La Sallian's Graduation Speech at UP College of Engineering

Note: I got this from my Facebook and I'd like to share it with you. 

I may not encountered any failure in grades at school, I graduated with honors but let's all admit it, we are all failures in one way or another, we all struggle to swim through the strong tides of problems that comes our way. 

In a meritocratic dog-eat-dog society, it is hard to be recognized if one has no credentials attached to one's name but we often overlook what really matters: those moments we strive harder and never give up; those moments where God, friends and family pick you up and hold your hand through it all; those moments you feel like you're on your knees and yet you went straight forward no matter what it takes even if you crawl your way out. The moment you saw the light at the end of the tunnel and you told yourself you made it. 

This speech was delivered by a La Sallian engineer in one of the graduation ceremonies at the UP College of Engineering.

Ngayong araw na ito, sa ating pagtatapos, mayroon akong dalang Transcript of Record. Ang estudyanteng may-ari ng transcript na ito ay nag-aral sa De La Salle University. Sa unibersidad na ito, kapag ikaw ay isang undergraduate, may ID number ka na nagsisimula sa “94” at pataas, kung lumipas ang isang buong school year at umabot ka sa 15 units na bagsak, masisipa ka sa paaralan.

Ang transcript na hawak ko ay mayroong 27 units ng bagsak. 12 sa mga ito ay tinamo ng estudyante sa iisang schoolyear lang. Ang isang subject ay kadalasang may bigat na 3 units. Kung iisiping mabuti, isang subject na bagsak na lang ay pwede na masipa ang estudyanteng may-ari ng transcript na ito. 

Ang speech na ito ay hindi ko ginawa para i-acknowledge ang paghihirap ng ating mga magulang sa pagpapaaral satin. Hindi ko din ito ginawa para maghayag ng political statement, o kumbinsihin kayo na huwag umalis sa bansa at tulungan itong makaahon. Ang speech na ito ay para sa mga normal na estudyante na kagaya ng may may-ari ng transcript na hawak ko, dahil madalas, wala talagang pakialam ang unibersidad sa mga achievements nila. May mga awards na gaya ng “Summa Cum Laude”, “Best Thesis Award” at “Leadership Award.” Pero ni minsan, hindi pa ako nakakakita ng unibersidad na nagbigay ng “Hang-on and managed to graduate despite nearly getting kicked-out during his academic stay” award. 

Maaaring isang malaking kagaguhan ang konseptong ito para sa karamihan. Bakit mo pararangalan ang isang estudyanteng bulakbol, bobo, tamad o iresponsable? Hindi ba dapat isuka ito ng unibersidad? Ito yung mga tipo ng estudyanteng walang ia-asenso sa buhay, hindi ba? 

Ayun. Natumbok niyo.Iyun na nga ang dahilan. 

Madalas, pag ang isang estudyante ay may pangit na marka sa paaralan, lalong lalo na sa kolehiyo, nakakapanghina ito ng loob. Nandiyan yung tatamarin ka mag-aral, nandyan yung iisipin mo “Ano pa kayang trabaho ang makukuha ko? Call center na naman o clerical? Ba’t kasi ang bobo ko. Kung matalino lang ako, sana, sa Proctor and Gamble ako, o kung saang sikat na kumpanya.” 

Mas mahirap ang dinadaanan ng mga estudyanteng bumabagsak. Kahit na sabihin mong kasalanan nilang bumabagsak sila, hindi ninyo alam kung ano ang pakiramdam ng ganun. Madaling sabihin na “Kaya mo yan, mag-aral ka lang,” pero alam ba natin talaga ang sinasabi natin? 

Kapag ang isang estudyante ay bumabagsak sa unibersidad, nandiyan yung tatawanan niya lang yan. O di kaya naman, ipagmamalaki niya pang “TAKE 5 NA KO!!!” o “Pare, magpi-PhD na ako sa Anmath3/Calculus/etc.” Pero hindi alam ng mga isang Summa Cum Laude kung ano ang nasa isip ng isang normal na estudyante sa tuwing matutulog ito at alam niyang pag-gising niya, kailangan niya na namang ulitin ang isang subject na nakuha niya na sa susunod na term. 

Kahit kalian, hindi naging problema sa “Star Student” na sabihing “Nay, bagsak ako.” at hindi kailanman sumagi sa isip nila na “Paano kaya kung sa walang-pangalang kumpanya lang ako makapagtrabaho?” Dahil sigurado sila sa kinabukasan nila. 

Huwag na tayong maglokohan. Grades are everything.Kahit bali-baligtarin mo iyan, hindi magiging patas ang mga kumpanyang kumukuha ng fresh graduates para magtrabaho sa kanila. Minsan din naman, nadadaan sa palakasan, pero ganun pa din. Kung hindi ka academically good, wala kang patutunguhan. Kung hindi man yun, mas mahirap yung dadaanan mo para lang makaabot sa prestihiyosong posisyon. 

Kaya ngayong graduation, ang speech na ito ay inaaalay ko para sa mga estudyanteng lumagpak, muntik-muntikan nang masipa o yung sa lahat ng paraang pwede, ginawa na para lang makatapos. Gagawin kong patas ang mundo para sa inyo kahit isang araw lang. Kahit ano pa ang sabihin ng ibang tao, kesyo kasalanan mo man na pangit ang marka mo o muntik ka nang makick-out, saludo ako sa hindi mo pagtigil sa pag-aaral. Saludo ako na may lakas ka ng loob na harapin pa rin ang mundo kahit alam mong hindi ito magiging patas sa iyo.Saludo ako na kahit pangit ang transcript mo, taas noo ka pa rin ngayong graduation at proud na proud sa sarili mo.

Ano ngayon ang mangyayari sa mga graduates pagkatapos nitong graduation? Ayoko nang puntahan yung pwedeng mangyayari sa mga Cum Laude. Baduy. Alam mo namang may patutunguhan ang buhay nila e. Pero dun sa mga lumagpak, ano ang meron? 

Maaring makakuha kayo ng mediocre na trabaho lang. Pwede ka rin swertehin, baka makapagtrabaho ka sa magandang kumpanya. Madami pang pwedeng mangyari. Huwag kayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Kung nung college, nagtiyaga kayo e ba’t titigilan niyo yung pagti-tiyaga ngayon? 

Pwede ring ganito: Mag-aral ka ulit. Ipakita mo sa kanila na kung sisipagin ka lang, malayo ang mararating mo. Subukan mong patunayan sa kanila na kapag pinilit mo, kaya mo ring abutin yung naabot nila. Na hindi ka bobo, kundi tinamad ka lang. 

Baka sabihin ninyo, drowing lang ako. 

I’ve been on both sides. Naranasan ko na ring lumagpak, at muntikan na din akong masipa. Naranasan ko na ang umulit ng 4 na beses sa iisang subject. Naranasan ko na ang masumbatan ng magulang, kapatid at kung sino-sino pang propesor na walang pakialam sa pakiramdam ng estuyante. Naranasan ko nang hindi makatulog ng maraming gabi sa pagiisip kung paano ko na naman sasabihin sa magulang ko na may bagsak na naman ako. Kaya alam ko ang pakiramdam ninyo. 

Akin ang transcript na ito. 

Pagkagraduate ko ng college, ano ang ginawa ko? Eto.Nagtrabaho muna ng konti, tapos aral ulit. Kuha ng Masteral sa kurso ko. Hindi para sa trabaho o kung ano man. Kundi para patunayan sa sarili ko na noong mga panahong bumabagsak ako, tinatamad lang ako. 

This is a rebellion. I raise my middle finger to every professor, over-achiever, naysayer and detractor THAT TOLD ME THAT I CAN'T MAKE IT. I raise my middle finger to every valedictory or graduation speech that only gratifies the university, those who were achievers in school or those who gratify the country when it’s supposed to be the graduate’s moment of glory. You are supposed to acknowledge EVERYONE. Even those who failed many times. 

Kaya sa inyong mga graduates na medyo hindi maganda ang marka, para sa inyo ito. Kung kinaya ko ito, kaya niyo rin to. Imposibleng hindi.

Warning: Unauthorized Use of my Photo in Formspring

One of my college friends informed me someone's using my photo on formspring.me.

I was puzzled because I don't have formspring and I was wondering who would take interest in using my photo haha! I am flattered and amused but I feel that it's a form of robbery. Whatever things the person will post on his or her formspring page- I might be held accountable for that because I'm the face of that page. 

That's why I'm taking this opportunity to announce that I do not have a formspring account and I am not held liable for anything the person will post on his or her formspring page. 

I won't be so violent and verbally attack the person through his or her formspring page, I just simply asked 'why are you using my photo?' I hope I get a good civilized response and out of delicadeza, I hope the person will take my photo off the website. 

You can check it out at http://www.formspring.me/craeee

P.S. I have a college friend named 'Crae' but I'm pretty sure it's not her and she has her own formspring account. 

Beware: Are You Suffering From An Incurable 'Allergy' from Wearing Fake Crocs?

This as a PSA (Public Service Announcement) from Maquillage Lover 

We all know fake crocs are everywhere here in Manila, we often get them at 168 and Divisoria Mall 

My brother used to wear fake crocs my aunt gave him during their shopping trip to 168.

Later on he developed some form of 'skin allergy' but he still insisted on wearing his fake Crocs and the so-called allergy grew bigger.

We forced him to stop wearing those fake Crocs and took him to several dermatologists, even the famous and in demand dermatologists just claimed it's just an allergy and gave my brother some ointment but it didn't go away.

My mother even thought he must have aggravated some lamang lupa (dwarves, elves and other earthly creatures with magical powers in Filipino folk lores), we had a witch doctor check up on my brother and the witch doctor claimed he did aggravate a lamang lupa. The witch doctor prescribed herbal medicines. Nevertheless, my brother still didn't get his foot healed.

Later on my mother and brother went to Taiwan for a summer trip, my aunt to them to a neighboring pharmacist and show him my brother's foot. The doctor explains it's not an allergy but fungus growing on my brother's foot. It might lessen with the Philippine derma's medication but it will continue to grow back. In fact, fake Crocs became a big news in Taiwan before because a lot acquired fungus from the bad rubber, my mother said some news even showed a man's whole foot covered in fungus.

The Shu Lin Pharmacist gave my brother Inhfungus cream and it killed the fungus caused by fake Crocs!

I know fake Crocs are still tolerated here in the Philippines but let this serve as a health warning to those who are wearing fake Crocs, I'm not condoning if you plan to wear fake or original Crocs- that's not the point, the more important issue here is that you should understand the consequences of wearing fake products- it might be more harmful to your health.

I'm not sure if Inhfungus cream is available in the Philippines, this is a Western medicine but repackaged in Chinese print. 

Here's the formula:

Inhfungus Cream

Econazole Nitrate 10mg

Triamcinolone Acetonide 1mg

I'm not a doctor nor a medical expert, I'm not prescribing this medicine to anyone, it's up to your discretion if you would like to try this medicine but my point is Inhfungus cream helped treat my brother's foot when everything else failed.

My brother's foot quickly healed and the fungus is gone but we got a spare tube in case something happens again. 

My uncle wore fake Crocs and recently developed fungus on his foot- he went through the same ordeal, hopping from one derma to another in search for a cure but it didn't do much help until we informed him of the Inhfungus cream.

I thought maybe someone out there is also suffering from the same thing so I decided to share this information with you guys and hopefully help you find the real culprit and seek proper medication. The local news has not put out their public service announcement regarding fake Crocs for some reason but I felt this is my obligation as a media person to share the information regarding fake Crocs and how it can give you fungal infection. 

New Way to Control My Make-Up Addiction and Finish All the Products Up!

What's a girl got to do when I have a tight budget though I have a huge huge huge hunger for makeup? 

I've thought of a new way to curb my appetite and finally finish everything up!

For almost every product I have, I am putting a 'bait' on it just so I'd always use the product and finally finish it up. The 'bait' is another product that I'm lemming for.

I wanted to do 10 pan projects but the task seems so huge that I lack the initiative. At least I'm breaking it down by placing a carrot on my view and trying my best to run and chase that carrot, I'm actually finishing up a product and finally replace it with a new one that I'm lemming for!

The last thing I want is makeup tucked away unused but I really have a big appetite with makeup, it just doesn't show because I'm controlling and moderating my appetite for my wallet's sake. Money is hard to earn and we should live within our means, we would probably accumulate a lot of products we can't use up after a couple of months, so instead of buying new stuffs, why not just use everything we have up before buying another new one?  

Here's a list of products I have and the bait:

Products I have = Bait

MAC lipstick in Sweetie = MAC lipstick in Cyndi 

Shu Uemura lipstick PK308 = Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Phoenix

Shu Uemura lipstick RD170 = Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon

L'oreal Blush Delicieux in Fresh Papaya = Benefit CORALista

L'oreal Blush Delicieux in Rosy Cheeks = Anna Sui Face Color Accent

Jill Stuart Moist Silk Liquid Foundation = Shu Uemura Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation/ Anna Sui Liquid Foundation

Shu Uemura Pro Concealer = MAC or MUFE concealer

Urban Decay Primer Potion = MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

Hope this method works! So far I'm using my MAC lipstick in Sweetie and Shu Uemura lipstick RD170 more often... In line with this project I've posted this 'Bait List' beside my blog, hope it works coz I'm really looking hard at my list. I'm thinking of putting the bait list on a Post It and stick it on my dresser's mirror so every time I'd do my make-up I would be reminded of the things I want to buy and the list of things I have to finish before buying new ones.
Wish me luck! <3

Learning the Tongue Twisting Cantonese 2

After a few days of racking my brain checking out if I left out a few Cantonese terms I know, I have created a small list again ^.^

But before that, I would like to explain my background.

I want to make it clear that when I say I'm a Filipino-Chinese, I mean I'm 100% Chinese by blood but I still consider myself as a Filipino because I am a Filipino citizen and more importantly I was born and raised here in the lush archipelago of the Philippines. Even though I don't look like the typical Filipino (Malay race), I still consider myself as a Filipino. It's almost the same when we say Singaporean-Chinese but the Filipino Chinese population here in the Philippines is relatively smaller compared to Singapore. 

I learned Fookien and Filipino side by side as I grew up, later on Mandarin was infused in my academic curriculum because I studied in a Chinese Episcopalian school in Binondo called St. Stephen's High School. However, I also grew up watching Mandarin films alongside with Cantonese films but I was really frustrated with Cantonese films because I can't seem to follow what they're saying, it's so much easier to follow Mandarin dialogues so I just opted to watch more Mandarin films but of course now I regret not learning Cantonese. Going back to my Chinese schoool, I also learned to read and write Chinese, more importantly I learned to create Chinese calligraphy- it's a dying art like the abacus because no one seems to practice it anymore but I hope it will be revived.

The Chinese language spoken in the Philippines is quite unique as compared to the other variations in Asia; our Fookien accent is not the original Fookien accent in China or Taiwan. Our accent has changed due to the Spanish, English and Filipino influence; I think in the Filipino term our Fookien accent has become more malambing  but it's still has a distinct accent apart from the Filipino accent. I find the original Fookien accent to be more stiff and straight, they also use deeper words and terms that sometimes it's hard to understand what the others are saying even if we speak the same language. However, China and Taiwan's Fookien speaking population can fully understand what we're saying but Filipino Chinese can't fully comprehend what they're saying. Philippine born Chinese incorporate Spanish, English and Filipino words and we speak it naturally like how we speak Chinese. This might be interesting to take note of, we have Chinese dishes that are named in Spanish terms like camaron when it's our Chinatown's famous deep fried shrimp coated in batter, we refer to spoon and fork 'teng si' and 'tsiam ma' but sometimes we interchange it with cuchara and tenedor, sometimes we use the Spanish term referring to numbers and time like uno, dos, tres, alas-singko, alas-kwarto etc. We also say business terms like buena mano haha! My mother can speak better Spanish even if she's Chinese because back in her days Spanish is incorporated in their school curriculum. In my perspective interchanging various terms in various languages something that comes naturally that I don't even think there's a border between Spanish terms and Chinese terms anymore. 

My father also said that Hong Kong's Cantonese accent is different from what he is using; my family Cantonese accent is the Taishan (Tai-San) variation. I can't truly point out how the accent is different but perhaps that might be the explanation why sometimes I understand Cantonese and sometimes I don't.

I always wondered how come I find it difficult to learn Cantonese though I know Fookien and Mandarin already, later on I'd learn that Cantonese retains more of the ancient complex Chinese language and Mandarin is simplier. Cantonese has more variety in terms of intonation and each intonation would change the word's meaning; the same rule applies in Mandarin but Mandarin has less intonations and variations.

I'm not very familiar with the social situation in China, I'm more familiar with the social situation in Hong Kong and Taiwan because I have relatives in these two islands. I'd be hopping back and forth Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines every now and then. I'm not sure but I think as of now, the Chinese government promotes Mandarin to be the primary language, I also suggest that if you would like to learn one Chinese language, go for Mandarin because it is widely recognized and used everywhere. However, in my case, my goal is to learn and be familiar with Cantonese because as I've said it's my family's dying tradition. Cantonese is my fifth language, I'm quite old to start learning but still it doesn't stop me from learning and widening my horizons.

Okay, so here's a small list of Cantonese terms and translations:
*I'm not sure if I've repeated some of the terms before but that's okay, better to repeat it again and again so it would be stored in my brain*

hai = 是 (yes)
yiu = 要 (want)
yao= 有 (have)
ngam = 對 (correct!)
*Chinese words typed courtesy of my friend Abi <3*

Sin sang- sir, mister
Siu tse- miss
Tai ko- big brother

Ko- brother

Ku ma- aunt

Pang yaw- friend

Siu pang yaw- literally means small friend but it just means 'friend' but you address this to kids

Lam pang yaw-boyfriend

Noi pang yaw-girlfriend

Low po-wife, in Mandarin it's Law pwo

Sek fan lo- time to eat/ kain na!

Tip- plate

Wun- rice bowl

Fai Chiu- chopstick

Tsi kang- spoon

Tsa- fork
Soi-water
Tsa-tea

Lo mai- sticky rice/glutinous rice

Lo mai Kai- a food that's similar to ma-tsang (sticky rice with some minced meat wrapped in a lotus leaf)

Po- hotpot

Soi kuo- fruits

Ping o- apple

Lai- pear

Tsang- orange
Ling Mung- lemon

Pa tsi- potato (but we also say this when we refer to French fries)

Tai pa tsi- big potatoes

Siu pa tsi- small potatoes

Nei yaw mai siu ngo me?- did you buy roasted goose?

Yaw ah- there is/meron

Mow ah-nothing/wala

Lau soi-leaking water 

Lau- floor ex. 'sam lau' means third floor

Tsi so- restroom

Tam lok lok- Tam means wet, lok means going down. I'm not sure if this is Cantonese but I often hear my father pertains this to the wet ground, he usually say this when there's a drizzle and the ground is wet.

Ping ko- who is?

Ping ko nei ku ma?- who is your aunt?

Me si ah?- What is it? 

Tsaw tim?- what is?/who is? (I'm not really sure if this means 'who are you finding?')

Tim kai?- Why?

Leng leng (pronounced as lieng lieng)- beautiful/pretty, my father also used to say this during my childhood

Siu-smile, in Fookien 'tsio'

Soi- years old, example: yi sap soi means twenty years old, in Mandarin it's 'swei', in Fookien it's 'heh'

Nei hou ma?- how are you?

Ngo hou hou- I'm fine

Hou mo hou?-good or not good? in Mandarin it's 'haw pu haw?', in Fookien it's 'ho bo ho?'

Twei um tsei- sorry
Siu sum- take care, in Mandarin "Xiao sin"

Kong- talk, speak

So yi- so

Fai tit- hurry up, another term my father used to say

Mou i si (pronounced as mow eee see)- it's nothing

Mou man tai- no problem

Mou tso lo-that's right/not bad

Mou ta la- stop fighting already

Um tak ka- no way

Ho lin- pitiful, in Mandarin "khe lien", in Fookien "Kho din"

Lai- come

Tsoi la- get out

Tsow- go

Tsam ka- join

Hou kan tan-it's easy/simple

Hou lo man- so romantic

Hou la- okay

Siu san-take care

Tsow meng ah- help!/ saklolo!

Pat yaw- help/aid/tulungan

Pan fa-solution 

Tang- wait ex. Nei tang ngo means wait for me

Tsow san- goodmorning

Kong hei nei- congratulations to you

Kwai-kind/nice/mabait

Um koi Sai- more polite form of thank you, you say this esp. when someone does you a favor

Kam nei ne?- how about you?

Yaw mou yat ah?-somebody there? May tao ba?

Tso lei la- come out

Tsong tswo- please take a seat

Tson pei- prepare

Hou to tsin- so much money

Muy kai-accounting 

Fa ta la- we're rich!

Tsa yow ah-work harder, keep it up, in Mandarin it's Tsia yow ah

Sa- kill

Ki fan-marry

Pai- worship, same term in Fookien
Yiu- want
Um yiu- don't want

Yi Seng- doctor

Sam lei-psychiatry

Yi- treat (medically), in Fookien it's pronounced as 'eee'

Sam lei yi seng-psychiatrist 

Tsi sin- crazy

Fei Kei- airplane

Tow- degrees 

Si kan- time

Lak tim pun- 6:30, in Fookien 'lak tiam pua'

Pio/Sou pio- watch

Tsam man- last night, it sounds near to the Fookien term Tsa-am

Mow- dream, in Fookien "Bang"
Ngo yiu fan kao/kaw la- i wanna sleep
Ngo hou ngan fan la- i'm sleepy


Chok khaw- football

Thiu-Diving

Phaw- Run

Yi fu- clothes

Khu-pants

Tong fat- animals

Kaw- dogs

Ma- horse
Chu- pig
Ha- Shrimp 

Ka tsam-cockroach, in Fookien 'ka tsua'

Um sek thieng- I can't understand

Hyong Kong- Hong Kong
Hyong Kong Tek Si Lei/Dek Si Nei- Hong Kong Disneyland

Pa Sei- Brazil

I Ta Lei- Italy

Fei Li Pan- Philippines

Ma Nei La- Manila

Mei Kwok- USA

Ow Tsaw- Europe

Ngo yiu hui Hyong Kong Dek Si Nei- I want to go to Hong Kong Disneyland

Thanks so much to my friend Abi and Jennifer Hui for correcting my Cantonese and teaching me more words ^.^ 

Seeing Ghosts Again and Again...

I often see, hear and feel ghosts than anyone in the family and last night was no exception.

I was already fast asleep at 1am when my door slowly opened with the creaking sound.
I am a light sleeper so I wake up at slight noise or movement, I was surprised to see a man who looks like my brother peeking if I'm still awake or not, then he slowly closed the door.
Even my Brownie woke up because he felt the presence.
Worried that it might be a burglar I quickly double checked to see who it was, when I opened my door to see the man wasn't around already.

I thought it was peculiar but I didn't bother to think about it and proceeded to bring Brownie back to his crib.
A few minutes later Brownie was barking already- it's a sign he's seeing something, Brownie doesn't howl thank goodness he didn't learn to howl because it wouldn't be so pleasing to the ears and dog howls can give anyone spine tingling and hair raising feeling.

This morning I asked my brothers and my father if they went to my room around 1am to peek inside and they all said no.

That's the ghost alright. Mother told me maybe the ghosts are just asking for food, she told me it's nearing the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival but according to the Lunar calender today is just the 6th day of the 2nd month when the Hungry Ghost Festival is at the 15th day/night of the 7th month- that's approximately 5 months later or August 24, 2010 to be exact.

Nevertheless my mother plans to give offerings to the ghosts who are asking for food as early as now. Perhaps ghosts are coming to me and they're telling me they need something because they know I'm more sensitive in these things than other people.

No wonder in the past few days, whenever I get back home my blinds are always jumbled up as if an earthquake came and rattled my blinds or somebody's hands went crazy on the blinds. On some occasions my lights go on even if nobody is home and we would be surprised to see it turned on. At times, we hear our shoe cabinets open and close on their own, sometimes some of our own cabinets open and close on their own too. One time I even saw a doppleganger and I really thought it was my father going up the stairs but much to my surprise my boyfriend didn't see anyone at home.

Oh well, I'm not really scared since I'm getting used to them but it could be bothersome at times like if a ghost wakes me up at 1am, ugh... Can they just do it when I wake up?

I know we have poltergeists here at home but as long as they don't touch my make up I won't hunt them down.

Ha! I remember one time when I was still a film photography student in DLSU-M, deadlines were looming and we were running back and forth the darkroom and the television studio multi-tasking shooting a tape as live program (meaning no retakes, your grade depends on your first shot and it shouldn't be a flop) while printing black and white photos. There wasn't a lot of people in the dark room when I placed my dodger on my work cubicle and quickly proceeded to the chemical tubs to develop my black and white photo, I went out to check my photo on a lighted area and saw that I need to burn some parts a lil bit more so I went back to re-do the same photo but my dodger was gone, I know there are several playful adult and child ghosts in the darkroom and they are notorious for getting your stuffs and placing it in other areas and you won't find them anymore. I was really frustrated that I started cursing the ghost- I can see the ghost sitting on the corner where most students don't go near to because the ghost talks to them, well, the ghost didn't talk to me but I started cursing the ghost and told it I'm going out for a while and when I get back my dodger should be on my work cubicle or else I'm gonna catch it and give it a second death. That's how stressful Communication Arts life in DLSU is, if you're really stressed you're not afraid of the lurking ghosts anymore, you're just gonna be angry that they're wasting your precious time.

Later on my dodger was back on my cubicle- it's not on the same spot where I left it but it's back.

Beating the Summer Heat with Snake Brand Prickly Heat Powder

Thank God for the clouds that shielded us from the harsh sun rays the past few days; it's a blessing!

Today however, the sun is back! Perhaps Sol missed us so much that I have to sprinkle myself like an espasol with prickly heat powder. 

Snake Brand Prickly Heat Powder by the British Dispensary is one of the great bargain I got in Subic when my family went to Subic for the US warship trip. 

This is a great bargain for me since Fisaan Prickly Heat Powders costs a lot of money. 

Snake Brand costs around US$1.50 approx. Php75 for 150 grams as opposed to Fissan Prickly Heat Powder which costs Php99.75 for 100 grams. 

Some more Snake Brand info

This is made in Thailand where the weather is also hot and humid.

I wonder when the Filipinos would concoct their own prickly heat powder that is suitable for our Philippine weather- something cooler and long lasting perhaps?

Here's how the screw cap lid looks like

 

Here's how it looks like when opened

I love the vintage feel of the tin can powder- most powder products come in plastic bottles so having a vintage inspired tin can with rose patterns on my bathroom counter gives me a more vintage vibe.

If I believe in reincarnation I think I belong to the Victorian era, I love everything with lace, frilly, filigree, vintage and Jill Stuart! =p 

The Snake Brand prickly heat powder has a stronger menthol scent as compared to Fissan, later on I learned that tin cans keep the scent and menthol better than plastics. Thus, the stronger cooling sensation.

Here's how the powder looks like

It's interesting to take note that the powder is not chalk white but rather it has a hint of pink hue.

It looks more natural on Caucasians especially those who have pink undertones but it looks natural generally even on yellow toned fair skinned gals. 

I'm not sure about British Dispensary's history but I think this is indeed formulated for the Brits (who are mostly Caucasians with pink undertones) in Thailand during the 1800s. If we would brush up on our history, we would remember that the South East Asia was mainly colonized by the West but since the word 'Thai' means free and if we'll look closely in Thai history, they have never been colonized, they maintained their independence by ceding parts of Malaysia to Britain and Cambodia and Laos to the French plus they were open to the British influence especially trading.

This is interesting, don't you think so? 

Just by looking at the color of the pink toned powder we could trace back Thai's history. ^.^ 

I'm glad I listened to my history class plus taking up South East Asian Literature did help a lot.

Update:

My lil bro went to Subic Freeport Exchange today and he got the last 2 tin cans of these babies, that came as a surprise, it was just a few weeks ago when the shelf was packed with Snake Brand prickly heat powder.

Learning the Tongue Twisting Cantonese

Growing up a Hwa-Tsiao/ Hua Kiaw/ Filipino-Chinese has it's own roller coaster ride.
Sometimes it's hard to relate to deeper Filipino culture while maintaining the Chinese culture.
Here at home we speak fluent Fookien, sometimes I speak to my lil darling Brownie in Mandarin and the dog understands me @_@ Watching too much Chinese channels make Brownie smarter- I'm afraid even smarter than me! Nah.... I don't think that would happen... Would it?

I'm quite inspired to write this blog article because I read Shanghainese Dumpling's article on the topic of Chinese language and how she trains her lil pork bun to speak in Chinese even if they live in Australia because that's their root.

At times, we often speak a fusion of Filipino-Fookien which is very very natural to most Filipino Chinese. This is our version of Taglish or Filipino-English.

Fookien and Mandarin are relatively easy Chinese language for me because there are a lot of similarities and it's somehow in my nature knowing the translation from Fookien to Mandarin and vice versa.

However, my real hurdle is learning Cantonese. My father speaks fluent Cantonese because he grew up with the language in their household. I do have relatives who stayed in Hong Kong and they didn't follow the family's migration to the Philippines a long time ago (even before I was born) but I don't have any contact with them; my older cousin communicates with them but it's easier since they also learned Cantonese.

Why oh why didn't they train our generation to speak Cantonese? It's seems like it's our dying Chioa family tradition. There were funny instances before when my late grandmother would ask me in Cantonese but I can't seem to understand her, I thought she was stuttering but it turned out she's talking to me in Cantonese thinking I know how to speak the language, whew! Those moments where funny, I really thought she was stuttering but I just didn't understand her. Thank goodness for papa who translated the conversation for me.

Whenever we watch Cantonese films at home we have papa to translate it for us if there are no subtitles, however I also try to watch it on my own and figure out the story- after all, you will know a good movie if it can tell the story without the aid of script or conversation.

I can't describe Cantonese- it's like a fusion of Fookien, Mandarin and another language I do not know. Sometimes I find myself surprised that I understand what others are saying, sometimes I scratch my head figuring out what others are talking about.

So, here's the compilation of the little Cantonese terms I know.
Leng-0
Yat-1
Yi-2
Sam-3
Sei- 4
Um- 5
Lok- 6
Tsat- 7
Pat- 8
Kaw- 9
Sap-10
Bak- hundred, example: yat bak is 100
Tsin- thousand
Go- point, divider indicating the next few numbers you're going to say is in cents, example: yaah man go tsat man is $20.70
Man-$ example: sap man is $10, yaah man or yi sap man is $20
Leung- it also means 2, in Mandarin the direct translation is 'Liang'

Kei Chin ah/Kei To Chin ah?- how much?
But in my experience don't use this if you're not prepared for the answer/ your're not familiar with the numbers

Siu tse- miss, the direct Mandarin translation is Xiao Tsie

Ngo- I
Lei- you
Um Koi- excuse me
To Tse- thank you
Yau Lok- stop the car (this is handy if you're in a cab coz most Hong Kong cab drivers can't understand English and Mandarin)
Tik Si- taxi
Tin wah- telephone
King Tsat- police

Sau- hands
Soi- water- I just say 'Siu tse, soi' if I'm thirsty and I need to buy water from a food stall- I have to survive
Yam soi- drink water
Pi Tsao- beer
Tsa- tea
Tsi Kang- spoon
Tsi Kang Mai Tsa- spoon and fork
Lei sek um sek?- Are you going to eat or not? (I forgot where I got this, perhaps in my dear Ku Tsiong's home where I used to eat lots of his good food even when I'm having stomach aches)
Cha Siu- asado, aah... My favorite juicy asado from Hong Kong
Siu Ngo- roasted goose, this is a lot better than roasted duck
Soi ko- dumplings; I'm not sure with this one though
Fan- rice
Ho sek- delicious

Hai-yes
Um hai- no

Ngo um sik kong ying man- I can't speak in English
Mei kwok yan- American
Fei Li Pan yan- Filipino
Fei Li Pan-Philippines
Lieng Loy- pretty girl
Lieng Tsai- handsome boy
Soi Tsai- bad boy (I think I picked it up from papa whenever he's referring to my brothers haha)
Fei tsai- fat boy

Go pin- over there
Tso sau-left
Yau sau-right

Nei kong mat yeh wah?- what did you say?

Everytime I'm in Hong Kong, some locals think I can't understand them so they usually say bad things in front of me; that's very very rude. I'm used to hearing HongKongese making fun of me and my family so this is my best bet.

• One time my cousin asked for fork but the lady in Mcdo told him 'Ai yah! What are you gonna use for fork?!' 
• On the train my baby brother sat on the bench and an adult man was cursing him for sitting down because he wanted to take the seat, shame on him, how rude and immature! I was saying King Tsat! King Tsat! And the rude adult man stopped cursing my baby brother.
• I asked for 2 extra chopsticks in Hong Kong International Airport- I think it was the Vietnam dumpling place but I forgot the exact food stall name. The attendant was laughing while telling her fellow attendant why I'm asking for spare chopsticks if we ordered just three meals? She gave me a pair of chopsticks. Well, if I could just explain to her we're just eating some snack before we board the plane and we're not after for a full meal; if she would be nicer perhaps tourists might eat at their place more often. Working in an international airport entails culture tolerance. 

Be wary, a lot of non-Cantonese tourists are often made fun of without their knowledge but I'm not saying all Hong Kongese are rude, a lot are also nice and accommodating, I've met a lot of nice Hongkongese and I enjoyed and learned a lot from them. Just be wary, sometimes a few locals might be cursing you already and you don't know it.

I have yet to ask father for some words of wisdom he could teach me so locals won't bully me anymore. Ha!

Upcoming Reviews 2: Benefit 10, Jill Stuart Eye Jelly in Midnight Shine, Jill Stuart Lipstick in Baby Coral

Here are the stuffs I got from Bon of http://www.wehaveit43.multiply.com this Friday ^.^

I wanted to use all of these on my movie date with the boyfriend but I deliberately didn't so I could take snapshots for reviews coming up soon! I'll be taking photographs under natural light because artificial light doesn't do great for snapping make up photos.

Benefit 10 Bronzer and Highlighter

I've always wanted a bronzer and a highlighter but I'm not sure if I'm gonna use it regularly so I got this 2 in 1 product instead. The bronzer seems light enough for my pale skin. 

Jill Stuart Eye Jelly in Midnight Shine

It's really really pretty... <3

Jill Stuart Lipstick in Baby Coral

This lipstick's is a whopping 5 grams from the average 3-4 grams...

Vivi Magazine March 2010 Taiwan Edition

It's in Chinese! Hurrah! I can read it now!!! ^.^ 

Now this Jill Stuart make up box is a pleasant surprise from Bon! ^.^ 

I remember Bon telling me she was pleasantly surprised to see I've been blogging about her online shop for a while so she decided to send me a gift, I didn't know it would be shipped right away with this purchase. 

This will now house all my Jill Stuart stuffs- I didn't realize I've accumulated so much already, haha!

I didn't expect another gift twice in a row this week. My suki buyer and friend Sienna told me it must be good karma. Thank God for the gifts! ^.^ 

Let us always remember to praise God for the material gift and more importatnly, the gift of goodness we receive from the people around us. =)

Watching Alice in Wonderland

At long last! All hell broke loose during the first week so I opted not to watch Alice in Wonderland and instead focused on delivering goodies and Alice in Wonderland eye shadow palettes.

My boyfriend and I viewed Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland at Rockwell. We love going to Rockwell because of it's relaxing to stroll around a mall not densely populated. The theater is very nice- one of the nicest. 

Another reason is that we want to try Rockwell's new XpanD 3D theater and it's a lot better than Greenbelt's version of 3D in my experience. 

We took the earliest viewing schedule which was 12:20 noon so there's not much people watching since it's lunchtime. Good choice! When we got out of the theater we were greeted by a crowd of parents and kids waiting in the line to buy tickets- I bet it's for Alice in Wonderland.

We were treated to green screen galore! I wonder how Tim Burton directed his talented cast because it's very hard to act in an unimaginative set up. Plus, it's hard working with green screen, I should know because it's one of the trickiest part of Communication Arts. It's not just simply green paint or just any green background; there should be a precise color and intensity to the greenness to create vivid graphics. Sometimes we frustratingly mix the fixed green screen hue with green light just to get the right colors for the graphics and special effects or else the green hue would show up on screen and it's not acceptable.

The audience went into Tim Burton's dark and yet highly imaginative vision of Wonderland; I must admit the film maker is brilliant. It's his auteur style- the film texture is dark and grim and yet it's contrastingly colorful. I couldn't cook up that much imagination because I'm more on realism but Tim's just brilliant when it comes to imagination. He's certainly gone mad, he's gone bonkers, but let me tell you a secret, most great people are...

I should agree with Josh of YesNoMeh.com when he coined 'Johnny Depp in Burtonland' instead of 'Alice in Wonderland' because the audience usually see the star power cast instead of the talent. 

Usually, great film makers have their own favorite set of talents to work with. It's like having your favorite group mates to work on a big project; you work with a person because you know the person's work ethics and you can easily communicate with each other. In the case of director-talent team work, it's really a big feat to try directing talents- I've tried it before and I usually ended up getting frustrated if a talent doesn't get what I want him or her to portray on cam. Think Lino Brocka- I have seen numerous Lino Brocka films starring one of the  greatest Filipino actor Eddie Garcia. 

I've met Eddie Garcia in Hong Kong, I think he's around 80+ years old already but boy he was still out on the night market around midnight smoking while waiting for his companions who are still shopping. But he's nice; he felt we knew him even if we just glanced at him and yet he extended greetings with my family. 

 I have seen some loopholes and mistakes in continuity, shot sizes, angles and it was partly because of the editing. I have seen loopholes in the screenplay and storyline but I won't be explaining them anymore. I'm quite tired of judging films; I used to judge films every minute of the day because we need keen eyes during editing in order to avoid mistakes like the ones in Alice in Wonderland. I know how it feels to have my bubbles burst; I didn't enjoy watching films after becoming a film student myself because I just keep on looking for the mistakes instead of enjoying the film for what it is. 

I know a lot of you enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and it should be magical for the audience. 

Leave the dirty work to us and just enjoy the show. 

Where I've Been to These Past Few Days

Wooh! It's been very hot and humid these past few days. Sometimes it's not the heat that's bothersome but the high humidity level we have here in the Philippines that's unhealthy and uncomfortable. 

We went somewhere very near to the beach in Subic but we didn't get to go to the beach, it did brought me to tears because the last time I went to the beach was more than 10 years ago. 

We had to cancel it so we would make it to the US warship tour (which doesn't interest me) but invitation to highly restricted areas comes once or twice in a lifetime. 

We aren't really allowed to take photos but one of the head gave us the liberty to do so.

I have a lot more photos but as courtesy I'd restrict releasing so much especially those taken inside the captain's room and other control rooms which are awesome! That's all I can say. My lips are sealed =p

But I think these harmless fun facts won't hurt:

It's like a whole new city inside, you'll get lost very easily.

They have a nice hospital inside complete with ICU section

They also have morgues inside, it's creepy but I think it's very very cool and considerate because I get the point if you're away for months from the land and you suddenly die, they give due care and respect to the dead who did great service to their country. 

They have a library and computer room where the crew can use the computers to get in touch with their loved ones. 

They have barbershops too, but I wonder if there's a salon for the women because I saw a lot of women too.

They have Vendo machines but you have to use an issued card in order to buy- meaning no outsiders could get to use the Vendo.

What's cool is that their Vendo sells everything from chips to toothbrush but of course these are in separate Vendo machines. 

They get TV signals especially the Manny Pacquiao fights in live streaming.

Food and drinks are great- The head was hospitable and we were invited to eat and drink to get the experience of being part of the US Navy but we didn't get a lot since we're not really doing anything to benefit from the US taxpayers' money. I see how Philippine politicians pocket the taxpayers' money without doing much service to the county and how we taxpayers suffer so it's not right to do it to other people when you know how it feels to be robbed. 

I love the trip but I would love to go to the beach, still. 

I didn't get to put on make up that day because I thought we were going to the beach when they canceled it when we're leaving the house. Good thing I brought my Jill Stuart Day Care Essence with SPF30, Kanebo powder, Clinique lipgloss and Kiehl's lipbalm so I'm pretty much all set.

*****

LBC shipment has arrived last Monday! ^.^ Another reason for being busy sending packages.

I've been double wrapping everything especially Alice in Wonderland because I want them to arrive in the safest condition possible. I enjoyed wrapping one in bubble wrap because it's so plump you can already use it as a pillow :)) You almost can't see through due to the layers of bubble wrap and extra styro lining inside.

This package has arrived just tonight to it's lucky and nice owner in Baguio City ^.^ 

Please Read : Tsunami Warning Issued

Please read! Take care! 

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 008
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1346Z 27 FEB 2010

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... A WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

 CHILE / PERU / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / ANTARCTICA / PANAMA /
 COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / PITCAIRN / HONDURAS / EL SALVADOR /
 GUATEMALA / FR. POLYNESIA / MEXICO / COOK ISLANDS / KIRIBATI /
 KERMADEC IS / NIUE / NEW ZEALAND / TONGA / AMERICAN SAMOA /
 SAMOA / JARVIS IS. / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / FIJI /
 AUSTRALIA / HAWAII / PALMYRA IS. / TUVALU / VANUATU /
 HOWLAND-BAKER / NEW CALEDONIA / JOHNSTON IS. / SOLOMON IS. /
 NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / MIDWAY IS. / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
 POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / CHUUK / RUSSIA / MARCUS IS. / INDONESIA /
 N. MARIANAS / GUAM / YAP / BELAU / JAPAN / PHILIPPINES /
 CHINESE TAIPEI

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.  ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

 ORIGIN TIME -  0634Z 27 FEB 2010
 COORDINATES -  36.1 SOUTH   72.6 WEST
 DEPTH       -   55 KM
 LOCATION    -  NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
 MAGNITUDE   -  8.8

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

 GAUGE LOCATION        LAT   LON    TIME        AMPL         PER
 -------------------  ----- ------  -----  ---------------  -----
 EASTER CL            27.2S 109.5W  1205Z   0.35M /  1.1FT  52MIN
 ANCUD CL             41.9S  73.8W  0838Z   0.62M /  2.0FT  84MIN
 CALLAO LA-PUNTA PE   12.1S  77.2W  1029Z   0.36M /  1.2FT  30MIN
 ARICA CL             18.5S  70.3W  1008Z   0.94M /  3.1FT  42MIN
 IQUIQUE CL           20.2S  70.1W  0907Z   0.28M /  0.9FT  68MIN
 ANTOFAGASTA CL       23.2S  70.4W  0941Z   0.49M /  1.6FT  52MIN
 DART LIMA 32412      18.0S  86.4W  0941Z   0.24M /  0.8FT  36MIN
 CALDERA CL           27.1S  70.8W  0843Z   0.45M /  1.5FT  20MIN
 TALCAHUANO CL        36.7S  73.4W  0653Z   2.34M /  7.7FT  88MIN
 COQUIMBO CL          30.0S  71.3W  0852Z   1.32M /  4.3FT  30MIN
 CORRAL CL            39.9S  73.4W  0739Z   0.90M /  2.9FT  16MIN
 SAN FELIX CL         26.3S  80.1W  0815Z   0.53M /  1.7FT  08MIN
 VALPARAISO CL        33.0S  71.6W  0708Z   1.29M /  4.2FT  20MIN

 LAT  - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
 LON  - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
 TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
 AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
        IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
        VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
 PER  - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

EVALUATION

 SEA LEVEL READINGS CONFIRM THAT A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED
 WHICH COULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. AUTHORITIES SHOULD TAKE
 APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS THREAT. THIS CENTER WILL
 CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT AND
 SEVERITY OF THE THREAT.

 A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
 LARGEST. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND CAN VARY
 SIGNIFICANTLY ALONG A COAST DUE TO LOCAL EFFECTS. THE TIME FROM
 ONE TSUNAMI WAVE TO THE NEXT CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO AN HOUR, AND
 THE THREAT CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AS MULTIPLE WAVES ARRIVE.

 FOR ALL AREAS - WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS
 AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT
 OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME
 THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN
 CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL
 CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE
 ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
THE TSUNAMI WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.

Source: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2010/pacific.2010.02.27.134506.txt