The Coca-Cola domination

The logo. The taglines. The ads. Cola-cola is all set for world domination.

When I attended the National Communication Research Conference last two weeks, I found one interesting study, i.e. on looking at the different versions of Cola-cola advertisements around the world.

From each set of advertisements, one can notice how they resemble each other with one message and one flow of frames, except for the language (of course) and the characters. But when one commercial has a truck, expect the other to have one as well. When one ad has Santa Claus, the other also has the same person portraying Santa Claus, only some characters are changed.

Notice this set of commercials themed as “Live Positively” which the company has described as “our commitment to making a positive difference in the world by redesigning the way we work and live so that sustainability is part of everything we do.”

First off, from the Philippines:

And, from Canada:

From Vietnam:

Finally, from Indonesia:

Notice how Coca-cola aims to reach out to different nationalities around the world through commercials which fall under one theme: Live Positively.

Here are another set of videos which speak more about Coca-cola’s road to globalization by creating a global language, a common language understood by every nation: Brrrrr!

From South Africa:

From the Philippines:

Another one from India:

From Pakistan:

Notice the following Christmas ads from Coca-cola. And spot the difference.

For the first video, please follow this link:

Most of us remember this commercial because of its artistic quality. Coke for everyone. This video has also reached many nations in different languages.

Here’s the first video:

From Malaysia:

From France:

From Spain:

Does Coca-cola deserve the spot for world domination? You decide.

HAPPY 100th ANNIVERSARY COCA-COLA PHILIPPINES!

What the Lourd says on the impeachment

Listening to the Lourd: An interview with journalist Lourd Ernest de Veyra

Expect to find the dirtiest words in his articles. He is the type of man who can bear publishing the crunchiest of curses.

Ask him and you’re going to get juicy insights. From issues on politics, Kris Aquino, to the most gruesome, and blasphemous statements, to the trivial such as the signs of a real man, four-time Palanca award-winning writer and weatherman Lourd Ernest de Veyra has got it covered.

In his blog “This Is A Crazy Planets” published in spot.ph, he has written almost every issue you can think of except for one thing: the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

On January 16, balls are set to roll for the grilling of the Chief Justice but only days before the beginning of the trial, controversies erupt on the exposition of evidences done by the prosecution panel, which some say is inappropriate and a form of “trial by publicity.”

As odd as he may be, De Veyra’s opinion on the impeachment process veers away from the legal matters but focuses on how it will appear on television where senator-judges, lawyers, and the Chief Justice himself become stars and journalists turn into paparazzis as audiences feast on the controversy.

“Like the impeachment of former President Joseph Estrada, the trial will and will always be a circus,” de Veyra said. “It is a war of atrociousness. This is the bottomline and this will be a bruising and embarrassing process for everyone.”

He said it is a huge factor that it will be aired on television, and senators will practically “perform” because they are conscious of the presence of cameras.

“They may use all legal terms they want but when it comes to recall, those who are used to being in front of the television are the ones who are going to be remembered,” he said.

Being media-savvy now becomes the key to winning the trust and the whim of the viewers. He recalled the impeachment against former President Joseph Estrada back in 2001 not in terms of its legal and technical matters but in terms of the most unimportant happenings.

In his generation, he said, what they remembered were the “iced tea, the native accent of lawyer Sergio Apostol, and the hair of defense panel leader Estelito Mendoza.” It is expected that viewers will change channels when legal arguments take place, he added.

“Ask randomly about the impeachment, or even about the Chief Justice, and they won’t give a thing,” said de Veyra, “It’s an alien issue to them kasi nga malayo sa sikmura.”

Asked if he would and would not impeach the Chief Justice, he said he still have to weigh the evidences if he were one of the senator-judges. But his personal opinion speaks that he will, with no doubt, impeach the Chief Justice.

Prior to the impeachment, a war was waged between the Executive body and the Supreme Court since the issuing of the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Department of Justice-Commission on Elections investigative panel for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Aquino even lambasted the Chief Justice in front of him in a speech during one justice summit. De Veyra said this is not a crisis at all but democracy at work.

“We are a relatively young democracy and we are only passing through a dark period in our history,” he said, “Let us see this only as a trial for our nation.”

Looking at de Veyra, he is no-senator-judge nor a lawyer. He walks with a brown coat on top of a shirt and soon-to-wear-out slacks plus, the beret on his head and his spectacles. In one of his books, he humbly regarded himself as a speck of dust in the vast universe of politicians.

He is a simple person with his low, monotonous tone as if his statements are taken for granted.

And he hardly knows how substantial his opinions are. That is Lourd de Veryra.

Movie Round-up: From Spain to Indonesia

Until now I am still solving the puzzle of why I became so attached to foreign films (and by foreign films, they are apart from the filled-with-cliche American films) and until now, the quest is a failure.

I am actually regretting the fact that I am only “introduced” to foreign films later this year that there were a lot of foreign film festival held in the country like the Brazilian films festival and the French film festival. I missed them! This interest in foreign films is one of the things I look forward to in the year 2012. I’m really going to visit any cinema as far as to the corners of Metro Manila just to see an outstanding foreign film.

It all began with a Spanish film festival held at Greenbelt in Makati. I must say I am also a fan of Spanish-related stuff since I took Spanish language lessons and I’m really enjoying it. If before, I wanted to Europe as my ultimate travel destination, now it only falls number two on my list. South America becomes my top destination.

And so, *drum rolls* here are the best foreign language films that I’ve watched which have changed the way I look at the world for a few minutes after I’ve seen them:

1. Chico Y Rita (Chico and Rita) – Spanish

It is an animated film not suitable for children. Why? It had those animated boobs and animated sex scenes in it. Chico Y Rita revolves around the love story between the piano player Chico and the singer Rita, both from Cuba. They had incredible dreams. They were together and parted ways, each facing its own destiny until in the end, only one made it to real stardom.

The movie tells about a love story between two individuals who each takes pride on their own. The main character Rita sacrifices her love for Chico and goes with another man in exchange for stardom and celebrity perks. However, in the middle of the story, Rita is troubled with problems attached to her chosen lover and ended up living in dire straits.

Chico finds her again one day on their old age and they together celebrate the love which should have been celebrated during the years when they are apart.

2. Vincere (Victory) – Spanish

This Italian film is probably one of the greatest films I have ever seen. At this very moment, I couldn’t yet think of any film that can surpass its outstanding plot and screenplay. It is unlike any other historical film in such a way that it is taken from the point of view of a woman, the wife of Italian ruler Benito Mussolini.

Reading the film critically, it tackles issues unthinkable for a historical films such as religion, breastfeeding, Christmas, mental illness, and social order. The story moves around two wives of Mussolini who each wants to prove that their sons are worthy of becoming the heir of Benito Mussolini.

The mixture of great art, music, theatrical feel, and the film itself made it favorable to Rotten Tomatoes, a major film critic.

It said, giving the film with a 92% rating: “Part political treatise, part melodrama, Marco Bellocchio’s Mussolini biopic forsakes historical details in favor of absorbing emotion — and provides a showcase for a stunning performance from Giovanna Mezzogiorno.”

3. A Matter of Size – Israeli

Two days after the screening of Vincere, I chanced upon an advertisement on the ticket counter of Greenbelt Cinemas promoting the showing of an internationally-acclaimed film A Matter of Size which became an official selection in Cannes and Tribeca Film Festival.

It narrates the story of five overweight and obese individuals in Israeli who try to regain respect and dignity by proving to the whole of Israel that being fat should not be seen as a social contempt. One of them whose boss is a former Sumo wrestling referee, a Japanese national, attempts to encourage his boss to train them how to Sumo wrestle. The boss rejects the offer thinking that the sport involves a lot of devotion and heart to it and he believes his would-be students may not be able to take it.

He insists and gets the approval. They train for days and set up a national Sumo wrestling competition. The day of the competition brings about a lot of changes to each of the Israeli wrestler’s life – social acceptance, pride,  and the regaining of a lover’s love.

4. Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons) – Italian

Mine Vaganti is close to every Filipino’s heart as it narrates the struggles of  a man named Tommaso as he tries to hide his being a homosexual from the expectations of his family. The most crucial point comes when his gay friends from Rome where Tommaso studies visited his hometown. They too, were challenged in hiding their true nature. But it didn’t last long as Tommaso tries to tell his parents of his nature but certain things erupt that makes his stop from doing so. Instead, he confesses the fact that he wants to become a writer rather than from being a businessman which is what his family wants him to be.

5. Habemus Papam (We Have A Pope) – Italian

It papal elections in Vatican City and the search is on for the new pope. But what happens when the newly-elected Pope begins to turn back from his duty?

This is what the film is all about. A newly-elected Pope who is about the speak to his constituents turns back from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and runs away from his mandate. In the course of the story, he learns how the people are expectant of a new Pope by escaping from his quarters and mingling with the people waiting for him in the Vatican City grounds.

When he comes back with all the learnings, the worst is yet to come.

6. Tambien La Lluvia (Even the Rain) – Spanish

Tambien La Lluvia won the Audience Choice Award in the Spanish film festival Pelicula Pelikula held at Makati Greenbelt last October. I can say it deserved the award.

The story moves around a film crew who travels to Bolivia to shoot a film about Cristobal Colon (Chistopher Columbus) but is faced with a lot of challenges. The shooting of the film is distracted when one of the main characters who auditioned for the role has had affairs of his own. He is part of a nationwide strike against authorities who want to seize the distribution of water among the citizens.

One of the film crew members begin making a documentary about the strikes. The story escalates when the masses begin swarming to the central city and barricading the area which prevented the crew members to escape the hostilities and come back home. Two of the film crews choose to remain in the country to help the people ease their pains.

7. Cinta (Love) – Indonesian

I was in cloud nine when I found this poster promoting the screening of Indonesian films at the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines- Diliman. While we were shown the film, we were served with Indonesian snacks – a beef and vegetable wrap like a burrito and a shrimp and meat torta (sorry for the lack of a term.)

The story is about two love-crossed persons, one of whom is a Muslim and the other a Christian. Interviews with other lovers who have different religions on their own are shown at every turn of the scenes. The film ended well with the lovers being part of the interview itself.

8. Agora – Spanish

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar, the film is about the war-torn times of Alexandria during the 4th century Roman Egypt. One side are the Christians which are mostly composed of the peasantry and the other side are the pagans who believed in multiple gods composed mostly of the nobility.

The film stars Rachel Weisz who portayed Hypatia. Hypatia is challenged as she tries to preserve knowledge as well as the scriptures in the Library of Alexandria when the angry Christians begin storming the library.

She is also into a quest of finding the “truths” in the universe challenging Ptolemy’s Geocentric theory and ends up with the heliocentric theory of Aristarchus of Samos. His search for more knowledge angered the Christians who still used to believe that the Earth is the center of the Universes. She ends up being stoned to death.

This film was an official selection in the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.

9. El Violin (The Violin) – Spanish

Deemed as one of the greatest films telling part of Mexico’s untold stories, award-winning film El Violin is about a violinist who is part of the rebel community who gains access to the government’s base by enthralling the government forces with his playing of the violin.

Because of this, he is able to get ammunitions kept in the village resided by the government forces and is a former camp of the rebels and bring it back to his comrades.

But this old man both becomes  a blessing and a curse for the rebels.

El Violin earned as 94 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes and was part of the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

10. El Corazon de la Tierra (The Heart of the Earth)

Two women. One common cause. One is an Englishwoman who is able to denounce his uncle’s wishes who owns a mining company in Spain, the other is a Spanish-born lady who tries to win the rights of the poor by turning against the running of the disastrous mining company.

This is among the first 10 movies I’ve watched and I’ve liked. So if you have any recommendations or if you chanced upon a screening of a foreign language film, help me by either commenting on this post, emailing me at jonlindley_agustin@yahoo.com, or by texting me at 09054979443.

Until next time!

The Island of Friendship

It may be the island in the Visayas Region where residents know each other. They greet each other as if they have known one for such a long time. The locals greet the many of the foreigners who step onto the island with a sweet hello.

Welcome to Bohol, the Island of Friendship.

We started our tour sailing along the kilometers-long Loboc River while having our lunch on a floating restaurant. The river looked so similar with South America’s Amazon River as it is capped between two high hills. It’s almost as if the Lockness Monster is about to show up!

They served a buffet lunch on a floating restaurant made up of two boats connected by a raft. The desserts were delicious including the rice cake (puto) and the rice wrap covered in latik (suman). The taste goes from the tongue and crawls down to the throat. Perfect for people with sweet tooth, only it is native.

The boat stopped in front of a nipa hut like for the tourists to see the performance of a group of locals — among them are children, adults, and elderly — in a rondalla ensemble. They were like males serenading a lady.

While the rondalla played tunes of Lady Gaga’s Pokerface and welcome songs of Bohol, the kids danced to the music’s rhythm.

They also showed off their skills in dancing tinikling to the tourists. Some of the tourists even stepped onto the nipa hut to dance with the locals.

The lunch won’t be complete without songs from a local singer singing tunes of the old times. He made the experience even more exciting with his voice while tourists look at the beauty of the river.

From Loboc, we went north to Bilar where the magnificent man-made Mahogany forest is found. Its wonder will make you think you are one of the characters in the Twilight series. This is my first favorite on the whole duration of our trip.

From Bilar, we headed straight to Carmen to meet the famous Chocolate Hills. The hills turn green during the rainy season and brown during the sunny season because the it is when the soil turns moist.

Reaching the height where one could have a nice view of the hills takes 214 stair steps. It’s good for those looking for a place to hike and to tone up their muscles.

After visiting the hills, we headed to the home of the tarsiers, the conservation area. According to our tourist, there were conservation areas before but since the government ruled out that ordinary people won’t be allowed to breed tarsiers, only one conservation site was provided for them.

Tarsiers are tiny adorable entities. They are awake at night as they hunt for food and asleep during the morning. We visited the site and saw them at their sleeping form. While they are asleep,  their hearing senses become so strong that they jerk at the smallest sound they hear.

I saw a pregnant tarsier. Tarsiers bear offspring(s) as little as one man’s thumb. A mother wcarries her offspring for an average of six months.

We headed back to Tagbilaran City to see  the marker of the blood compact between Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the Bool district of Tagbilaran City.

The statue sits just meters away from the shorelines and it’s nice to see the monument from the national road as if you a native trying to get a good picture of the Spaniards coming toward the shore.

The blood compact, according to the tourist guide, never really happened on the coastlines but rather Rajah Sikatuna came inside the galleon to slash his chest, not his wrist, and mix the small amount of blood with the wine for them to drink. It’s a fact and it’s true!

Though Bohol won’t win against Boracay island, it is also home to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches. The sands are white and the water is clear, enough to see the corals beneath.

From Panglao island, we travelled by sea through a boat to Balicasag island, a small island just south of Panglao. I could say we were like castaways in the reality show as we neared the island.

Travelling by sea has never been easy for seafarers but they got used to it. They bring tourists into different islands everyday. They are great meditators. Imagine a 30-minute to 45-minute travel by sea, still depending on the weather, with you only hearing the noisy sound of the motor rumbling. They would stare at a distance and feel the peace brought by the sea.

We were like Spaniards on an expedition to see an island of wonder, in history’s case, the Spice Island. What lies there still awaits to be unfolded.

As we neared the island, one of the boatmen began to stand up and wade through the sea using the long bamboo stick. He did it everyday, and repeatedly until the boat reached the shores.

The island was small. Many trees of different species covered much part of the island. We took our lunch there. Purely fresh seafoods, fishes, and squid. I remember how it tastes like the underwater that indicates its freshness and until the time I am writing this post, the aftertaste still looms on the throat.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the snorkeling experience. I was a fish for a day experiencing the life underwater. It made me realize how vast the world is present under out toes, that fishes may be living in a more wonderful and beautiful world than ours.

The only problem was the issue of coral bleaching. Because the corals are touched by men, they gradually freeze to death and never live again. That’s the sad part.

When we went back to Balicasag Island to take our lunch, it made me realize how great the survivors were on this island. Even electricity is rationed in this island. At night, they would only experience lights from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., so they better get in their beds as early as possible.

When my younger brother had his knee slit by the dead corals which used to be sharp and pointed, there were no alcohols or betadines on the island. One of the locals picked out a leaf and pinched it so as to release a small drop of viscous liquid. She said it would make the wound heal faster.

I was amazed by how the residents of the island lived on their own. I even saw one girl spending her leisure time not with a television, but with a Tagalog romance book while an old song played on the background with the mobile phone.

I got to say I have to thank the Spaniards and the Americans for occupying the country. Because if they haven’t discovered the Philippines, the world wouldn’t see the beauty within.

Truly exceptional

There is one animal as small as a baby’s palm but can escape the largest of the predators.

It soulfully kisses the ground as if looking for something. This is the golden-rumped elephant shrew only found in the coastal Arabuko Sokoke National Park in Kenya.

It’s only as big as the center of an average man’s palm. And you would notice how it crawls back and forth and moves toward the other side of the human palm.

Its name is derived from the striking and prominent golden fur on its hindquarters and is contrasted from its dark fur. Young golden-rumped elephant shrew shows vestigial traces of the checkerboard pattern seen on another giant elephant shrew, the checkered elephant shrew.

The Golden-rumped elephant shrew has made a lot of strategies to avoid predators like snakes but it can be as fast as something from the cheetah and cat family because it is very fast, capable of running at 25 km/hr. When it detects a predator within the so-called “flight distance”, it will retract again. If the predator is outside its flight distance, it will advertise its presence by slapping the leaf litter.

The leaf litter is a tool for the predator to know it has been seen and “should not waste its time chasing the elephant shrew.”

In the event of a chase, or an ambush perhaps, the golden flash of fur will deflect the predators’ attention away from the head which has thickened skin.

And, gear up, each shrew has several nests which it maintains, and yes, the predator won’t be able to associate them with potential food.

It might seem it has already lived a luxurious life because first, it’s little; second, it’s black; and third, it’s can easily move and crawl out of the human palm; and fourth, it has been making nice strategies. Yet, there is one that stops it from living in the world – humans.

There have been reports that the animal is being continuously trapped by people. The mere reason, according to a blog by David Ngala, is for food. It said eating an elephant-shrew is good enough for someone who doesn’t have any meat option. Or maybe, it’s heaven sent for consumption in Africa.

However, the blog said authorities have been trying to introduce alternative sources of meat, and the problem is to be able to provide an alternative to meat.

The fittest, and cutest, of the animals

Perhaps another quote has to be changed. It won’t anymore be that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but rather, true beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

What could be better for a father to see the fruits of his labor from his children and from his works? In the case of Charles Darwin, he might already be in his cloud nine as he sees the fruits of his own realizations.

Father of Evolution Charles Darwin also shares some of the best quotes known in human history. He said: “False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness.”

If he could live today, he would probably be happy seeing the creativity of his thoughts. In the world filled with utmost toils and troubles, these animals have survived and made it to the modern world.

A list accounted by Listverse (www.listverse.com) shows the “weirdest and the most wonderful” species on the planet. Get ready to see these species to stun and turn you insane. Some of these animals are only as little as your finger and others would drive you crazy because of their looks. And, they are also mysterious.

Here are some of the cutest animals found in different areas of the world. Are you ready?

One is a hippo that looks like a chess piece. According to the website, the pygmy hippo is a lone animal residing only in the dense vegetation along streams and swamps. The pygmy hippo is shy and it avoids people.

How sad it is for an animal to be without companions and guess what, he survived!

Next is the Bactrian camel that can reach seven feet in height and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. During winter, it thickens to provide added insulation against the cold and large chunks of fur are shed in the summer “to keep the animal cool”. However, it is already an endangered species.

If you want to see someone like Rafiki from The Lion King, it would be best to see the slender doris. The slender doris is a small, nocturnal primate found only in the tropical rainforests of Southern India and Sri Lanka.

One fascinating trait they have is that, they prefer “thick, thorny vegetation where they can easily escape as predators and find the large assortment of insects that is the mainstay of their diet.”

Next is the bumblebee bat is second to the Etruscan pygmy shrew for the title of “world’s smallest mammal.” They have the same size as a bumblebee but always make the distinction. They also have the ability to hover like hummingbirds. The bumblebee is considered as one of the twelve most endangered species on the planet.

No wonder those with long snouts are those who survive the many catastrophes. One of them is a dolphin called a Baiji (I would name him ReeRee if I would be able to see one). The Baijis have already reached a critical level and now is nearly becoming extinct. According to the website, fossil records say the dolphins first appeared 25 years ago and migrated from the Pacific Ocean to the Yangzte River 20 million years ago.

Another animal of its kind is an animal with almost the same size as a rabbit and is only found in Kenya, the golden-rumped elephant shrew.

And oh, it’s an animal trapped by people. My next article will lead you to findings and researches on why.

Last Friday Night

If you think I’ll be posting partying and all that happy stuff that commonly happens during Friday night like Katy Perry’s song said (well especially with the fact that the nerdy “she” wrongly slept with an athletic guy), I won’t.

I don’t usually write blogs randomly nor post the best pictures I have taken with my DSLR camera here. I rather keep it to myself. I don’t usually post a new entry except when I see something great in it, or something exceptional with my daily experiences.

Yesterday, I saw one. It’s from a video from our Comm 120 class entitled “George Carlin: You’re All Diseased” featuring a monologue, yes an hour monologue by George Carlin.

It came more than a month after I experienced the so-called Landmark Forum at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati. The forum has let us conquer of fears, live with the present, and forget about the past. It’s rather a combination of different “ideologies” than academic principles. I mingled with Harvard-graduate lawyers, successful businesspersons such as Nena Tantoco, the owner of Rustan’s, and politicials such as Mel Mathay and his son. (They just refused to give out their phone numbers which was a frustration. Oh, sources.)

The “ideologies” were, as I saw it, Zen Buddhism, sociology, psychology, psychoanalysis, and philosophy with a bit of religion though every ideology that we may encounter may be considered a religion.

It actually satisfied me after looking for answers and being a bit miserable (because life is miserable) days before the forum. I actually had the idea the forum is going to touch on every individual’s lives and try to transform them so I hung onto that belief.

I entered the forum bearing with me the questions I hope to be answered and gladly, they were answered! Those questions were about living life to the fullest.

The days after the forum we went in a field trip to Tarlac with our professor and I hope she reads this who is also a believer of sorts of the same idea taught by the forum. I don’t even know if it was destiny that I met her first time this semester then the Landmark Forum came, then George Carlin, then the book I am going to share later on.

Details of the forum are here: www.landmarkforum.com/

Now, the video. Simply put, he spoke of things untouched by some of the great people I’ve heard. Thus, making you think, realize, and say “Oo nga ano. He’s got a point.” It’s difficult to explain it by words because I am not even sure if they will be covered by the acceptable beliefs of the society. All I could say is that he attacked America’s way of treating their “enemies”, our immune system, the usual way of overprotective parents raising their children, nature of humans, and the existence of God.

I was honestly brought into the middle of doubt and faithfulness. I honestly would say it made me produce second thoughts. Yet, not one man can ruin my existing faith. Let’s see and wait.

I know you’ve been waiting for the links so here are the videos:

 

While I was traveling home, it made me realize that the happiness and peace that have occurred to me on our way home from Tarlac (see related post below) can always come back  and I thought for so long it is temporary but it is not.

It made me realize I have to open myself to new possibilities, to new beliefs, and to new ideas if I would want to pursue seeking for knowledge.

I bought a book by Eckhart Tolle entitled “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” and I would recommend this book though I’ve just started reading the book. Oprah Winfrey says it can transform your thinking.

The summary goes like this:

“To make the journey into The Power of Now, we will need to leave your analytic mind and its false created self, the ego behind.”

It sounded so controversial and so” radical”. Yes, it’s the radical thought now but I have to find out. There are still a couple more pages to read.

 

23rd of August in the hospital ward

This is actually a diary entry written the night of August 23 while I was in the hospital confined for having depression with brief psychotic disorder. All of what you are about to read is a key into my mind.

***

It’s hard for me to remember things for such a long term for now. It’s like saying and telling someone to give importance to what is happening in the present. I couldn’t wait to get out and experience the world outside. The world outside has changed.

From the window of the De Los Santos-STI Medical Center ward, I could see the world someone created. A three-tower building was standing kilometers across the hospital. Low on the ground were slums. It escalated to buildings as eyes went further. I could vividly remember our Hong Kong trip with the row of skyscrapers like horizons covered with fog.

A black entity covered half of the window so I couldn’t see what lies on the other half.

A Church of Christ chapel was standing above the others on the right side of my view. I was like a prince locked up in a tower getting a good picture of the world, as if I was presented with food options I had to choose which to eat at that moment.

I would always want to get to the side of the buildings. I shall fight for my freedom.

Nurses were weird. I haven’t even known why I was brought in the hospital but I believe it was for the better. There was this nurse, a guy, who wore eyeglasses with an average height, who talked to me like a friend. But sometimes, nurses entered with companion who did nothing but to just stand as company.

I remember Dr. Salazar, the attending physician. Whenever she talked to me, she couldn’t help but to bend her head aside. But I love her.

I couldn’t wait for the day I am out of the ward and work, do what I love, talk to people, and study. There might have been a missing link but who cares finding it. I wanted to enjoy life to the fullest.

I wanted to go back to my school, UP Diliman, and from there start again. I thought my dad wanted to me to do distance learning which I totally did not agree upon.

I have an anxiety disorder, yes. I feel so confused when waking up. But it’s alright. I know I’m well.

Good night!

Binondo’s tiny tidy secret

Every sound Rambo’s shoe made as it clapped with the rugged road of Chinatown was sheer joy. It was like listening to bamboo sticks in a folk dance called Subli. Five-year-old Rambo did not like standing by the side streets but wanted to walk around. It was only noontime when one tourist found him. He toured him into the town’s busiest and quietest streets and told its secrets. Each of his graceful strides was a fulfillment but sounded weak.

Coaching the youngster was a 47-year-old man whose job he inherited from his father for almost 25 years made his two children finish schooling. In his pocket was a veterinarian’s prescription with messy scribbles of medicines and schedules of check-ups. Rambo was never a healthy pony after all.

Rambo had to keep pace with the vehicles speeding across Ongpin Street, one of the busiest in Chinatown. On it were hopia stores, acupuncture clinics, tea shops, a Mandarin school, spa havens, and a creek with an island of garbage, not to mention drugstores almost next to each other. There was at least five in one street.

Binondo is a new world that sets itself apart from Metro Manila. It gave a feeling of being in Hong Kong or along the alleys of China. Though the Chinese brand of neon lights did not glare, there were crowds of Chinese – those who preferred walking on a Sunday afternoon from a lunch in a tea house, to getting a spa, buying slimming tea, and then back to a restaurant for dinner.

 

The coachman said most businesses in Binondo are owned by Chinese, only a few or almost nothing are by Filipinos. Stories of the coachman’s dad said it was the migrant Chinese who did the dirty jobs ages back, but since they were a thrifty lot with high regard for money, they climbed up the ladder roughly in a snap.

 

Rambo made a full stop in front of Xiang Jin Chinese Drugstore along Benavidez Street. It was a dissimilar world inside. The welcome was the aroma of fresh herbs and leaves. It was like entering into an ancient potions shop. Glass shelves housed the boxed herbal medicines. At the center of the store was a booth containing jars of leaves, whole or pounded, used as raw ingredient.

Chinese herbal medicines also treat common colds, stomach aches, arthritis, and cough among others, said Tedmond Tiu, the 25-year-old drugstore owner.

 

Managing a Chinese drugstore ran through his family’s blood. It was started by his grandfather several years back when they worked in a drugstore in Ongpin. It was only in 2004 when they started opening their own.

 

The herbal ingredients such as sea coconut, cornu (velvet of young deer horn) for the liver and kidneys, and huang lian su (berberine) for stomach aches, varied depending on the ailment.

 

The elderly Chinese were luck to most Chinese drugstores as they were the ones giving them the rich, thriving market in Binondo. Tiu said most of the elderly Chinese still preferred herbal medicine over Western medicine.

 

“Herbal medicines have no side effects unlike Western ones. They stick with them because of this issue,” he said, “Herbal medicines would not in fact continue if they are not effective. They have been there for a long time.”

 

One testimony was by his aunt who grew tired of the insulin’s side-effects to some of her organs before she turned to herbal medication. It taught her to let go of the insulin injections.

Probably the tiniest street in Binondo is Escolta. It gave a sense of freedom from the narrow streets and even narrower alleyways. The Pasig River had shown up with ferry boat rides offered for a fee. An old building often used as shooting spots for TV commercials and soap operas stood on the other side. Escolta was the former Makati City.

Rambo drove back to the inside streets and the afternoon aura received more people, perhaps those who came from the mass and from siesta. It was even getting dirtier. Rambo was back in Ongpin Street and landed in front of a spa shop.

No Filipinos were found inside the spa except for the lady masseurs who offered herbal dry massage and foot massage to the Chinese. In a Chinese foot massage, feet are never scrubbed but soaked in a hot water mixed with powdered ginseng and other herbal leaves. The substance is said to enliven the nerves, and promote blood circulation.

A unique herbal experience in Binondo is the dry massage. Pure oriental element oils, along with a mixture of goji fruit, coconut milk, and milled red rice, were used.

Just across the steaming spa was Fu Yuan Tea House, a restaurant frequented by Chinese and Filipino tea-lovers alike. And so, the commonality was tea. Twenty-two-year-old Maria Liquido, the Filipina supervisor of the store whose delicate skin was noticeable, said she has become a tea-lover herself when dining with their Chinese chief cook. She has been drinking tea as she believed it made her slimmer, helped her digest food better, and took away excess oil in

her body.  She said she couldn’t help herself not to take in tea at least once a day.

 

What made the Binondo tea different is that it uses poly tea leaves, larger and stronger than ordinary tea leaves. Liquido said the Chinese find it helpful in cleansing their body after a meal.

A Chinese man would have never lived without a tinge of acupuncture needles popped into the skin targeting the essential nodes and stay there for as long as the blockage erupts.

Dr. Samuel Sison, M.D., C.M.A, an acupuncturist himself, said his sessions are still based from traditional acupuncture which uses moxa (mugwort herb) in warming the needle. They figure out the disease and prescribe points where they apply acupuncture. Herbal medicines are also prescribed after the sessions, however he made a warning.

“Taking herbs has to be appropriate for one person. Not all herbs can be applicable to all types,” he said, “It can possibly aggravate your condition. Herbs must be tailor-made for a person.”

One thing to love in Binondo is the value of healthy living. Sison explained the herbal life of the people the Binondo in four categories: people either take acupuncture, herbal medicine, taichi, or tui na (Chinese massage), or a combination of any.

“Patients start to realize that not everything can be cured or healed by Western medicines. They get sick of taking a whole cocktail of medicines,” Sison said.

The exceptional herbal life is one of Binondo’s dirtiest – or cleanest – secrets. Despite the messy side streets and the foul-smelling creeks of Binondo, some of its people kept high body maintenance – physically and spiritually. An even-narrower invisible string of purity flowed in every street.

Almost four o’ clock. Rambo seemed happy taking another walk that Sunday. But he was back at the side streets waiting for another rider. If only he could take acupuncture – or probably, an hour with the lady masseurs.

Going home from Tarlac

I am writing this piece trying to escape from the numbness of my fingers. It’s as if I am a new-born who types on the netbook for the very first time, yet someone who has already known a lot.

There seems to be a missing piece that I need to fill up with the perfect material I could see.

Our van stopped at a gasoline station along NLEX so we could rest, eat, or answer nature’s call. It was called “Shell of Asia” but I heard one of my Travel Journalism classmates utter it is “Skull of Asia” and not “Shell of Asia”.

That’s weird event number 1 (on this blog)

I wanted a dessert, or an ice cream from DQ and we entered as if we were its first ever customers. The place was as deserted as a haunted hallway, the crew were eagerly waiting for a customer so they wouldn’t be a huge nonsense.

Posted on the wall was a framed collage of pictures of celebrities with the DQ crew, one of them was Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 and Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Venus Raj.

We were staring at the pictures pointing at the people we knew. That’s weird event number two. My eyes just panned to a wall decor located just at the right of the collage — photos of oranges and strawberries. They’re lovely.

I wasn’t feeling very well on our way home from Tarlac. I felt the same thing when we visited Bacolod last year. All I was thinking about on our way back was to go home and hug my mom.

Several things happened as we neared Quezon City. I didn’t know if it was just me or whatsoever but I didn’t see Trinoma which supposedly, at that time, should stand across SM North Edsa. Weird event number three.

We were on our way to the University of the Philippines-Diliman and an array of oddity occurred, it made me feel uncomfortable. First, batch wars. Someone just mentioned batch wars and I didn’t understand. What I saw were a group of people (it was dark that I could not waste time to even examine their faces one by one) with backpacks walking toward the College of Music.

I’ve always wanted to thank my Travel Journalism professor for giving me a ride and taking me to Trinoma where I supposed to meet my aunt. Weird things. I felt happy hearing almost no unnecessary noise around but then the feeling of insecurity comes back and disorder strikes. This is what makes me sick that I would almost throw out.

The next day, without my knowledge, I was brought to the hospital and given medications unknown to me. Take it as something you don’t know you have but others know you have it. It’s confusing, I know.

Several things happened in the hospital ward that you would call me insane. It was like being a character in a Tim Burton Batman (I would not wish to be part of the comic book for now). Those I would opt not to disclose fully and just to remain in my mind. All I could say is that it helped me choose which road to take.

I stayed at the hospital for five days but for a patient, five days would only be equivalent to three days. I grew tired of the walls, the bed, the cushioned chair, the restroom, and even that chain hanging on the door which I haven’t known what for.

I talked to some nurses and physicians trying to get the tickles. I succeeded only once. And I miss my attending doctor, Dr. Salazar, who understood me and became a great listener to my stories, rants, and wishes. I miss her right now.

***

Here’s what I learned from those experiences: to live life like an empty basket that gets filled as we wake up in the morning and, as much as possible, unfilled as we sleep at night waiting to be filled again by new things tomorrow.

It is a basket with no limits.

Good night!