Boors

One afternoon, while I was on my way home, a group boarded the jeep I was riding on. Two women with two kids and several bags were inching their way through. They also had a gay companion who was behind them.

Apparently, the group just had a rough day. When one of the kids just stood there in the middle, looking for a lap to sit on, the gay companion burst out, "Tangaa aning bataa uy!"

With that remark, the rest of the passengers' eyes were upon them. As for me, I was speechless but I'm pretty sure I had my eyebrow raised at them. But the group didn't mind at all. Maybe, it was normal in their own little world to speak to children that way.

For the rest of the trip, the women cursed and sweared out loud about a certain person who didn't have money. When the jeep stopped in front of a red light at the Matina Crossing, one woman asked if they could now get out of the jeep. Her woman companion quickly replied, "Tanga ka? Bawal mubaba diri!", with a voice straight from a boom box.

Finally, they all alighted from the jeep somewhere along the Matina Aplaya road but the gay companion was still breathing hard on the kids (Gawas na, punyeta!).

Clearly, three people skipped classes when good manners were being taught. Or maybe, some parents had done a wonderful job in the past teaching their kids the right cuss-words for the right situation.

But I guess the greater tragedy here - greater than the misguided upbringing of those nincompoops masquerading as adults - are the kids. I do hope someone would teach those kids proper manners and speech or at least teach those adults to be more mindful of their words.

Paolo The Proofreader

I had to apologize to Dom for not attending his book launch. That was last September 27 and what happened was a classic fail.

The venue for the launch of the books of author Ma'am Jeanne Lim was in Davao Central High School (This tiny fact I only found out later). The event was to coincide with the school's homecoming. Sir Dom had given a text message before that the book launch will start at 3 in the afternoon in the Davao Chinese school.

Unfortunately, I had the erroneous idea that the Davao Chinese school is the Davao Christian High School (I honestly don't know where that notion came from). So when I arrived at the wrong school, I was inevitably greeted by the confused faces of the security guard and the janitor. To make matters worse, it started to rain really hard - the onset of Ondoy in Davao City - and I was trapped in the wrong campus for more than an hour.

After the rain stopped falling, I thanked the personnel of Davao Christian High School for their accidental hospitality and went home. I assumed that the affair was over at that point but, still, I was mentally shaking my head over what just happened.

So what made the book launch so special anyway that I felt compelled to go? Well, aside from the fact that Sir Dom, a mentor and my one-time idol, had played a huge part in the creation of Ma'am Lim's books, I also played a minor role in the making of those two books.

Sir Dom had tasked me to be one of the proofreaders and I was surprised that the job was pleasantly engaging the first time around. It was fun calling on my powers as an English major as I tried my best correcting typos and errors. I also enjoyed reading Ma'am Lim's works and I also learned a thing or two about screenplays.

But the work also had its downside. I wasn't exactly a detail-oriented person to begin with and it took a lot of effort to still be overzealous about the text after several pages. As much as the work was exhilarating, it was also quite mentally draining. And after I finished my task, I still had this nagging anxiety that I could have overlooked some mistakes in the manuscript.

Still, the bottom line was I had my fun (and now, I think I have a clearer idea why Mel loves her job so much).

A day after the launch, Sir Dom had requested that I go through the soft copies of the books once more just to give my final check. Right now, I'm still willing to do it but the thought of reading the same stories over again (no matter how good they are) is making me procastinate. Ergo, I can probably pursue proofreading as a leisurely activity but I would have to stay away from the idea of making a career out of it.

Biodegradable Shopping Bags

Several weeks ago, I noticed that SM was still going strong in its BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) campaign, a campaign aimed to entice shoppers to use reusable shopping bags instead of the less "environment-friendly" plastic bags of yesterday. I don't really know if the campaign is already gaining success but I still do see a great majority of shoppers touting "yellow" bags instead of "green" non-woven bags.

As for me, I love the idea of the eco-friendly reusable bag. I really do. But so far, my parents haven't bought any shopping bags of that sort yet and I am in no way inclined to pursuade them to do that. Maybe, I'm also resistant to change but it can also be that the reasons to buy those green bags are not compelling enough.

First, they say that I can help the environment by buying reusable bags. The rationale behind this is, since I'm using the same bag over and over again, the less number of plastic bags are used over time, and the less trash will accumulate in our landfills in the form of discarded plastic bags.

But I don't think this reason is good enough because I now see the phrase "Biodegradable- 100% degradable environment friendly bag" written on every SM plastic bag. I am assured then that these items won't lead to more trash and more overflowing landfills because these would simply rot in the soil (albeit after a lengthy period of time). In contrast, the non-woven polypropylene green bags touted as "eco-friendly" are more catastrophic to the environment; they are slow to breakdown and are likely to leave toxic residues in the ground. The question then is: Is the green bag really a whole lot better than the yellow plastic bag we have grown accustomed to?

My second point is that SM apparently doesn't have any incentive for shoppers using their green bags. Even if I'm using a green bag, I'm not entitled to any discount whatsoever for doing my part to save Planet Earth. This, to me, is unfair, since the costs of producing those yellow plastic bags have already been factored into the retail prices of the goods I'm buying. By using green bags, I'm saving SM some money in the form of reduced demand in yellow plastic bags and, in extension, the reduced production of these items. At the least, SM should recognize my contribution in lowering their costs by giving me even a Php5.00 discount every time I shop with a green bag.

So there. I'm not saying I won't be using green bags in the future. It's just that as long as my reasons for not using them remain valid, I will still be sticking around with yellow plastic bags. Besides, we've got garbage and those yellow bags do their jobs well as nifty trash bags.

And hopefully, this is the last time I'll ever write an article with the word "bag" written a million times.

Text Messages 11

Two babies were chatting inside the incubator:
Boy: Ba't ka pinanganak?
Girl: Ewan ko eh. Ikaw?
Boy: Ako? I was born to tell you "I love you".
- ang cheezy naman!
Edwin Gutierrez, September 13, 2009

Bana: Lav, ngano gahilak man ka?
Asawa: Huhu, swithart, ingon atong silingan akong dagway mura kuno'g iro!
Bana: Mga walay batasan! Gipaak unta nimo!
Edwin Gutierrez, September 13, 2009

Don't ever be angry on your friends because up to the last moments of life, what will hurt us are not the words of enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 12, 2009

An airplane on its return flight suddenly encountered a turbulence. Oxygen bags started to be dispensed so all the passengers started to panic, except for one little boy who was playing with his PSP. They asked him why he was so calm and why he was not afraid to die. He answered, "My dad is the pilot." That's TRUST. If Jesus is the pilot of your life, there's no need to worry even when everything goes wrong.
Argyl Serrano, September 9, 2009

Don't waste your time searching. Instead, get busy by being the person everyone's looking for.
Argyl Serrano, September 8, 2009

Dear God,
Please take care of this person. Mabait naman yan kapag tulog. Doblehin niyo na lang po ang bantay ngayon kasi gising na yata. Amen
Edwin Gutierrez, September 7, 2009

There's no room for hate in a peaceful and loving heart.
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 7, 2009

"Every experience brings out something good." Good times become good memories, bad times become good lessons. You never lose; you only gain from life!
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 7, 2009

You don't drown by falling in the water.
You drown by staying in there.
Don't allow yourself to sink. Learn to swim with life.
Edwin Gutierrez, September 6, 2009

A turtle once told me that no matter how heavy his bearings are, it's God's choice to make him carry the luggage for it's the only way he will be protected.
Rogelyn Donor, September 5, 2009

Find time each day: to smile at your memories, laugh at your little mistakes, celebrate moments, and dance in the dreams you hold closest to your heart.
Faith Go, September 4, 2009

The faults you see in other's lives are often true in yourself. So help yourself to recognize your own hypocrisy. The better we know ourselves, the less we will criticize others.
Mary Ann Andicoy, August 31, 2009

The story of the textmates na mag-eyeball:
Girl: Magsul-ob kog Yellow blouse, ikaw?
Boy: I'll wear Green shirt.
At the coffee shop, ugly girl in yellow comes in but no guy in green. She approaches guy in red.
Girl: Excuse me, are you my textmate?
Boy: Ngeeh. Naka-green ba diay ko?
- Bright!
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Magkumare nag-uusap:
Lukresia: Sana di ko na isinama sa kabaong ni Kulas yung cellphone niya noong ilibing siya.
Puring: Bakit?
Lukresia: Nagtext siya, sabi, "Dito na me, where na you?"
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Although I am against obscenities, still, I have included this text joke because it made me laugh so hard.
Diary ng Panget:
Dear Diary,
I'm so happy, sakpan ko sa akong crush nagtan-aw niya! Iyo ko gipamalikasan. Kagwapo jud niya!
One time, iya ko gitukmod, dugo ako nose. Kay gituyo man jud nako siya ug bangga.Kilig kaayo ko! Hihihi, at least nagdikit mi.
Ngayo siya sa akong pic kay ipa-salvage daw ko niya. How sweet!
Ug ang pinaka-the best, ingon siya, "F--k you." Shucks! Na-horny ko!
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Lord, I entrust my friends to your never-failing care and love, knowing that what you can do for them is far better than what I can even pray for. Amen!
Mary Ann Andicoy, August 29, 2009

We spend 70% of our life waiting. The rest we spend on doing something we know will never last.
Kit Loma, August 29, 2009

"Words without actions are empty, while actions without words are confusing."
Rogelyn Donor, August 27, 2009

Don't try so hard looking for perfect partners or friends.It's just this simple, "Be with people who know how blessed they are when they have you."
Rogelyn Donor, August 27, 2009

No one is more secure than the one who is held in God's hands. Safety is not found in the absence of danger but in the presence of God.
Argyl Serrano, August 27, 2009

"No matter how our dreams may seem unreachable, dream them anyway. No matter how we have been hurt by the people we love, love them anyway. No matter how hard life is, live it anyway. No matter how our prayers seem unanswered, pray anyway."
Shiela Mandaguay, August 26, 2009

If you laugh really loud, talk spontaneously, and you don't care what your face looks like, you're probably with your real friends.
Edwin Gutierrez, August 25, 2009

Moving on is not about never looking back.It's taking a glance of yesterday and noticing how much you've grown since then.
Rogelyn Donor, August 25, 2009

You live. You breathe. You laugh. You cry. You scream.You suffer. You die. And somewhere in between - if you're lucky - you fall in love.
Edwin Gutierrez, August 25, 2009

Whoever touches our lives, leaves Heartprints of love, friendship, and joy. Thank you for being a Heartprint!
Argyl Serrano, August 25, 2009

Popular Architecture

You know, I would have taken up Architecture as a course if it only took me four years to finish it, instead of five. Right now, I'm just content looking at structures, pinpointing some mistakes here and there, and silently criticizing the owners and the architects who have brought these mistakes to life.

Filipinos can be a very curious lot. For instance, we are still looking for our Filipino roots but, in terms of our architectural preferences, we are steadfastly clinging onto our colonial heritage. This behavior manifests itself strongly in how we, the middle class, design our homes.

For instance, Filipino architects love concrete It is the most loved construction material ever: a versatile, strong material which is also known for its remarkable durability.

But concrete is also very expensive (and its production isn't exactly eco-friendly since it adds a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere). Delivering it to construction sites takes a lot of money and the time necessary to allow it to set costs money too.

Nevertheless, we Filipinos love concrete, such that we have eschewed the more traditional, cheaper, and indigenous construction materials used by our forefathers in favor of cement floors and walls and metal roofs (To digress, My Shelter Foundation, a non-profit organization, has pioneered the use of alternative construction materials in several rural projects. Their design solutions have ranged from using ceramics to earth in building structures that are not only budget-friendly but also disaster-resistant).

I am thus reminded of a certain experiment by Gawad Kalinga in Sitio Target. Apart from the sociological issues that clobbered the entire enterprise, the issue about the Aetas' GK houses also points to the misguided notions that our Filipino architects seem to share. Instead of celebrating our roots by constructing domiciles made from native materials, our architects advise us to use more popular materials - materials they are most comfortable working with - in building our homes. There are also architects who pander to their clients' colonial mindsets by suggesting ways to make houses look more "Westernized" and "global".

Speaking then of "westernizing" one's own home, we Filipinos are also very good at assimilating design concepts that are totally out of sync with our climate. One good example are the many houses in my neighborhood which feature "gliding" or sliding glass windows. In a tropical country, these windows should be considered banned since they do not maximize air ventilation with regard to window size (a crucial factor in cooling homes). In contrast, the more conventional jalousie window allows air flow roughly across the entire surface of the window frame. Compared to that, gliding windows only allow air flow through just one half of the window frame area.

Finally, most of us are hopelessly infatuated with how an American suburbian home looks like. Sometimes, I do get irked whenever I see nothing but sprawling lawns and paved concrete in a lot. These kinds of lots are unnatural to look at and one could easily assume that the owner wants to feel like he's living somewhere else far from the Philippines.

I am the enemy of the manicured lawn and it is all for a good reason. First, I consider it a total waste of soil if one only plants grass in a lot instead of more substantial vegetation such as colorful plants, shrubs, or trees (which fare better in shielding your house from excessive solar radiation as compared to any variety of grass, excluding bamboo).

I am also the enemy of the pavement since it is a waste of valuable land. It is definitely a better idea to grow some plants on a piece of yard than to cover it all with hot concrete, incapable of absorbing water.

So there you go. I think that's it for now. I bet I can find more architectural disasters in the future but I'll save them for tomorrow's blog posts. As a final word, all I can say is the majority of us make poor home designers and, sad to say, most of us don't even know that. As long as trends in construction and architecture continue to blind our judgments, I think it is best if we do a bit more research on the proper way of designing our homes.