Halalan 2013

Matuto na kaya tayo ngayon?  Hindi naman pang-kamote ang level ng IQ ng mga Pinoy...pero bakit kapag andyan na ang resulta ng eleksyon...kamote pa din?

Kainitan ng tanghali, heavy ang traffic kahit Labor Day.  Maraming tao ang naglalakad sa daan, sa ilalim ng napakainit na sikat ng araw.  Sari-sari, may matanda, bata, may mga nanay na may dalang mga sanggol.  Halos lahat sila nag-uusap sa daan, hindi din alintana ang pagsisikip ng daan para mga motoristang kagaya ko.  Sinakop na nila ang buong kalsada, kaya napakahirap sa mga sasakyan ang umusad.  Binuksan ko ng kaunti ang bintana, para kasing may away sa daan. 

"Gutom lang dyan!  Wala naman tayong mapapala!," sigaw ng isang ale na tantya ko ay isa ng botante.

"May pinamigay bang pera?  Wala kaming nakuha," ani ng isa pang babae na madaming akay na anak at isang matandang lalaki. 

Akin napag-alaman na sila pala ay galing sa isang kampanya ng ilang politiko.  Marami sa kanila na malinaw na hindi naman sinusuportahan ang mga kandidato.  Nagpunta sila sa kampanya na yon sa pag-asang may makukuha silang pera sa mga ito.

Hindi ko na nagawang bumusina sa pagka-ipit sa daan...sa mga sasakyang namumulot ng pasahero na galing sa kampanya.  Isinara ko ang bintana.  Madami silang nagtatanungan kung mayroon binigay na pera ang mga kandidato.  Nakakalungkot.  State of the nation ba ito?

Umusad na ang traffic. Ilang saglit lang ay tumambad na sa akin ang slum area na isinunod sa pangalan ng isang kilalang tourist destination... hindi dahil sa white sand...walang white sand doon, burak madami.  Sira na ang ecosystem sa lugar na iyon.  Ilang politiko na din ang umupo at umalis sa pwesto, but there were no sustainable measures to alleviate poverty, or at least, preseve the ecosystem in that area.  Ayoko na itong dugtungan...at kung may isusulat pa man ako dito sa paragraph na ito...alam nyo na yon.

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Napapaligiran ako ng mga pamilya at kaibigan na pinag-iisipang mabuti ang mga politiko na kanilang ihahalal...pero kahit ano ang gawin namin...marami pa din sa ating mga kababayan ang handang magbenta ng kanilang boto?  Marahil ay dahil sa kahirapan...para sa isa, dalawa, o tatlong araw pantawid gutom...kapalit ng ilang taon pag-abuso sa batas, kalikasan, karapatang pantao, at pagnanakaw ng pondo ng bayan?

Nakakalungkot na madaming politiko ang nagsasamantala sa sitwasyon ng mga kapus-palad nating kababayan?  Bakit ako sobrang vocal ngayon???  Mas madami kasi tayong kababayan na namumuhay below poverty line...mas madami din silang boto.  Kung ang sikat na DJ na si Papa Jack ng Love Radio ang sinasabihan ko nito, malamang ang sagot nya lang sa akin...'Nganga!'  Kung baga sa traffic ay grid lock...para bang walang pag-asa.

Given na ganito ang takbo ng halalan at politika sa ating bansa, ayoko magpadala sa sistema.  Tiyak na madami pa din sa atin ang gusto ng magagandang pagbabago...ayaw na namin sa bulok!  Ayaw namin ng corrupt!  Ayaw namin sa mga TRAPO! 

Bukas, boboto ako...Kumpleto na ang listahan ko ng 12 Senators...pero mapupuyat ata ako ngayon.  I find it difficult to complete my list of candidates for local positions...wala kasing bago.  Madami pa din trapo or political dynasty lang ang peg.

Wala akong pakialam kung ang ilang iboboto ko ay hindi pa siguradong mananalo...gamit ko ang aking isip at konsensya, boboto ako ng tama na may pag-asang sa buong lifetime ko man lang sana ay makita ko na talaga umayos ang Pilipinas.  Sino pa ba naman ang magpapahalaga sa bayan, kung hindi tayo din naman, di ba?  Sana ay gawa na ang listahan nyo at bukas bumoto na tayo ng tama. 

So help us, God. 

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Video credits

Embedded video from YouTube.com:  'Dapat Tama' Gloc 9 featuring Denise Barbacena - GMA7 info-mercial, Election 2013. 

Grabbed from http://www.mysimplethoughtsonline.blogspot.com

Alaska ties up with FCBESCOLA Football Camp

Alaska reaffirms its commitment in providing a sustainable program for youth sports and development in the country.  With football's growing popularity in the local sports scene, Alaska sponsored five Futkalero children to a world class sports workshop - the FCBEscola Philippines Barcelona Soccer Camp.

Please read on as Alaska shares how it is to train under the guidance of the world renowned FCBarcelona. 

PRESS RELEASE

ALASKA TIES UP WITH FCBESCOLA FOOTBALL CAMP, SPONSORS FUTKALERO CHILDREN FROM TONDO

Alaska Milk Corporation brings FCBEscola, the world’s No. 1 ranked football club here in the Philippines to help develop children through sports programs such as the FCBEscola Barcelona Camp. The FCBEscola Barcelona Camp has already begun training kids last April 17 and will continue until April 21 at the Ayala Alabang Country Club.

What is better than playing against one of the best football clubs in the world? Being trained by them.

Never in a million years did they thought that they will be able to see the world’s #1 ranked football club, FCBarcelona, in action, much less interact with them. But these promising young football talents from Tondo did just that and more. Thanks to the sponsorship of Alaska Milk Corporation, the five Futkaleros— Champ Cyrus Wico, Jonas Lorens Lavarias, John David Espiritu, Maria Rochel Mendaňo, and Roger Batiugas— were able to train under the FCBarcelona coaches Jordi Blanco and Jose Moratalla during the FCBEscola Philippines Barcelona Soccer Camp for the youth, a sports workshop that did not only aim to teach Filipino kids the rudiments and techniques in the game but also share with them the FCBarcelona values of teamwork and hard work. 

“Alaska has been there from the very start, even at that time when football was not very popular. It has been supporting the grassroots development of the sport and in training players. The annual Alaska Cup, is in fact, the biggest cup in the country, with thousands of players in a single day. So we were not surprised that Alaska lent their support to this project,” says Michael Reyes, organizer of the camp and Team Socceroo’s captain.

Training under World’s Best

Excitement lit up the eyes of the five Futkaleros as they showed their moves to the coaches. They believe that the camp is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve their game, learn some new skills and incorporate a new strategy into their play. According to Reyes, the style of the Futkaleros is more freestyle. “I have seen them play and their commitment to the game is impressive. I know that they practice every day. They’re fast. They’re agile. Participating in the camp will help them develop their play more.”

What kids will take away from the five-day camp is not just technique but the values: that football is not about winning but in playing your best and playing with your team. Steven Chua, Operations Director for FCBEscola Asia Pacific, relates, “I remembered a FCBarcelona camp in Singapore that we organized. After the camp, I asked one of the kids what he learned. He told me he learned the reasons why he has to move here, why he has to make a pass. Before, he just does it because he has to without even knowing why. He also learned that football is not about winning but playing the game.”

More than a hundred kids, 6 to 14 years old, signed up for the camp held recently at the Alabang Country Club. They did not even mind the extra-ordinarily hot day, showing off their skills on the field, all of them eager to train under the very best in the world. World famous players Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi were all products of FCBEscola

Built not as important as technique

According to the organizers, the Futkaleros have the typical Filipino built, which unlike basketball, is suited to football. Filipinos are not as tall as other kids but they compensate with their incredible speed and agility. FCBarcerlona has members who have similar built but are still able to excel. In football, built is not as important as technique.

“The style of football of FCBarcelona is the ‘most fit’ and ‘most matched’ [style] with Filipinos. They do not rely on size. In other sports, if you are big, you’d be a better player. In football, we rely more on technique, the passing, how the team plays. FCBarcelona’s style of football is not very individualistic. It emphasizes team play,” says Nicholas Reyes, FCBEscola camp organizer.

Wanted: Healthy body, good attitude and passion

There is also no age requirement, just a healthy body, good attitude and passion for the sport. Reyes emphasized good nutrition at an early age “as this will give children an edge in the sport.” Both exercise and proper diet are essential, especially to the significant number of Filipino kids, who have been found to suffer from undernutrition and overweight problems (National Nutrition Survey of FNRI-DOST, 2008). It is recommended that they eat a balanced set of meals and do more physical activity, which Alaska Milk Corporation has been advocating through their sports programs.

For more information, log on to http://www.fcbescolaphilippines.com and www.alaskamilk.com.ph

Bridal Make-up Review: Make-up by Garla

I'm not a big fan of make-up.  Finding the right hair and make-up artist (HMUA) for my wedding was (once) a daunting TASK.  The last wedding expo I attended in January with fiance BFD in tow, I brought a pedometer (a tiny gadget that counts steps).  I registered over 8,000 steps  in that pedometer for doing the rounds at the EXPO for about 6 hours.  We were able to book several suppliers, but not an HMUA. 

There's a lot of talented HMUA out there, but I wanted to work with someone who is very professional, flexible, and fun to work with...a good working chemistry would be easy to achieve.  I have smooth and (very) sensitive skin, a condition that limits my choice of skincare brands.  Thus, I'm really not comfortable with make-up in general.  So I put a premium in working with an HMUA whom I could fully trust. 

It was also a good thing that one of my cousins got married early this year.  I'm a happy recipient of Cousin Maricar's (first hand) wedding tips, including the HMUA.  I was able to (informally) interview and witness a live demo of the HMUA's expertise as she worked on Cousin Maricar's bridal make-up.  A deal was sealed between me and Garla - the chief make-up artist of Makeup by Garla. 

As for the trial make-up, BFD and I invited Garla to our prenuptial photo session at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.  She cheerfully obliged.  She also introduced me to Aijhay, her partner hair dresser.  Days before the pictorial, Garla asked for the theme and photos of my wardrobe.  BFD and I wanted to accomplish a timeless theme, more of a traditional/romantic-themed photos that would be suggestive of love and romance - things that never go out of style.  Classic. 

I have limited knowledge of make-up, so I told Garla to just highlight my skin's healthy glow. Since she has a full grasp of the pictorial theme, I gave her an upperhand to work on the rest of the details with Aijhay.  The make-up did not melt under the scorching heat of the sun. (Achieved na achieved!)  I didn't experience any skin breakout during and after the shoot. Make-up application followed the traditional technique, no airbrush. =)

Here's a couple of sample photos from that half-day pictorial session.  You may click on each photo for an expanded view. 



The photographers of Close Up Photography made us run like kids basking in the sun.



L-R:  Aijhay, Meowth, Garla.  Retouching make-up for the next segment. 



L-R:  Garla, BFD, Meowth, Aijhay.  It wasn't all serious work. With supportive and fun-loving people around, it would be a shame not to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime prenuptial pictorial .

About Garla

http://www.facebook.com/makeupbygarla

Ms. Garla Cabuco is the chief makeup artist of Makeup by Garla.  She is a full-time banker, but her passion for make-up drove her to pursue a Certificate Course in Beauty and Bridal, High Fashion, and Media Make-up from Make-Up Designory (MUD) Manila ('the Harvard School' for professional make-up artists; with schools established in LA and NY, and now in Serendra, Taguig City). 

Garla is young, talented, and energetic - good attributes of someone who would want to jumpstart a career in high fashion.  I got curious why she wants to specialize in weddings. She was delighted to share, "I believe that  every bride deserves to be the most beautiful lady on her wedding day...and to me it is both an honor and privilege to help make it happen."

With the level of passion and quality of training Garla has, she uses brands that are popular among Hollywood make-up artists.  For our prenup pictorial project, she used foundation and concealer by MUD, sponge by Beauty Blender (designed by Hollywood MUA Rea Ann Silva), and Banana Powder by Ben Nye (made famous by Kim Kardashian's MUA).   

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Disclaimer:  I do not work for any hair and make-up artists, or make-up distributors/manufacturers.  This is a personal review, based on experience.  This is not a paid advertisement.

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You might also be interested in these wedding-themed articles:

The Making of TIMELESS: Our Prenuptial Pictorial

On Destination Wedding, Battle of the Guest List

Tatay Ko, Nanay Ko, Si BFD, at ang Pamamanhikan