On being a BLUE GUARD....

In one of the memorable moments in the movie "the last Samurai" , Emperor Meji asked Algren how the Samurai Katsumoto died, Algren responded " I will tell you how he lived"...

I never got the chance play with Vic Dualan, but was honored to share a bottle or six with him under our acacia tree.The same could be said to Iste, Boy C., Mike C. and a host of others that have passed on to tie their boots in the great football field in the sky.

Some of them, like Vic D. , went even when he could not play anymore, but still he came... to watch, to cheer, to coach a little and most importantly, to impart a little wisdom to the newbies. It was during this that I finally came to understand how it is to be a Blueguard...We often hear in jest among ourselves that we play  in order to get an excuse to drink every Sunday and that our motto is "win or loose its the beer we choose". We always have a good laugh and drink a toast to this for after all, we are weekend warriors, thankful for having the chance to relive our exploits and glory every Sunday and coming home a little bit younger for it.

But what they don't realize is that it is the other way around. Drinking was just an excuse to pay homage to the beautiful game. Long before the azkals became a household name, when in tournaments where the players were more plentiful than the fans...we played on because we love the game. Willing to embrace camaraderie with almost anyone who loved the sport. whether rich or poor, asshole or not, for it does not matter as long as they are our assholes! For after all, football made us a band of brothers. Not caring anymore who won or who lost but more importantly, is that we continue to play on.

Now, with the resurgence of the sport in the time of azkals, because of the lessons imparted by those who played before me, I am proud to show my pedigree, I am a Blueguard. Always willing to play and shout proudly "BLUEGUARDS FIGHT"!

Azkal Fever....Azkal Forever!

I have played football almost my whole life. Played in varsity teams since my elementary, high school and college days. And up to now, I  still play weekends with my club team the Blueguards FC. Being such, you can say that I am a football fanatic. But in an ironic twist of fate, our race of vertically challenged citizens chose to embrace the sport of giants and embraced it as an almost religion.
But we have kept the faith. Always believing that the time of Philippine football will come.For here is a sport where our race can excel. Height is not a a big factor. Skill, speed and technique are the key. The sport does not discriminate. It can be played in open spaces and in other countries, even on the street. All it takes is willing players and a ball. I recall playing in the hallways of school using rolled up papers bound with masking tape as a ball and remember the joy and laughter that accompanied our games.
The recent showing of our Mens National team in regional tournament s has created new interest in football. It sure does help that some of the players are model material, thus making for a good ambassadors for the sport. The influx of Fil foreigners wanting to play for our country is a bane to the sport. In a sort of reverse brain (?) drain, they are coming here (most at their own expense) to play for the motherland and we have reaped tremendous dividends from it.

Now, in a few days time, we would be playing an international match in Bacolod City. Never before has a football game created such hype and  interest in our country. Sure, there are high expectations But we can do it. After being in the shadows of basketball for so long, We believe that the time for Pilipinas Futbol has come. And We, the faithful will be there to stand as witnesses...

Back to Boracay....

It's Boracay, not Bora, as the sign in Red Pirates Pub said. Surely, Boracay is one of a kind and should not be confused with any other island. Boracay is unique, it has its own culture, customs and traditions. Not quite Pinoy, with a mix of European, American and lately a smattering of Korean influence, but definitely Pinoy.

Boracay has always been magical to SH and me. Her first plane ride was to this place, to celebrate our 15th year of being together. The kids' first plane ride was also to this paradise. And memories of this will forever be etched in our minds as a loving, gentle and tranquil place.

Boracay Beach during habagat season. image courtesy of SH

Had the chance to visit again early this month. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. Habagat was in full swing and strong gusts of wind and occasional rain showers in the afternoon made the most popular aqua activities an unattractive activity. But still, it did not diminish the beauty of the place. In fact, it made for a more adventurous ambiance for the island instead of the traditional tourist trappings. Luckily for us, we were billeted in a great hotel in Station 3, Boracay Sands. The staff were really friendly and accommodating and the facilities were nothing short of first class. It really made our stay in Boracay worth it, notwithstanding the uncooperative weather.

Facade of Boracay Sands in station 3.

nice room. 101 Boracay Sands

Pool/courtyard of Boracay Sands

We also got to experience the different experiences that the island had to offer. SH and I purposely avoided the traditional tourist traps as much as we could and tried to create the unique island experience. One such place, which is a lore to bloggers, is Red Pirates Pub.

Pubs Signage

the bar @ Red Pirates

Located on the far reaches of Station 3, here one could still enjoy the non-commercial Boracay nightlife and if you are lucky enough (such as we), find yourself in an impromptu acoustic jam session.

Besides this, the main reason why we came back was for me and SH to rediscover and nurture our love.So in spite of the uncooperative weather, we made the most of what was given and savored the experience together. Truly, Boracay will  always remain special.

Entangled legs by Boracay beach

*photos and lay out courtesy of Kathy Sulit

Dinosaurs in a digital world...

We are riding the crest of another schism that will forever change the way our species exist in our planet. The internet has changed man's lifestyle in such a short span of time that what our kids take for granted now would seem impossible a couple of years ago. If you would tell me ten years ago that I could not go out of my home without my phone, I would tell you then that you must be out of your mind! or that bringing along a camera and taking pictures of almost anything would seem the normal thing to do.
Such is the wonders of technology that  camera film (whats that?)  is becoming obsolete and keeping in touch with family and friends are now only fingertips aways. The web has surely made our world a smaller place and the ease of communication it brings has trashed age old business models. Why pay costly long distance charges when you can chat or skype?  who now remembers the telex and shortly in the future, the fax machine? Broadcasting has taken a new form and streaming is slowly becoming the norm. The name of the game is adapting and as is usually the case, established giants and the bureaucracy are the ones who don't want to step out of their comfort zones.
I unfortunately, work for one such organization. I work in a computerized and web enabled environment, but we have failed to fully realize the potential of it. One example is that  we do not have an in house email system where communications such as memos or drafts of reports would be sent electronically via mail .Only final outputs should be printed, anyway the soft copy or digital records will always be stored.  I could just imagine how many trees would be saved if only we did this.  Unfortunately, we walk among dinosaurs who pay lip service to the language of technology but has not yet  grasped fully its potential. We have automated our systems and made it online transaction capable in compliance of the e commerce act but at the expense of sacrificing the efficiency of service that we provide. What good is technology if the end result is an inefficient organization that increased red tape? Even with the most expensive machines, what previously took 1 day and 7 people to accomplish now takes 3 days and 20 plus people and has virtually spawned a cottage industry of service providers within the vicinity of the office. So much for competitiveness.
Technology and change should be embraced and learned so as to know how best to utilize it in order to make  things easier. It sure is great to sound impressive with technocratic lip service and flashy statistics but ultimately, the proof of the computing is in the using.

AMBULA....lalala...

During times when we are tired or just plain lazy to cook, take out food is the solution to my broods needs. Luckily for us, restaurants and take out counters are a plenty in our vicinity. After many misses and near hits, my honey and i chanced upon this restaurant which was almost always full during dinner time.Surely they must be doing something good to attract such a number of loyal customers. So one day, we tried it out.

Ambula is a typical pinoy eatery with ready to eat viands ala turo turo style. What sets it apart is that they also offer ala cart  selections. So one has the best of both worlds, in a rush, just point to a viand that you like and your meal is there in a flash. Want your food hot sand freshly cooked? no problem, just order from the many choices in their menu.

food choices @ Ambula food cart

One item that has caught me and my honey's fancy is the sinigang na ulo ng salmon. We almost always order this from them. Although both of us are not really fish eaters, we found this perfect when craving for hot soup specially during rainy nights.personally, I found this better than the original ulo ulo at the back of Veterans Hospital and the price is just right for the budget.  We always pair our order of this with their lechon kawali. This sets makes a perfect meal for us.

While waiting for our food, I saw some of the other ala cart choices and I found most of it interesting and worth trying like thier freshly cooked katsudon and other rice toppings. I have also had the chance to order their kare kare and found it ok. Not great but also not so bad. But hey, for 50 bucks you wouldnt expect barrio fiesta. Located along Maginhawa St. in Teachers village, which is slowly becoming a food strip for the neighborhood and UP campus, Ambula satnds out and  provide a no frills value for money dining experience. It is worth coming back to.

backwards incompatability!

Our office just recently put restrictions on internet access.The reason cited was that open access was taking up valuable bandwidth thus resulting in less than favorable performance of our in house application systems. But even  after restrictions were put into place, there was no noticeable improvement in the performance of our systems. What does that tell us? That there are no shortage of idiots in the office? A simple study of our IT and network infrastucture would show that our systems passes through a dedicated line (leased line) different from our internet which passes through a different one. So theoretically, one line would not have a bearing on the other. There goes the bandwidth defense.
Knowing this basic set up, a competent network manager would study other points of traffic to solve the congestion. And it is almost always not about the bandwidth, it's the "throughput" stupid, the ease in which data transfer occurs. We can have the biggest bandwidth available but if our internal network is full of fault points, congestion will always be the end result.
Putting restrictions on internet runs contrary to the very concept of it. The net is the new global arena and social networking sites such as facebook and twitter are some of its biggest players. These sites may have started as social interaction pages but has evolved into a global marketplace of sorts. It is now being used as a business, political and marketing tool even by some government agencies such as dti and pnp and even by our President. I am glad that they realized its potential but doubly sad that our office do not. Change is the only constant in this world, and adapting to change is a must, lest we go the way of dinosaurs, extinct. I just hope that our bosses wake up from their jurrasic slumber and see the light, not drag the whole office towards it.

bloggingcaloy: straight from the mouth of babes...hoping for a better Phils. for them...

bloggingcaloy: straight from the mouth of babes...hoping for a better Phils. for them...