POSTCRIPT: I was skimming through the piles of crap in my room, hoping that I can throw away 1/2 of the paper load. I found this business card of a doctor, a pediatrician. I have some doctor-friends but I don't have their business cards. And I do not remember consulting a pedia (for what, anyway?) or meeting one. I can't place this one. But the surprise came when I flipped the card. At the back appears a hand-written message, "Hey, you almost broke the dance floor. Give me a call" plus a smiley. The card might be like 5 years already since the contact information bears no mobile number, but only a pager number. Pagers are just so of yore here, but knowing some doctors, I thought that the number might still be working. Unfortunately, it is out-of-service (sigh...). Well, I guess the old adage is true: WIN SOME, LOSE SOME. ]]> Sun, 14 Aug 2005 22:04:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/27884 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/17637 These days, I truly understand how it feels to be on the minority or probably, more apt, in a marginalized sector.

In a country so crazy over basketball and not much else, it feels so lonely to be a soccer fan. While so many people around the world are glued on their television sets watching Euro 2004, I have to wait until 11 in the evening to watch an oftenly delayed match in a channel whose reputation for bad tv coverage is legendary. No other sports channel shows the matches uninterrupted. On the other hand, basketball games and tennis competitions are shown live. Sigh :-( So my alternative is the net which is a less exciting medium in this case since you get only vignettes or updates.

Nevertheless, I watch. I hope and pray that sooner, France would end up as the champion once again. There was an interesting comment that the past two champions- Germany in 1996 and France in 2000- all came from the group containing Czech Republic. A friend said -wouldn't it be time for the Czechs themselves to win, rather than remain as the perennial lady luck? Well, who knows? I guess its wide open this time around.

Meanwhile, I have to bear with my daily late night viewing. Not even an early morning job could prevent me, anyway.:-)

Go France!!!!!! ]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2004 07:01:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/17637 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/14639 Wow, its been a long, looong time, indeed since I last posted an update and checked TIG. Glad to be back :-)



]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:05:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/14639 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12457 I really hate moving out and transferring to a new apartment. But I need to. Nearer to school, nearer to family. But seeing tons of things to pack - mostly books, papers and crap (just cant throw them!)- make me cringe. Awwwwwww!!!!
]]> Sun, 30 Nov 2003 04:23:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12457 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12354 I am not a fan of boxing, but when it is national pride that is at stake, I would trade any other activity (or date) for a match. So there I was glued on TV watching our own Manny Pacquiao battle the great Marco Barrera. Bear with the punches, the jabs. Like so many others here, I cheered him on. Of course, Manny won via a TKO in the 11th round. What a win for the underdog! When he came back, he was welcomed a hero.

Manny's feat provided a respite to endless negative news that seem to be the order of the time. Manny became a hero to a country which lacks one. Manny became a rallying point. Mannny provided the entertainment for a country which needs to be happy and proud. ]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2003 23:45:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12354 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12184 Many times, some complete strangers just make my day. Just today, I was waiting for a cab when a woman, a cigarette vendor, approached me and told me that my collar is not properly fixed. And she fixed it. Wow, I was hesistant at first but she gave me a sincere smile which made me comfortable with her.

Sometime back, during a protest rally, an old man who was not part of the event, offered me bottled water (how did he know I won't accept tap water?!hehehe)and it was just what my companions and I needed.

Everytime a stranger lends a hand, gives me a warm smile or even offers a seat in a public transpo, my day is made. Life is indeed beautiful. ]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2003 20:30:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12184 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11794 When the leaders of ASEAN talked about free trade and the setting-up of an EU-like organization for Southeast Asia in the near future, I wonder - is it possible to have an Asian-wide organization?

Or should the more appropriate question be: is it feasible? Aside from disparate economic conditions, cultural heterogeneity, and security, what other issues and challenges would such a proposal face? Admittedly, Europe's member countries share common cultural heritage, aside from their relatively similar economic conditions.

Can there ever be an Asian Union?
]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2003 23:02:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11794 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11636 Transparency International, perhaps the only international NGO fighting corruption, released its Corruption Perceptions Index 2003. While it is generally a survey of academics, businesspersons, etc. and thus, can be, as the title of the report implies - a perception - the people asked are also knowledgeable of the true situation and the magnitude of corruption in their respective countries. Perception or observation, this makes a good barometer. Corruption is one scourge that we should fight.

Topping the list, meaning, the LEAST CORRUPT are Finland, Iceland, New Zealand and Singapore. The other two Scandinavian countries - Sweden and Norway - are also in the top ten. The rest of the ten are Netherlands, Australia and Switzerland.

And speaking of corruption, here are some questions to ponder:

1.) IS THE EXTENT OF CORRUPTION, AND THE PROPENSITY OF AUTHORITIES TO CORRUPT DEPENDENT ON A CERTAIN MILIEU OR CULTURAL VALUES?

Perhaps hardly, but what makes the Scandinavian countries relatively successful? The general perception that Asian governments are also corrupt does not necessarily hold water too, since Singapore and Hong Kong are on top.

2.) WHAT/WHICH PROPAGATES IT?

Politicians, political parties and government officials and employees have the responsibility - passing laws, promoting transparency, value-formation, strict implementation. The Philippines imposes the death penalty on plunder but nobody has been sentenced with finality for it. But business people also have a role. In the Philippines for instance, it is widely perceived and yes, observed, that businesspersons think of corruption as part of the game and therefore condone it. They perpetuate the cycle they hope to end.

3.) WHAT TYPES OF CORRUPTION ARE MOST COMMON?

Bribery is very common. Payoffs on government projects are also prevalent.

4.) IS THERE A NEED FOR MULTILATERAL COOPERATION?

Apparently yes, not only because international trading is affected but also because corruption eats out into funds for social investments. The poor countries suffer more.

5.) WHAT CAN THE PEOPLE DO?

Admittedly, vigilance is needed from the civil society. It is our money that is being stolen and it is our government that is being sullied. The only way for evil to succeed, as one sage puts it, is to let it. Two governments here have been toppled by popular uprisings due to corruption, and these mass actions have been fueled by the youth. We should never waver. Once, a politician here was overheard saying, "What are we in power for?" The people took him to task for it. We should do more.

Find out more in: http://www.transparency.org/]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2003 08:52:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11636 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11502 Guess who's coming to dinner?

All the streets he will pass through are being thoroughly cleaned and the places where he will be - even for just short ticks of the clock - are being spruced up so that what he will see is only the beautiful. The best course is also being prepared.

I find this strange. In front of Congress is a slum area and their dwellings were all-of-a-sudden destroyed just because the US President is coming over for a state visit and will address Congress on Saturday. Authorities claimed the move was long overdue and the squatters were to be transferred to another location. Mere coincidence? But everytime an 'event' is going to be held, Manila suddenly undergoes a face-lift. Take the last APEC Summit, the Miss Universe Pageant in 1994 and a World Bank Conference of yore.

A city which looks good is of course desired, but what is happening is plain hypocrisy. I understand the security preparations but not the cosmetic changes.

Such display of silliness has no room for public policy. In cosmetic plants, perhaps. Politicians who also cannot get in touch with reality should be slapped. Time to wake up!]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2003 23:14:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11502 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11501 Finally, the University of the Philippines has opted to shift to open-source. A project which was started early this year is being gradually implemented and people were, and are being trained to do the job.
]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2003 22:51:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11501 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11451
Robert Sagun, the hardworking President of my organization and I had a meeting last Friday to discuss, and work on some aspects of our WSIS national campaign. So in the course of this meeting, we had documents to translate into Filipino, our national language. Translating something into a language which is not our first tongue really proved difficult. Not only that, we have to consider the style of translation and this is an aspect which is so open to debate.

A lot argue that Filipino should not be the national language, even though it is the most widely understood one, albeit, may not be the most popularly spoken one. Some surveys point to Cebuano, the language of the South and one which I could fluently speak. They say that Filipino, which is based on Tagalog is 1) the language of 'imperial' Manila; 2.) not an international language and therefore not understood by investors and 3.)a language that is not enough, i.e. it is not as comprehensive and extensive as English.

These arguments baffle me a lot, especially the third one. No language is enough. All languages borrow certain words from other tongues (and some adopt them or assimilate them into the native language)since no single culture has the monopoly over all human experiences, over everything. English for example has countless words of foreign origin. A language grows. It is not stagnant. I could hardly appreciate the argument of the so-called purists.

I also find the point that using Filipino would decrease the country's competitiveness. What about the sound economic and investment policies? Is language the first priority of investors, holding more importance than usiness climate and peace and order? Ridiculous, I would say.

So, Robert and I agreed that 'any lack of word' in native Filipino should not hinder us from doing an effective translation of documents. Our readers and the public speak and understand the lingua franca. Let the others rest.

]]> Sun, 12 Oct 2003 05:59:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11451 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11382 When it was the time of Nintendo craze , some doctors coined the term 'Nintendonitis' to refer to a fatigued and ailed condition of the hand as a result of too much Nintendo-playing. Now, would there be some sort of SMS-tenitis?

Excerpts from a news article by Reuters, carried by a Philippine newspaper:

"Too much text messaging?You may need professional help.More and more people are succumbing to so-called ''technology addictions," spending hours tapping on mobuile phones or surfing the Internet, one of Britain's best known psychiatric clinics said on Saturday...In the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, the head of the clinic's [Priory Clinic] addictions unit said some patients were spending up to seven hours a day text messaging. "We have a situation where some people look down on alcoholics and cocaine addicts, but then go and spend five hours in an Internet chat room," Dr. Mark Collins told the paper.

Hmmm...while the attention before was on the 'physical' effects of too much exposure on the computer, for example - eye problems, obesity, etc.- the 'mental' angle is more or less, a new facet. Well, as the banner in the Health and Wellness section of our discussion board would put it, health is an integrated whole.

The Philippines is the SMS capital of the world. More SMS are sent here than any other country in the world. I wonder how the people would react here. Too much of something is of course, bad.

This brings me to another point. What worries me about SMS is that some people seem to be so much enamored with it, that they think they cannot survive without withoout mobile phones and SMS (talk about societal and peer pressure!). A friend once told me that he was offered sex by a young woman in exchange for a prepaid load (since most here have prepaid subscriptions than regular lines.)!

Indeed, the use of technology can be good or bad. ]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2003 00:17:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11382 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11344 One saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them." Well, a friend just did.

Sorting through old and not-so-old newspapers, I came across an article in a leading newspaper, a contribution of fact, of a young man who was just 'eaten' by a corrupt system. He wrote about his experience as a youth leader, having served as a member of a local legislative body through his being the head of SK (our youth council whose head automatically lands a spot in local legislative bodies). He wrote how he succumbed to the call of corrution and bribery, two evils which characterize the government here. Sad, sad tale of one who studied in the bastion of student activism in the country-the University of the Philippines. Sad, sad tale for someone so young, yet so corrupt. Sad, sad tale for someone who has learned the ropes only to tie them around him. Sad, sad tale for a life destroyed.

It reminded me of someone I know, a perennial fixture in our street demonstrations in college. I would always bumped into him during rallies and though we belonged to different student parties then, I always put him in high regard. A leader-in-the-making, or so I thought.

After college, he worked for a politician and when we see each other and thereafter, he told me how he now learned that the system of corruption is incurable. And, he learned how to benefit from it, too, probably like his boss. He would tell me that 'ABILITY' is always better than 'INTELLIGENCE', since the latter could be latent while you only need the former to survive. Well...Putting it simply, he also acquired the ability to be corrupt and accept bribes. And he reminded me, "if you can't lick them, join them."

I always feel sad to hear that many young people, so idealistic with so much potential, would just suddenly surrender to the pressures of corruption. I FEEL SO SAD THAT THEY WOULD JUST SO EASILY LOSE THEIR IDEALISM, an attribute which we hold dear.

Joining the game of corruption is for me a defeatist and pessimistic attitude. And as one author puts it, "pessimism is a fatal vice." ]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2003 23:44:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11344 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11343
She however constantly referred to the need for a 'knowledge society' (an offshoot of knowledge economy?)instead of 'information society.' Come to think of it, isn't the phrase 'KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY' more affirmative and progressive? ]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2003 23:18:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11343 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11293 When it was announced that we're going to have new office uniforms, I knew I was in for bad times. Reason: they will be in long-sleeves.

I never liked long sleeves to begin with. They choke me. I only wear them on special occasions. I work in government and in Congress, we're supposed to wear business suits, especially when it is in session. But business suits in the Philippines could also be our perpetually evolving national costume- 'Barong Tagalog' which could either be in short or long sleeves. Fortunately, our old office uniforms were short-sleeved barongs. So I proudly wore these uniforms, which also tell everyone that I am working in the legislature.

But the heavens did not conspire with me this time. We have to wear the long-sleeved barongs now. I have to endure it and I just hope and pray that sooner than later, the proper souls would hear my lamentations.

Please give us the choice. ]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2003 05:02:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11293 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11255
The continued rise in open trading has also resulted in more pronounced trade on cultural products, like film. The direction that is taking is not necessarily unitary...that is, one country's products flowing into the rest of the world but not the other way around. There is a growing interest on world cinema, but as to how that interest is quantified is another point.

Take this: "Although India makes the most films each year, Hollywood reaches every market, getting more than 50% of its revenues from overseas, up from just 30% in 1980. It claimed 70% of the film market in Europe in 1996, up from 56% in 1987- and 83% in Latin America and 50% in Japan. By contrast, foreign films rarely make it big in the United States, taking less than 3% of the market there."

Some stats in the HDR: Domestic share of film distribution (1990-93): (since the graph did not show absolute figures, the numbers here are only ranges. i also do not have more recent figures):

India - above 80% but less than 90%
United States - 75- 80%
Philippines - 60-65%
Iran - 50-60%
Japan - 40 -45%
France - 30 - 40%
Italy - 20 - 30%
Russian Federation - 20 - 30%
Egypt - 20-30%
Canada - 0-10%
Malaysia - 0- 10%
Chile - almost nil

Hmm..., while there is a proliferation of Hollywood movies in the rest of the world, the United States does not seem to be as receptive since the hold of the domestic market is very strong. We also have to consider displaced local film industries. (That's another but related issue.)

My interest lies on movies from around the world. I have a hunger for world cinema. I do not have anything against Hollywood outputs, I still watch them. But movies from other countries show sensitivity about their own cultures. ]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2003 00:43:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11255 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11227 I really wish that an event like this would occur at least twice a year. But since it is just beyond me, then I have to content myself with the wait and the expectations. It's worth waiting after all. I am referring to the EU-sponsored CINE EUROPA, the annual event when European films are shown to the Filipino audience. This year's edition featured some absolutely memorable crafts.

Gladly, I'd like to believe that this festival is gaining popularity, as evidenced by the queues which seem to be longer and longer each year. On the average, four films were shown each day.

I live far away from the mall where the festival is held but what the heck. This comes only once a year, after all. The avid movie fan that I am, an event like this should not be missed. And thinking about it, I am so tired of formula movies, shoot-'em-ups and whatnot.

The other day, I watched Zu Zo, the Dutch comedy about a gay man who's marrying a woman (!) and how his three sisters concocted plots (to no avail) just to stop the union. This was an Oscar finalist and it was really funny.

The three films that I have watched yesterday were truly excellent works of art. I watched with a friend who is taking Art Studies, so just imagine the reviews that came later...:-0

We started with Italy's IL MESTIERE DELLE ARMI (Profession of Arms) by the great Ermanno Olmi. One fine, fine movie. For me, the best, at least from those I've seen. It was an epic drama and focused on the medieval (?)war between the Lutherans (the Germans)and the Pontificals. The main character was Giovanni de' Medici whose courage was simply non-pareil. This film tackled one important issue: Does end justifies the means (shades of Machiavelli)? What happens when technological innovations enter a war of ideologies? My friend draw parallelisms between this movie and the recent invasion of Iraq. Does the end, no matter how unclear and unreasonable and unpopular, justify the means by which the invasion was done? Her question was worth pondering, although I feel my answer is clear - NO.

We opted to skip the next movie since we've seen it last year, during its commercial run. But the Spanish LOS OTROS (The Others) was clearly one of the most popular in the selection.

Next stop was the the heartwarming Finnish entry KAHLEKUNINGAS (The Handcuff King) by Arto Koskinen. It was the touching story of a Finnish boy - Esko - and his genuine friendship with a Swedish counterpart. Set in a border town, it mirrors two different cultures and the more important affinities and similarities shared by them. The Swedish boy died of leukemia and this changed Esko's perception of life. One quote - although I'm not sure if I got it correctly - "Once you stop trying too hard, all things come into place."

Finally, we watched the French KARNAVAL by Thomas Vincent. A story about a young couple and how a meeting with a stow away changed their lives thereafter. Interposed with this was the dizzying carnival atmosphere. In the end, the characters met their epiphanies, discovering who and what they really love in the process.

Going home, and riding a cab, my friend and I had what seemed to be a never-ending conversation about the movies and how they reflect the cultures of the nations where they came from. I have seen China's THE HERO earlier this year and I am going to watch NIRGENDWO IN AFRIKA (Nowhere in Africa) one of these days as it is shown commercially. I hope more are coming. And hopefully, such films would not only be screened in once-in-a-blue moon festivals. HABLE CON ELLA (Talk to her) was shown commercially and it was a relative success.

By the way, my bliss ended there.

I told the driver to pass by my friend's place. But sometimes, people turn like Dorie ( you know that forgetful character in FINDING NEMO). The driver (who might have enjoyed our conversation or who simply had other things in mind) forgot the instruction and we have to go do a 360-degree turn just to bring my friend to her place. Or was it our fault, since we were not observing the way he was taking? I think it was more of the latter. Hehehe.

The punishment was not enough. I have to brave a heavy traffic jam at 12 midnight. It was not a long stretch, but it took us an hour to get through just a kilometer of flooded road. Manila is notorious for traffic jams but not at such an unholy hour! Well, the culprit was an altercation which was clearly not solved expeditiously.

T'was a long day. But not a traffic jam, not a Dorie-like driver, not even the cost of popcorn could make me miss an event like this.

]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2003 07:03:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/11227 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10999
Newsweek has just published a special issue on the future of technology and young people.

Some points:

1. ICTs are training children to achieve different skills i.e. more 'adept at handling a variety of visual information.' Multitasking is therefore a skill that young people are becoming adept at.

2. More and more young people turn to the Internet for information.

3. In what reinforces the fact that young people shape the future of technology, this issue contains an article on how youth and children beahviour are observed by companies to determine product design and innovation. "...the behaviours that characterize teens' use of technology - socializing, multitasking, going mobile, making a personal statement -are increasingly influencing what is being developed in industries ranging from telecoms to electronics to software."

Reminds me of the youth paragraph in the WSIS declaration. The phrase 'leading creators and earliest adopters of technology' should be retained.

Some important issues were also raised:

1. The effect of computers to learning.
2. Activism and the Net ]]> Wed, 17 Sep 2003 07:21:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10999 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10557
And just as I was finally able to access this site (after more or less two weeks and after making taxation my ultimate best friend for the last two weeks) and post this update, I am reminded of some lines (not even sure if I'm going to get the lines right) in one poem, the title of which momentarily eludes me, by the great Pablo Neruda. Just remembered this and I hope I got everything right. Makes my heart grow fonder...

"I DO NOT LOVE YOU LIKE THE SALT ROSE, TOPAZ
AND THE ARROW OF CARNATIONS THAT PROPAGATE FIRE
I LOVE YOU AS CERTAIN DARK THINGS ARE LOVED
SECRETLY BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE SOUL.

I LOVE YOU LIKE THE PLANT THAT DOESN'T BLOOM
AND CARRIES HIDDEN ITSELF THE LIGHT OF THOSE FLOWERS
AND THANKS TO YOUR LOVE, DEEPLY IN MY BODY
LIVES THE DENSE FRAGRANCE THAT RISES FROM THE EARTH.

I LOVE YOU WITHOUT KNOWING WHY OR WHEN
OR FROM WHERE
I LOVE YOU SIMPLY WITHOUT PROBLEMS OR PRIDE
I LOVE YOU IN THIS WAY BECAUSE
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OF LOVING.

BUT THIS IN WHICH THERE IS NO I OR YOU.
SO INTIMATE THAT YOUR HAND UPON MY CHEST IS MY HAND
SO INTIMATE THAT WHEN YOU FALL ASLEEP IT IS MY EYES THAT CLOSE."

That is true love I guess. (Simple musings after a stressful work is over. hehehe)

For A and the love - Roentgen

]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2003 05:59:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10557 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10086
One of the important advocacies that this particular document contains is the often-heard responsibility of developed countries for developing countries. In particular, this report calls for: the elimination of unfair trade subsidies on agriculture in economically-advanced countries, debt relief, more aid and accessibility to technological advancements.

This Report highlights the obvious: inspite of the calls for lower trade barriers by developed countries, they have strongly protected their agriculture sector, an area which many developing countries could have competitive advantgae in. And given the developing countries' reliance on agriculture, the pampering done by the governments of the developed countries only lessen the former's advantage to compete with the local products in the markets of the latter.

Such is the irony and sad reality. The loud calls to liberalize come from the same governments which want their markets closed. Talk about double standards.

And of course, debt relief. The adjustment programs that these debts have been attached too in the past (and for some, even now)have only choked the developing countries' lifeblood-preventing them from spending money in more sustainable investments. In spite of the fact that much of these debts were onerous, i.e. spent for illegitimate purposes, the pressure to pay is still there.

The cycle continues. ]]> Mon, 21 Jul 2003 05:40:00 EDT http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/10086 http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12355 I am not a fan of boxing, but when it is national pride that is at stake, I would trade any other activity (or date) for a match. So there I was glued on TV watching our own Manny Pacquiao battle the great Marco Barrera. Bear with the punches, the jabs. Like so many others here, I cheered him on. Of course, Manny won via a TKO in the 11th round. What a win for the underdog! When he came back, he was welcomed a hero.

Manny's feat provided a respite to endless negative news that seem to be the order of the time. Manny became a hero to a country which lacks one. Manny became a rallying point. Mannny provided the entertainment for a country which needs to be happy and proud. ]]> Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 EST http://Roentgen.tigblog.org/post/12355