Thursday, November 30, 2006
Anticipating Storms
Storms remind you of things you can't control and things that are fleeting. And life is one of them.
More than 26 years ago, the entire family was in mourning. It was to be the loneliest Christmas of all. The first-born, a beautiful baby girl of fair skin and aquiline nose, left as quickly as she had came into this world. The family was in so much deepest grief that the whole family took a funeral vigil of more than two months. Sobbing, teeth-gnashing and chest-beating suddenly found its home in a two-story and stately wooden house by the beach. The tiny angel's abuela fainted as soon as the tomb was being sealed.
Years later, the second-born son would have a vivid dream of his dead elder sister he never even met. He dreamt that he was on a cemetery on a top of a hill. There were plenty of people wearing white flowing gowns, and there was a long line snaking from the top of the hill and the queue stretched on for miles. The sister was there. It was her. The boy knew, because it was heart telling him so. The One was there. His face radiates a light that was as bright as the sun but yet doesnt blind. His face is so beautiful and compassionate that no painting of Him comes close. The boy's tears flowed like the purest spring that suddenly burst forth from a parched earth. He woke up sobbing. His pillows soaked with tears.
Deaths are like Latin novels in his family. Years later, during the funeral of his beloved grandfather, a tornado appeared out of nowhere before the cement on the freshly sealed tomb dried. It ripped through a section of the busy section of the provincial town, injuring one of the drivers that the family hired. The earth trembled. The wind was electric. The twister lifted the poor man's tricycle and hurled it a few meters away with the driver still in it. Before the grandfather died, the boy went home from the university to take care of the preparations for the airflifting of his abuelo to seek better treatment in Manila for his swelling tumor in his gall bladder. As he was being wheeled to the plane, the sky was overcast and there was a light drizzle. The grandfather was ashen-faced, sad. It was indeed a farewell. The next time they would meet would be at the old man's funeral. When the abuela died, it was albeit quieter, save for the hysterical Born-Again service that drove the boy nuts- a fitting end to the endless proselytizing of his Uncle, who seems actually bent on putting up a new religion on the basis of his daughter's religious visions of the heavens and hells. It was scary and daunting. On the surface the boy was indifferent and with his usual sardonic self. But he was afraid. And no one saw that. Because noone cared. He felt being used as pawn, a spineless puppet that would bow down to everyone just because they were older and they were family.
The boy waited for someone to scream for a commercial break. But it was no ED TV. And he was no movie star in some reality show that has gone awry.
He then came to accept that in fact this was maybe what life is all about. It is about anticipating and accepting challenges, making decisions, and moving on. And continue loving. Because if he stopped loving, he would stop believing in dreams. And when you stop dreaming, you start to die.
That boy was me.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
A Series of Significant Altered States
Superman.
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein.
I lowered my eyelids. The walls suddenly became covered with red cushions. I was in a club. SASH! is playing. A Mexican boy peeped from the computer screen. Then a Japanese girl. The air was ethereal and cool. People were all sitting against the wall watching us. I am in a spaceship. First in command. I lowered my eyelids. I woke up. Sitting on a hard chair, on the rooftop of a building. I gaze into the nightsky. The twinkling lights of the city around me, and the twinkling of the stars in the firmament above me. The wind was getting cold. And now, Superman has come down from the skies.
Euro.
Pink M n Ms.
"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."- John Lennon.
There was a waterfall in the bedroom. Water was flowing from the closets. The walls began to sway. His face began to disintegrate. The skin peeling. I giggled. The lights all around me smiled. The stars were laughing and it is the music of the pealing of a thousand bells. I lay down. South Park is on the screen. I sighed. I closed my eyes. I was on top of a grand staircase in the lobby of a beautiful hotel. The lights from the chandeliers were warm. The plants on huge pots were so green and tropical. I closed my eyes. I was on a never ending magic carpet ride that took me all around the city at night. The wind was gentle. I can hear a soft voice. I closed my eyes. I was on a giant waterslide with millions of colors that would shame Willy Wonka. It was an explosion of colors. Shades of candy crimsons, pinks, aquamarines, sapphire blues, yellows, vermillions. It was like a huge paint waterfall. and I was moving fast, and then slow. I can hear a voice again. I responded. I sighed. The waterslide almost never ends. I am getting tired. I entered a cavern. It was red, and the water turned to a reddish pink sponge, and marshmallowy. I dipped my feet and they turned to sponge. And red. I sat down, my eyes still closed. I heard a voice bidding me to drink. I drank Orange Juice. And went back to bed. And I slept.
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein.
I lowered my eyelids. The walls suddenly became covered with red cushions. I was in a club. SASH! is playing. A Mexican boy peeped from the computer screen. Then a Japanese girl. The air was ethereal and cool. People were all sitting against the wall watching us. I am in a spaceship. First in command. I lowered my eyelids. I woke up. Sitting on a hard chair, on the rooftop of a building. I gaze into the nightsky. The twinkling lights of the city around me, and the twinkling of the stars in the firmament above me. The wind was getting cold. And now, Superman has come down from the skies.
Euro.
"Reality in our century is not something to be faced."- Graham Greene.
I looked around me. I was in a room unfamiliar. I was looking at a moving whiteboard smeared with the black marker. I see a figure moving around me. The light from the persistent July morning is trying to find me.
Pink M n Ms.
"In the American metaphysic, reality is always material reality, hard, resistant, unformed, impenetrable, and unpleasant." - Lionel Trilling.
The bed began to move higher. I never thought beds could fly like magic carpets. I smiled. Now, it's The Chappel's Show on the laptop.
My Traffic Lights."Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."- John Lennon.
There was a waterfall in the bedroom. Water was flowing from the closets. The walls began to sway. His face began to disintegrate. The skin peeling. I giggled. The lights all around me smiled. The stars were laughing and it is the music of the pealing of a thousand bells. I lay down. South Park is on the screen. I sighed. I closed my eyes. I was on top of a grand staircase in the lobby of a beautiful hotel. The lights from the chandeliers were warm. The plants on huge pots were so green and tropical. I closed my eyes. I was on a never ending magic carpet ride that took me all around the city at night. The wind was gentle. I can hear a soft voice. I closed my eyes. I was on a giant waterslide with millions of colors that would shame Willy Wonka. It was an explosion of colors. Shades of candy crimsons, pinks, aquamarines, sapphire blues, yellows, vermillions. It was like a huge paint waterfall. and I was moving fast, and then slow. I can hear a voice again. I responded. I sighed. The waterslide almost never ends. I am getting tired. I entered a cavern. It was red, and the water turned to a reddish pink sponge, and marshmallowy. I dipped my feet and they turned to sponge. And red. I sat down, my eyes still closed. I heard a voice bidding me to drink. I drank Orange Juice. And went back to bed. And I slept.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Books |
| Genre: | Literature & Fiction |
| Author: | Gabriel Garcia-Marquez |
As soon as I put down Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Memorias de mis putas tristes (Memories of My Melancholy Whores), one cannot help but feel hopeful, that no matter how long it will take, it wont matter whether you are 9 or 90, love will come and get you. His first novel in 10 years, The Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, No One Talks to the General and Love in Time of Cholera, dishes out an unforgettable, sensual, amusing and refreshingly liberating love story about a bachelor who decided to have a wild night with a young virgin on the eve of his 90th birthday. And he got more what he bargained for. As what he was accustomed to in the past, he contacts his ever reliable Madam to procure a woman for her. The 14-year old girl is beautiful, but as being tired from taking care for her younger siblings as well as in a job sewing buttons in a factory, all she she could ever do is lie naked on the bed. And sleep. And watched the bachelor, oh, he did.
Night after night, the silent courtship of the naked sleeper and the old watcher grew deeply. And for the two, unknowingly, they slid through that slippery slope of love.
While initially some readers might be expecting the 115-page book overflowing with sex. It does not. But it does overflow with the warm sensuality as expected generally from Latin American writers the likes of Allende (Eva Luna, Stories of Eva Luna), Esquivel (Like water for Chocolate) and Coelho (I have read The Alchemist, 11 Minutes and By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept). The tentativeness and the sweeping descriptions of smells, of colors, of touch, of nostalgia. It is a love that you can almost inhale.
While I feel that Memorias is a little more subdued than One Hundred Years of Solitude, the pervasive intelligent eroticism is pulsating all throughout the novel.
When the bachelor found his girl missing after the brothel closed down, we sympathize with him as he looked high and low for the missing "Delgadina"(the name he gave her). We feel his anxiety and his sadness as he finds everything connected to Delgadina and every face in the crowd, her face. We felt his righteous rage as he accused Delgadina of being unfaithful. And we sat beside him in his anguish and his pain and then his bewilderment and his new sense of hope in the realization that at 90 years old, he felt in love for the first time, and the knowledge that she too, loves him back.
When I told my friends about the story, I was most amused of course with myself rather than with their reactions. Though it certainly would be revolting in most societies, I never seem to see the pedophiliac nature of the relationship between the bachelor and the girl. I guess I was just way too blinded by the awesome power and beauty of such kind of love.
For giving me hope in love when hoping seems not be fashionable anymore, and for leaving me breathless in the process, this gem of a piece deserves 4 stars.
Friday, November 24, 2006
I suffer, because I love.
I am reposting a poem I wrote July last year for my friends who requested so... I initially composed each stanza of this poem on my mobile and was to send it to my object of affection, but instead of sending it to the person, I sent this instead to a friend who asked me to compile everything, and I did. I wrote this down in a piece of paper, and sent the poem along with a bouquet of a dozen peach pink roses that you see here to the one I loved.
"Untitled or Otherwise Known as a Secret Suffering of a Person in Love"
I
I love him just because I love him
and when I love, I love without exceptions.
When I love, I love intensely not tentatively,
I'll love even if I know it will hurt me.
It's like a fire that consumes me,
it burns me, it blinds me, it may even kill me.
II
For he became the air that I breathe,
the blood in my veins, the passion in my poetry.
I feed from the sound of his laughter,
the sparkle in his eyes when he sees me,
the corner of his smile, the movement of his shadows,
the peace of his sleep, the sweetness of his kiss
and the warmth of his body next to mine.
He is a million reasons to live.
II.V (Postcript to I & II)
You came like a misdirected arrow that pierced my quietitude, cursing me to love in an unequal measure, and now that I am dazed and confused, you left me dying in my stained solitude...
III
As fast as the mercury rising, my love ran wild in the night.
Tame me, and make me yours, envelop me in the glow
of your being, I need the shower of your affection,
for I chose not to be anywhere but to be beside you,
beside you I live, to hold your hand and never let go.
Tonight, I decide to dream of you, for in my dreams,
I have you forever.
IV
In the break of dawn I silently gaze, upon the hillocks
and valleys of your body, the soft morning light falling on your
olive-colored skin, counting every heaves of your sighs,
the crests and troughs of your chest as your heart beat steadily,
memorizing every detail of your face, not knowing how long
will I bask in its sweet contemplation, for in this very hour,
I was happy in the midst of my desperation.
V (unfinished)
With your touch, I tremble, tremors course through my body,
with your touch, you leave me breatheless
and with the sweet suffocation, your touch defined my existence.
(and maybe it was my eloquent isolation and the deep
pathos whispers the breathe of my acquiesence to my calm
desolation.)
V.v (Prelude to VI)
Make love to me in pain, whip, bind, subdue me
and drive me to submission, bruise me, I want you
to leave my body in black and blue.
suffocate me, strangle me, chain me, and leave me
beaten senseless, dying on the crumpled sheets
of my dreams, for no pain can match the suffering,
my suffering of loving you.
VI
I drown in the river of my saline grief,
the night I've lost you to the tumbling, fickle winds
and the steady, falling, melancholic rain, the same winds that
carried me to you and then you away from me.
I drown myself in the river of my saline grief,
in the night of the saddest stars.
the other David
July 2-4, 2005
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Going Home
The saddest part of a trip to Boracay is leaving it. I had to separate these photographs from the Boracay Trip 2006 folder because of a different melancholic gaze of the camera upon the setting sun. Photos courtesy of дима ларионов.
Embassy Superclub - Why Getting a Visa Can Be Quite a Trip
| Rating: | ★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Why The Netherlands is the Happiest Country on Earth
Dutch group wants to roll world's biggest joint
THE HAGUE -- Insouciant of police warnings, a Dutch group is set to roll the world's biggest joint, sending the previous record for a marijuana cigarette up in smoke, the ANP news agency reported Tuesday.
The world's largest joint will be a 500-gram (17-ounce), meter-long (3.3-foot) monstrosity, rolled with cigarette paper and easily dwarfing the previous 100-gram winner, ANP said. To beat the record, it must be made entirely of marijuana with no tobacco mix.
"Afterwards we'll light it up," predicted event organizer Thijs Verheij, who is hoping his feat will land in the Guinness Book of Records.
The Dutch police are not amused however, warning they will intervene if the joint surpasses the five grams of marijuana allowed for consumption and sale in the Netherlands.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Rufo's
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Restaurants |
| Cuisine: | Other |
| Location: | Kalayaan, Makati |
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Jeff Li's Birthday Party
| Start: | Nov 19, '06 11:00p |
| End: | Nov 20, '06 |
| Location: | Marina, Jupiter St. , Bel-Air |
Cyprien de Bari's Farewell Party
| Start: | Nov 24, '06 11:00p |
| Location: | Donnely's, Alabang, Muntinlupa |
Monday, November 13, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Gross National Product and Foam Parties.
Now I really know where half of the Philippine GNP are being spent. In foam parties in ritzy subdivisions. I was supposed to go out and just chill out with a Marie Antoinette movie in Greenbelt last night, but as luck and timing would have it. My friend Daryl was late (again) and it is Friday night. We checked out Bedspace (too lame crowd), M Cafe (too well lit), Nuvo (too senior crowd) so we sent our asses scurrying to the Fort where we chilled over cosmos and and white russians (stupid name for a drink.. he he he diba Carlos?) and reminisced over our conquests over the years while '80s music was being played at Jills (so apropos..).
Around 11ish, we got an invite for Chris Parker's Annual Birthday Bash with Foam Party as this years theme at a South Forbes residence. Guestlist includes Manila's virtual partyphiles - Rajo Laurel, Borgy Manotoc, Vina Morales, fire-dancin Rachel Lobangco, recently outed Robby Tarroza and Manila's X community, and lots and lots of foam, sexy music and flowin drinks.
It takes parties like this to really wake you up. While being photographed and published in expensive in glossies and society pages, one thinks how poor families cannot even send their kids to school. A copy of Philippine Tatler costs pretty much a day's meal for a poor family of 4-6. And the money spent on that party could have been the annual income of 20 poor families combined. Oh well. Ill post some of the photos here soon. Maybe I should do some charity or volunteer work soon... Washing my guilt? Maybe.
Around 11ish, we got an invite for Chris Parker's Annual Birthday Bash with Foam Party as this years theme at a South Forbes residence. Guestlist includes Manila's virtual partyphiles - Rajo Laurel, Borgy Manotoc, Vina Morales, fire-dancin Rachel Lobangco, recently outed Robby Tarroza and Manila's X community, and lots and lots of foam, sexy music and flowin drinks.
It takes parties like this to really wake you up. While being photographed and published in expensive in glossies and society pages, one thinks how poor families cannot even send their kids to school. A copy of Philippine Tatler costs pretty much a day's meal for a poor family of 4-6. And the money spent on that party could have been the annual income of 20 poor families combined. Oh well. Ill post some of the photos here soon. Maybe I should do some charity or volunteer work soon... Washing my guilt? Maybe.
Thursday, November 9, 2006
Schadenfreude! Now It's Legal to have Oral Sex in Singapore, BUT...
Singapore may relax sex laws, but for heterosexuals only SINGAPORE
-- Singapore plans to decriminalize oral and anal sex for adult
heterosexuals under legislation unveiled Thursday, but the government
said sex between homosexuals will remain banned.
The government posted proposed amendments to the city-state's Penal
Code -- the result of a three-year review -- on a Web site, and
Singaporeans have a month to offer feedback. The Ministry of Home
Affairs will consider the input before presenting the proposals to
Parliament early next year.
The amendments that have generated the most water-cooler buzz in
strait-laced Singapore are those that would legalize oral and anal sex
between consenting heterosexuals over age 16 -- and the retention of
the law against acts between homosexuals.
That drew immediate criticism from People Like Us, a gay rights group.
"If the government aims for an open, inclusive society, it should be
doing all it can to overturn prejudice and discrimination, rather than
give people reason to remain close-minded through retaining (the ban)
for symbolic purposes," the group said in a statement.
The Home Affairs Ministry said it wants to modernize the laws "to be
in line with social mores and emerging societal trends" -- but that
doesn't include homosexuality.
"Singapore remains, by and large, a conservative society. Many do
not tolerate homosexuality," said a note published with the amendments.
However, it said it would continue its policy of not proactively prosecuting private homosexual acts.
"Gross indecency" between two men can lead to two years in jail, but
it's rarely punished. Singapore has a thriving gay community.
Other proposed amendments would ban necrophilia, toughen penalties
for sex with minors under 14, and introduce penalties for men who rape
their wives.
The amendments would also expand the Sedition Act to cover "the
wounding of racial feelings," and would toughen credit card fraud laws.
A change in the "unlawful assembly" law would broaden its focus to
groups "whose common object is to commit any offense, and not just
those relating to public tranquility."
Outdoor gatherings of more than four people now require a police
permit -- a law seen by critics as an attempt to curb political
dialogue.
Such laws were highlighted in September, when protesters were
confined to an indoor lobby during annual International Monetary Fund
and World Bank meetings held in Singapore.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
In a Place of Love, Hate Exists
Vatican calls for Jerusalem gay march to be banned
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Wednesday called for a planned gay pride march in Jerusalem to be banned for fear of offending "the sensibilities of religious communities that reside in Jerusalem and hold her dear."
"It is clear that the Gay Parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem will prove offensive to the great majority of Jews, Muslims and Christians, given the sacred character of the city of Jerusalem," the Holy See said in a letter to the Israeli foreign ministry.
While free expression must be respected, it is "subject to just limits," particularly when it offends religious beliefs, the Vatican added.
The Vatican joined a number of religious leaders and extreme-right activists who have called for the canceling of Jerusalem's fifth gay pride march, scheduled for Friday.
Given the go-ahead Sunday by Israel's attorney general Menahem Mazuz, the march has sparked fierce reactions.
Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox mayor, Uri Lupolianski, was beaten Tuesday by fellow ultra-Orthodox Jews opposed to the march. And a group of rabbis reportedly intend to place a Kabbalistic curse on it.
Critics have also filed petitions in court against the planned rally, which Israel's Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai described as "an abomination on the streets."
So far, Israel's Supreme Court has thrown out several petitions to cancel the march, but was due to examine more on Wednesday.
On Monday, officers and gay organizers agreed to switch the route of the parade from downtown to the ultra-secure zone around various government ministries, the supreme court and central bank, far from religious sites.
In its note, the Vatican expressed confidence that Israel's foreign ministry would "exert all its influence" in having the authorization for the march reconsidered, "as a mark of respect for the religious sentiments of all those who venerate the Holy City."
Israeli police said late Wednesday that the gay pride march was likely to be postponed because of a high state of alert following threats by Palestinian factions to resume suicide attacks.
"We have made it known that it will without a doubt be necessary to postpone this event, which will require the deployment of thousands of officers to ensure security," Ilan Franco, Jerusalem police chief, told Israeli television.
Police said the march could be postponed for a week.
The Holy See also opposed a similar World Gay Pride march in Rome six years ago.
The rally -- which then pope John Paul II described as an "affront on Christian values" during the celebration of the Vatican's Holy Year -- took place anyway, with an attendance of tens of thousands.
|
Friday, November 3, 2006
McDonald's and the Environment
Let me repost this environmental issue confronting not only McDonald's or Jollibee but other fastfood chains as well. While I dont agree with Gary Granada's off-tangent tirade against the Arroyo government and what he calls as 'state-sponsored summary executions' ( I have my sources from the different Embassies and Missions that the most killings of journalists are NOT work related as well as that there is an ongoing purge of the militants all over and therefore the military is not to be blamed for that). As for the legitimacy of the Arroyo government, that has already been settled in the Supreme Court and I dont even need to elaborate on that.
The following article is a little sad for me since McDonald's (in Greenbelt Paseo de Roxas) is usually our meeting place and afterparty pigout place and for their top honchos acting irresponsibly in addressing this issue is disappointing. For a multinational brand like McDonald's, its managers must be always in the forefront in considering its consumers' feedback and suggestion, listen and actually do something about it. I agree that there is too much plastic packaging that goes around and this creates a problem especially in waste disposal. I think McDonald's should not only be more socially responsible and environmentally friendly but must learn in how to deal with the general dining public. After all, they are the reason for your existence. Kaya listen bitches.
My Personal Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of
McDonald's
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And please forward this information if you
find it relevant and
appropriate, salamat po~~
The following article is a little sad for me since McDonald's (in Greenbelt Paseo de Roxas) is usually our meeting place and afterparty pigout place and for their top honchos acting irresponsibly in addressing this issue is disappointing. For a multinational brand like McDonald's, its managers must be always in the forefront in considering its consumers' feedback and suggestion, listen and actually do something about it. I agree that there is too much plastic packaging that goes around and this creates a problem especially in waste disposal. I think McDonald's should not only be more socially responsible and environmentally friendly but must learn in how to deal with the general dining public. After all, they are the reason for your existence. Kaya listen bitches.
My Personal Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of
McDonald's
My name is Gary Granada, I am a Kaalagad
volunteer, and I need 5 seconds of your time to help reduce the use of
styrofoam in fast food chains.
What was meant to be a nice and simple Saint
Francis Day motorcade-march to McDonald’s yesterday turned out to be a
nightmare. We were rudely treated by McDonald’s, to put it mildly. Weeks
before, we already sought a dialogue with them to reiterate our concern
regarding their reluctance to reduce their use of styrofoam, despite their
pledge to seriously attend to it during our dialogue in 2002! (Jollibee said
the same thing, and while we are not satisfied with their response, at least
they made some effort to shift to other packaging and serving materials.)
We sent them a letter, went to their office,
made follow ups, waited for a response. The most we got from them was
‘you wait for our call’. They never called, never wrote back, but
verbally said they will assign representatives to receive our motorcade’s
representatives.
When we got there, their representatives turned
out to be the
they were told by McDonald’s that they were not expecting us. One of our staff
went up to their 17th floor office to find out whether they were
willing to sit down and talk matters. Told to tell us to wait, we
waited. The giant that it is, the bosses of McDonald’s apparently regard
little children, nuns, mothers, priests and concerned consumers as their
employees. We asked how long we were supposed to wait and got no straight
answer. Finally they sent word for me to come up, just me, no one
else. I thought these people must have seen too many spaghetti movies,
perhaps they thought they had a hostage crisis. I was led to a conference
room that could easily sit six or seven people and was greeted by two bright
boys.
Think about it. Naglakad kami papuntang
McDonald's, at pagdating namin doon, wala man lang bumaba para kausapin kami ng
maayos. At pinatawag ako nitong dalawang batang managers!
It occurred to me that there were far more basic
issues that plague McDonald’s than styrofoam. Like common courtesy.
So I explained to these rich young rulers that the courteous thing to do was to
go down, greet the delegation and ask how they may be of help. I even
asked them where they were schooled, because in the public school in an obscure
town where I came from, they manage to teach such things in Grade One. Their
bloated bright brains must have taken up the space that was meant for their
ears. It felt like talking to an electric fan.
Meanwhile I insisted that somebody from
Greenpeace, the Ecowaste Coalition, Franciscan Movement for Justice, Peace and
Integrity of Creation, and the JPICC of the Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the
can only accommodate three people at most. Fine. So I said I and
our staff will go down and we will send three people up. But at the lobby,
the three representatives we sent were barred by security people from
proceeding, again upon McDonald’s instructions they said.
It looked hopeless.
We decided to wrap up the program when out of
nowhere a condescending woman materialized and introduced herself as the media
relations officer of McDonald's. She said, ‘Why don’t you go to Jollibee
instead, they’re number One.’ To which Father Ben Moraleda replied, ‘We
did, and at least they are doing something.’
On the side, irked by her audacity, Fr. Ben
quipped, ‘And please take that hand of yours off my shoulder, I don’t like
you.’
And all that commotion for a very simple and
very reasonable plan: that McDonald’s reduce the use of styrofoam by 50% within
one year. McDonald’s has once again demonstrated its arrogance and
incapacity to appreciate the sincere and constructive efforts of common folks
to protect our environment. Unlike them, we do not make money doing what
little we can to help make things a little better for everybody.
Five seconds, that’s all I ask of
you to help reduce the use of styrofoam. Sa mundo ng mga mayayabang,
papansinin lang nila tayo kung tayo ay maninindigan. Take 5 seconds
to think twice before choosing where to dine or order food.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DON’T
CHOOSE MCDONALD’S
I feel sad for that woman and those two young
managers. So young, so successful, so ahead of their game, so privileged;
so rude, so arrogant, so lacking in character, so bland. And I have since
stopped wondering why their burgers taste the way they do.
------------<>------------
It will take a bit longer than 5
seconds, but it will go a long way if you can email this page to friends.
Thank you for your time~
Gary Granada
2006
------------<>------------
We have some people asking if the
story about my ordeal with McDonald's is just one malicious smudge
campaign. So I feel compelled to post this letter which is actually a
reply to one email I got regarding the issue. Two things: One, it is
quite understandable that people are skeptical about such things (I myself hate
spams and cons) and that is fine, we should by all means verify sources before
forwarding messages. Two, I am not entirely an obscure person in the
advertising industry, I make jingles and did the music for two Ad Congresses
including the last one. It is against my personal interest to be at odds with
people who regularly employ advertising to sell their goods and wares. But
one needs to draw the line somewhere, as they say.
Hi Niva,
In 2002, we had separate dialogues with both
McDonald's and Jollibee. We specifically suggested for them to
create an Ecolane, where people who bring their own plates may be
accommodated. We even held a small activity with Jollibee in SM
where kids brought their own plates, spoons and forks.
Sometime after that, Jollibee replaced their
styrofoam plates with washable reusable plastic baskets which are better we
thought (This was of course not as a result of our dialogue alone, many groups
have been working on the issue of plactics and styrofoam)
Both Jollibee and McDonald's were less than
accommodating, both did not bother to look into the possibility of the
Ecolane. So we shifted our campaign to schools, expalining to
students and school
admninistrators the ill effects of using disposable non-biodegradable
materials. (We have a simple module and a makeshift exhibit for
aids)
After four years, we thought we needed to go
back to institutional advocacy and press for a zero-use of styrofoam in three
years. The usage extent does not matter at the moment, as we were
using a percentage tracking platform : reduce to 50 on the first year, then 20
on the seond year, then 0 within three years.
To kick off the campaign, we decided to start
where we started: McDonald's.
And that's what happened. It would
have been nice if McDonald's accommodated us and explained to us what they were
doing to precisely address the issue. But they completely ignored
us.
As such, this has gone beyond
styrofoam. We need to persuade big business to be mindful of public
sentiment, hopefully in a cooperative way, but sadly, in this case, through a
more tedious way since McDonald's is too arrogant to listen.
My suggestion is to organize a real effective
consumer movement to force big corporations to behave accordingly and remind
them that their single-minded profit-driven imaginations may be tolerated up to
a point, but always subservient to public welfare.
McDonald's is a giant, it will not be hurt by
people like me, but if get organized, we can at least bring manners and humility
to these people, and who knows that might bring some real change in policy and
praxis.
-
Please forward this to your
friends if you find it appropriate, thank you~
-------------------
To help collate comments on the
McDonald's issue,
please log on to the
PHILIPPINE CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
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CLICK Institutions
CLICK McDonald's
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Thanks~
And please forward if you find it relevant
and
appropriate, salamat po~~
McDonald's
hires PR agency
to invite
Fr. Ben Moraleda and Gary Granada
On the evening
of October 17, I got a call from Ms. Bonjin Bolinao. She said McDonald's
was sending a letter to Kaalagad, inviting us to a dialogue. She also
asked me if it were possible to indicate in my website that McDonald's already
sent a letter to Kaalagad (we received the letter the following day). I
promised her that I will publish her letter in my website (http://garygranada.com). I believe the
only way we may have an honest to goodness dialogue where public concern is
concerned is for the public to know the facts. So I'm publishing and
circulating this letter, as well as my reply to Bonjin, in fairness to
everybody.
If you haven't
yet, please read for a backgrounder
My Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of McDonald's
--------------------------------
KAALAGAD
Attention:
Fr. Ben
Moraleda, Spokesperson
Mr. Gary
Granada, Volunteer
Dear Fr.
Moraleda and Mr. Granada:
On behalf
McDonald’s
to invite you to a dialogue with senior McDonald’s representatives on Thursday,
October 26, at
Citi restaurant, 34th floor,
McDonald’s
would like to discuss with your group their efforts in addressing the various
issues that you have raised. They would also like to formalize their commitment
to your cause of reducing the use of harmful substances in the quick-service
industry.
Thank you for
your attention. Please confirm if you are available on the said date and time.
Should you have further queries, please contact Mr. Stevie Martinez at 889-8332
loc. 131 or 0918-9258163.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
HCN Bonjin
Bolinao
Managing
Director
DDB Phils.
Ad Verbum PR
--------------------------------
And here is my
reply to her letter (thru e-mail):
Dear Bonjin,
I just read
your letter dated
2006
consultative community, Kaalagad is currently consulting its members and staff
as well as our partners in order to come up with an appropriate collective
response.
Offhand, I
would like to share with you my personal view. (Kaalagad is drafting its
official position.)
I am of the
opinion that your letter is insincere, insensitive and mercenary. It is
insincere because you write as though October 6 never happened. No
mention of the incident, no need for apology, no need to explain why McDonald's
acted the way it did.
It is
insensitive because you picked a venue which is one elevator ride from
McDonald's's bosses' office, while we have to commute all the way to
insult to injury, you picked the very same building where we were harassed by
your security people and shabbily treated by your managers.
It is mercenary
because I see PR written all over the page. It is not even signed by
McDonald's but by an ad agency. We are not a 'market' that your college
advertising textbooks may have taught you to regard. We are not a
'segment' of the market that you can simply 'sample', 'profile' and 'contain'
if need be.
Don't treat us
like we are a PR problem. I cannot take this veiled insult sitting
down. So, to cut the crap, I will excuse myself from any possible
dialogue with you or your client.
I have a very
simple, doable and straightforward suggestion to you though. Why don't
you and McDonald's use everything within your enormous financial and media
clout to discredit what I am saying:
DON'T BUY
MCDONALD'S BECAUSE:
1. McDonald's
is arrogant - don't make them more arrogant.
2. McDonald's
uses styrofoam - don't encourage them further.
I urge you to
publicly discredit those two statements. And I shall be very happy, even
eager, to be discredited and proven wrong if you really mean what you
say. Show proof in all your stores and offices that contrary to what I am
saying, McDonald's is a humble giant that puts public welfare above
profit. That way, we all win!
I will publicly
broadcast those statements. I know it sounds laughable for I can't even
afford to pay for one column-centimeter of news item. A little-known
folksinger versus a transnational ad agency of a transnational megacorporation
is a like playing chess blindfolded with one rook less. On the other
hand, I believe there are lots and lots of people who simply seek goodwill and
solidarity. And I suspect many of them are fond of spaghetti and brewed
coffee.
This will be
the last time I'll write to you regarding McDonald's, hell I don't get paid for
writing letters like you do.
Lastly, please
do not take this letter as a personal affront. Like you said over the
phone, we have common friends. I hope we are on the same page then, for
instance, in taking the illegitimate Arroyo government to task over the specter
of state-sponsored summary executions and brazen political opportunism that has
become the norm in this country.
Tell you what,
I hang out at Conspiracy (
beside Equitable Bank, landline 4532170). My favorite singers Cooky Chua
and Noel Cabangon (who by the way once did a commercial for McDonald's) perform
there. Our mutual friend Conrado DeQuiros is a regular. You might
want to check the place out. Please let me buy you a beer, no scripts, no
agenda, but as real persons in a real way.
Sincerely,
Gary Granada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To help collate comments on the
McDonald's issue,
please log on to the
PHILIPPINE CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
http://garygranada.com/cgi%2Dbin/phpbb/
CLICK Institutions
CLICK McDonald's
Or go straight to the topic:
http://garygranada.com/cgi%2Dbin/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5
Thanks~
And please forward this information if you
find it relevant and
appropriate, salamat po~~
Thursday, November 2, 2006
The World University Rankings 2006
The Times Higher Education Supplement- Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) World University Rankings.
As usual, UP comes out on top in Philippine rankings at 299th place, with DLSU 97 notches down, Ateneo 185 notches down, and UST 201 notches down.
For the methodology, explanation and changes and other related inquiries please visit: http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/
Here is the full list:
As usual, UP comes out on top in Philippine rankings at 299th place, with DLSU 97 notches down, Ateneo 185 notches down, and UST 201 notches down.
For the methodology, explanation and changes and other related inquiries please visit: http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/
Here is the full list:
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