apparent reason than changing into a business jacket to be decent enough for a client presentation. i had little sleep; i reported to the office earlier than usual, 7.30am early, just to finish piles of work. i have to do a workshop in one room while attending a meeting in the next room. right after a presentation meeting followed by a debriefing and more initiatives. i need a portable coffee spinal tap to make it through the day. enough bitter ocampo, it’s a friday and tomorrow would be a happy, rocking day! further announcement later.

on a different note, please remember to turn off your lights tomorrow, 2009.03.28 from 8.30pm – 9.30pm in observance of earth hours. our company partnered with earth hours and is observing it through all its offices around the world. i think it’s way better than just giving money and resources, getting down right dirty and making things happen. register and be counted.

listening to:
Double Wide – Uncle Kracker : Follow Me

i hope the person who found you, turned you off and decided to keep you, die from pancreatic cancer and skin asthma. there.

but… i have, lately, grown to appreciate the importance of the organizer/journal. not the dear diary type, the one you use professionally. i’ve been lugging around my planner/journal in all my meetings, jotting down notes and putting in my calendar for the month, including my personal schedules. although outlook is a wonderful tool and it really helps you to organize your calendar, there is still something extra special  when you scribble on a piece of paper. writing it down instead of typing makes it more important, more special. maybe it’s the human factor; it’s more personal, more relatable, that you see your notes and things to do in something more accessible and warm compared to a laptop or pda. and writing it on a paper helps me think. supposedly there’s no difference typing and writing it, but for some freaky reason i think more when i write it down. even in the middle of writing, i think and come up with something, it may not be a stroke of genius but you’ll never know.

it may look hypocritical, lobbying around to save mother earth while consuming paper equaling to a 20th of a full grown tree plus toxic dyes  (ink). the least that i can do is to consciously  choose recycled papers and non-toxic materials. and there are a lot of choices out there! recycling, specifically recycled paper, is so in right now. i hope it’s because we are becoming more environmentally conscious in how we live. but for whatever reasons, we are using these recyclables and we are helping to save mother earth. so no moleskin for me unless they make one using recycled paper.

visit http://wearewhatwedo.org to learn how you can do your share to help this piece of rock we call home. here, here for lesser carbon footprint!

listening to:
Drive – Incubus : Drive

watchmen is supposedly the greatest graphic novel ever published. forgive me, in my honest opinion it should be wetworks by whilce portacio, 1-11. issue 12 onwards began to crap, whilce quit and storyline began to get boring and tired. so i trolley myself to the movie house, get a ticket and wait for 2 hours for the next screening just to find out how good is it. good thing there’s a cafe breton at midtown. i suggest that you try their mozzarella burger, it’s so tender and juicy and the best thing is that it’s grilled (i don’t do fried stuff anymore unless using olive oil). so here’s the lowdown. the start was boring, dragging even, trying to make the audience up to speed. the middle part picked up the slack with well developed characters, good effects, fantastic storytelling and dark plots and twist that will make a pinoy telenovela shy and childish thanks largely from the novel. the ending was expectedly unexpected, not giving the story away. definitely, deliciously dark, just the way i like my movie-deceptively good. one redeeming quality about the movie, dr. manhattan’s blue pututuy in all its glory. does the end justifies the means? does it?

on a different note, i forgot to tell you that i am on a strict diet, and that i change trainor. with my previous trainor, i gained a lot of muscle, bulked up to 155lbs. however the complication is that i’m having lower back problems. my new trainor had me on a very strict diet. for two weeks i was only eating 2 cans of century tuna in water, 6 egg whites, no salt, no carbs. near the end of the 2nd week, i almost fainted but lost 10lbs. i’m still in the same diet but with little carbs-a cup of brown rice or pasta. vanity is my favorite sin.

it’s not really a new one, but rather i stepped it up a notch; i am now gratifying my senses, my taste buds. my dad taught me that you haven’t lived your life if you deprive yourself of good eats. and i have been living my life pretty damn good. since i’ve declared a bar-ban, i have been spending time at home and eating out. i think i have covered 40% of the restaurants at morato and it’s my personal mission to experience all of morato’s culinary offerings. i love morato especially on a sunday, it’s very laid back with people who enjoys food less the crazy clubbing teens. well depends on the time, sometimes you get to dine with a whole family with their young children running around screaming. did you know that cafe breton has a branch in morato? it’s somewhat hidden and has a few clientelle. it’s not as busy as starbucks and seattle’s best, the way i like coffeeshops to be. the kind that gives you a homey and warm feeling, very relax and laid back. i like going there with friends and we do our catching up, or planning a trip or just kicking around.

-oOo-

i’m getting into the groove of things. i have been training really hard to get my pro-yogi build. i need to get re-certified as an iyengar yoga instructor. i had my certification when i was in india 2005, i needed to have 300 hours of classes; that’s like 200 sessions. right after, i had my certification as an ashtanga yoga instructor at istanbul 2006. i like ashtanga better that i only practiced it rather than iyengar. and now, my iyengar sucks so i’m planning to get recertification. the problem is i’m still doing ashtanga at the ashtanga center at emerald avenue and the iyengar center is in makati, which is too far from me. crossing fingers, i will be able to have a month long vacation end of this year to visit mom in florida and do some serious iyengar training there. i already inquired at iyengar institute at san francisco for certification. hopefully i can start teaching yoga again.

listening to:
Real Love – Lisa Stansfield: Change

happy weekend everyone! and remember, it’s never too late to love you!

]]> http://friedreich.com.ph/2008/08/my-time/feed/ 0 http://friedreich.com.ph/2008/08/make-me-a-vuitton/ http://friedreich.com.ph/2008/08/make-me-a-vuitton/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:44:46 +0000 friedreich rommel delos santos http://friedreich.com.ph/2008/08/make-me-a-vuitton/ the perks of being a celeb…

custom lv damier azure backpack, made for kanye west. good luck with the honey comb straps.

listening to:
The Devil Wears Prada – Moby : Beautiful

last christmas party, i got gcs from starbucks as my exchange gift. i think it was a no brainer since everyone knows that i am a coffee addict. it was worth php1,000.00 so i bought a french press. of course i added a couple more hundred bills buy to the 2 cup french press, and looking back at it, it was a good buy since starbucks jacked up their prices. honestly, i haven’t tried coffee prepared using a french press; i tried the espresso machine and the usual drip coffee maker but not the manual and menial french press. coffee purists say that you haven’t tasted coffee unless it was prepared using the cafetieres(french press). intrigued, i bought my very own coffee press.

true, it tasted different from the stuff you buy at starbucks. it maybe the same bean, but it really has that distinct flavor that french press brings out from the bean. i don’t know if it’s the love and patience you put in to make that fresh brew, the care in every pump, or the anticipation of your very own, self made coffee. whatever it is, french pressed coffee is my only coffee (feeling coffee purist).

how to make that perfect brew:

• add 2 heaping tablespoon of freshly grounded coffee bean of choice to the glass pot. coarse to very coarse only.
• add boiling water
• allow the beans to brew/sit for 4-6 minutes. you make stir the pot using a wooden ladle, do not use metallic spoon. put the lid on but do not push the plunger down.
• after the brewing time, slowly push the plunger down to filter the coffee. do this a couple of time until your hand retires because it’s very difficult to push the plunger (literally).
• pour into a cup or mug and enjoy your coffee!

did you know that starbucks has a coffee passport? after sampling 2 bags each from the 4 blends (asia/pacific, latin america, africa/arabia region, multi-region), you’ll get the 9th bag-of choice, free! i already claimed my free bag. sweet!

listening to:
Back To Basics [Disc 2] – Christina Aguilera : Nasty Naughty Boy

All those sleepless nights
All the tears I cried
All the pain I kept inside
I kept asking myself why
You had to say goodbye
Was it just a dream
When you said to me
That there is someone new in your life
You could have at least lied
The truth just scared me

Even if…
You mean the whole damn world to me
I can forget you, wait and see
I can be strong even without you
I cant waste my life forever
Hoping you’d come back to me
But deep inside I know
Ill be waiting here for you

happy earth day! did you know that you can listen to the humpback whale’s song at this site! they stream the live songs of these gentle giants for you to appreciate. did you know that the humpback whale has the most complex language pattern in the planet? if ever intelligent beings from other planets comes to contact with earth, it is believe that they are most likely to talk to the humpbacks.

don’t forget to watch an inconvenient truth at hbo tonight, april 22 at 9.00pm.
* image from onlinehome.us.

listening to:
Smokiest Hits – Smokey Mountain: Paraiso

i recently got wiser. who am i kidding, i got older, a couple more gray hairs, bio clock ticking. it was hush-hush, no one from the office knew about my birthday except for those i am friends with at friendster. if you know how to turn-off the birthday announcement of friendster, kindly drop me an email. the tsongers celebrated my birthday a week early; as always, we find it difficult to be in the same place/city/country/continent, at the same time. bert is in japan until i don’t know when, martha will be flying to japan as well on the week of my birthday and most of the other tsongers are in a baby boom mode. half full/half empty depending on the perspective on your side, we marched to makati to celebrate my getting grumpier. dahon was gracious enough to have our potluck in her pad. brian was the event master and assigned everyone what food to bring. i brought prawns, one in spicy thai coconut milk soup and a spicy halabos style. kat prepared appetizer (hotdogs and spicy mushroom), eden brought a platter of makis and sushi, martha bought a bucket of good ol’ kfc, bri and helena cooked pancit bihon, art and pearly brought lumpiang shanghai, bin and rish bought yellow cab pizzas and the hostess whipped up a dessert zoe called duh! yummy (dayami) cake.

it was fun being with friends, catching up. hysterical laughter and dissing people without feeling offended. it wouldn’t be a tsongers get together without the insults and love of tsismis. we love to play games, even went to batanggas once just to play bridge. eden brought with her jenga, similar to uno stacko without the colors and numbers. dahon being competitive as hell, is now the world record holder of having the longest time before moving a single block of jenga. after 2, or was it 3?, rounds of jenga, we played taboo a game of unspeakable fun. people laughing and trying their best to guess while the person describing the word not to use the taboo words.

aging this way is fun. all of my guests were in pairs with the exception of dahon and kat. the 3 singles of the group… sigh

p.s. i’m so happy that very few knows my exact birth date, except close friends of course. i don’t know, i’m comfortable announcing my age, but not my birth date. i just don’t want people greeting my happy birhtday even singing it.