Philippine Fashion Week (Thursday)

At a fashion show, the front row is everything -- it is where the most important people in the industry are seated. So it doesn't come as a surprise that when we showed up for Philippine Fashion Week last night, we were seated at the very, very back, about fourth to the last, LOL. Fi, Giles and I even had to stand up just so we can get a glimpse of the models, and even at that, I wasn't able to see their shoes.

And if you've been wondering where all the fashionistas of Manila are, they're at Fashion Week. While waiting for Fifi at the lobby, before the start of the show, the peeps that walked by us where so chic, the scene was practically a fashion show on its own. I would have loved to have taken their photos but I was too shy to come up to anyone.

But still, much much thanks to Sandy for inviting me and my friends to the event. The seats were actually on a first-come, first-served basis, but the place was jampacked and we came in a wee little late. It was my first Fashion Week ever, so thanks to Sandy for the experience.

Sandy is behind The Reading Room, that quaint shop at Cubao Expo. It features a lot of items, but I drool over its M Barretto Bag collection, which is so fab I never got my hands on any of the bags because it's completely sold-out. I can't wait for the new collection to go out.







This was funny. Giles and I weren't taking photos anymore, but when this guy showed up, we immediately got our cameras and pointed them at him, or should I say, at his gigantic pecs.

Sex and the City

There are no spoilers in this review :-)

I loved Sex and the City, never mind that the MTRCB actually cut several, as in SEVERAL scenes. I didn't get to see what the movie's rating was; did they bring it down to PG-13? In which case, it's a stupid move because SATC is not for 13 year-olds. If it was R-18, I don't see why there had to be deletions -- seeing Samantha's antics won't make us rapists or nymphomaniacs.

I'm no serious movie critic -- in fact, I took a film course in UP to help me improve my movie reviewing skills, to no avail -- but there's a scene in SATC that totally blew me away in terms of acting (props to Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis) and how it all captured that raw (almost instinctive) emotion to kill that person who just crushed your heart.

Charlotte, played by Kristin, was a delight, being the movie's unexpected comic relief. One would assume Samantha (Kim Cattrall) to carry this responsibility -- but I don't know, maybe the film cuts made her a total bore in this movie, compared to her unparalleled gravitas in the TV series. We all root for all four women of course, but Charlotte holds a special place in our hearts, being the embodiment of everything naive, sweet and innocent.

I've only two complaints: Firstly, Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie Bradshaw's assistant. The inclusion of her role appeared forced, almost unnecessary. Maybe I'm biased, but the film makers should have just wriggled the plot and given the role to Carrie's gay best friend, Stanford (Willie Garson). In my opinion, he and Anthony (Mario Cantone), Charlotte's gay friend, did not get enough screen time, much less substantial characterizations. You'd think SATC would tip its hat to its gay fan base (About 40 percent of the crowd in the theater last night appeared to be gay.)

Secondly, uh, I can't mention it :-)

The movie clocks in at about 2 1/2 hours -- spanning all four weather seasons, with all the lows and highs you can imagine. It's a perfect epilogue for an amazing TV series that it's hard not to miss tuning in to HBO and catching up on Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda's lives. Can they make a movie every year?

Mukha mo stapler

I sort of liked Sen. Francis Escudero until a colleague, whom I consider highly intelligent, asked me point-blank: "What exactly has he done?"

True, he's an outspoken critic of President Arroyo... and then what?

I figured, maybe he flew under the radar as a then Congressman, hence he didn't trumpet his achievements (though at the back of my mind, I was thinking, he certainly wasn't low key when he had to blast the administration). I eventually voted for him as a senator.

I kept my reservations to myself until he and his wife appeared in a TV ad for Circulan 4-in-1, a dietary food supplement.

While I can only roll my eyes, the media finally took notice of the proliferation of politicians -- chiefly senators -- who are endorsing products. The ABS CBN report last night brought up two points: one, they're practically campaigning already for the 2010 elections; and two, it's a matter of delicadeza, which is really my main beef in all this.

How can you trust the Senate to be impartial in its legislations, and in some cases, in its investigations, when its members are hawking products on TV, print, and/or radio? It's bad enough to have a senator peddling a food supplement; but what if Macropharma Cop, makers of Circulan, get embroiled in a controversy related to its product or otherwise, and one which would require a senate investigation? Whose side would he be on? (Delicadeza would have it that he has to stand by Macropharma -- Escudero is its endorser.)

A scenario like the one above is in fact already unfolding: Lucida DS Glutathione owners threaten to sue newscaster Korina Sanchez for libel. Basically, Korina reported that United Shelter Health Products, its makers, is guilty for false advertising. Sen. Loren Legarda is endorsing Lucida DS Glutathione.

Don't get me started on Sen. Bong Revilla, who does not have a TV ad as far as I know, but a freaking TV show -- Kap's Amazing Stories, a Ripley's Believe It Or Not rip-off. This brainless person can use his free time to study or actually do his job as a senator, but noooo... he can only do what he does best: make pa-cute on TV. Or prey on women half his age.

Speaking of adulterers, the Inquirer filed this report about Sen. Lito Lapid. In a rare occurrence, I was laughing out loud and having hypertension at the same time while reading this news:

"Lapid on Wednesday broke his silence for the first time in years, surprising reporters covering the Senate with a one-page, three-paragraph press statement.

"After four years as a legislator, the former action star and Pampanga governor had mastered the art of avoiding reporters covering the Senate, something unthinkable among his colleagues.

"Lapid’s statement was his first since the 14th Congress opened in July 2007.

"Stunned reporters had to rack their brains for the last press statement they got from Lapid’s office. Some recalled getting one about a couple of years ago at least.

"In that press statement, Lapid propounded on a bill he had filed prohibiting the use of staple wires in food packaging. When asked for comment, other senators said such a measure could simply be enacted by a city or municipal ordinance."

Staple wires ang pucha. Pero in fairness, natawa ko sa subtle hirit ng senators in that last statement.

I personally hate President Arroyo, but really, you can't put all the blame on her; Filipino voters get half of the blame too.

Mandarin lesson

Haha, this is cute; my colleague sent me the sound file to tell me how my Chinese name is pronounced (photos are from my Moo minicards set):



I'm also tempted to take up Mandarin lessons at Berlitz on a whim, but I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it afterwards. So once again, I bugged Nancy to find out if Mandarin is widely used in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Singapore. (I understand, Fookien is what the Filipino-Chinese community here use?)

Yes, Mandarin is widely used in Shenzhen. If you can speak Mandarin, you will find no difficulty in being understood in Hong Kong and Singapore. Apart from Mandarin, Cantonese is spoken in HK and English is the official language in Singapore.

Chinese is becoming increasingly popular internationally, inspite of the fact some people find it difficult. Give it a try. Perhaps you'll be in love with the language and find magic power to conquer all the obstacles.

O di ba, magic power.

Hmm... *scratches chin*

我叫 杜瀚凯

While personalizing my Moo Minicard (which I can't wait to receive, I am so holding my breath for the package to be delivered), I thought I'd include my Chinese name in my card. So I went ahead and e-mailed my Chinese colleague, Nancy, based in Shenzhen and asked what's the Chinese equivalent of Jason.

Apparently, there's none.

Unlike the more common English names Tom, Jack and Philip, Jason can't be written in Chinese. But if spelled as pronounced, it will appear like this -- 杰森 -- but it doesn't really mean anything.

So she asked if Jason means anything. I explained to her that I have two given names, Harold and Jason, which mean "warrior" and "healer"; ergo, I'm a warrior who heals. She said she'd come up with a Chinese name based on those meanings.

I didn't realize the whole thing would turn out to be such a production number -- apparently, her mom had gotten involved. Nancy said her mom is a self-proclaimed "fortune teller"; she consulted the Book of Changes (a Chinese classic) and referred to my birthday. Nancy e-mailed me the following:

1.杜瀚泽 (Du Hanze)

杜 is the Chinese family name. Its pronunciation is like Do, the first two letters in your family name.

瀚泽 is the given name.

瀚 means vastness.

泽 means the spread of kindness.

The given name means wide spread of kindness, which is an admirable mission of a healing warrior.

2.杜瀚凯 (Du Hankai)

Just the last character 凯 is different from the name above.

凯 means victory.

The given name can be understood as great victory, a warrior's ideal.

Basically, Hanze is for David Archuleta -- you know, nice and sweet. But Hankai is for the eventual winner, LOL!

She added that if I didn't like any of these, I can come up with other meanings and her mom would make other suggestions. I said it wasn't necessary.

I am 杜瀚凯 (Du Hankai)! I am very competitive, after all :-)

She'll e-mail me a sound clip for the proper pronunciation :-)

No guns

My father is an arm wrestling champion. Well, not exactly an overall champion, but apparently, about 20 years ago, there was an afternoon TV show in GMA 7 devoted entirely to arm wrestling. My father ended up in the grand finals but lost in the final showdown.

He got a t-shirt, which I still saw from time to time until about 5 years ago.

Over dinner at Shangri-La mall many weeks ago, I came out of the restroom to find myself challenged by Pam. None of them -- she, Jill and Fifi -- were able to topple Giff, hence the pressure was laid out before me.

My biceps are like Halley's Comet -- they rarely show themselves unless put under tremendous stress, self-gratifying routines included. But I've done my share of push-ups so I thought they'd stand up to the "pudgy" Giff (his self-branding, not mine), who's been doing a lot of exercises and stretching himself and I don't mean at the gym.

Naturally, Pammy took a video. Giff may look totally relaxed, but believe me, I exerted ALL effort to win. In fact, my arm hurt for two days after this:



I had to call it quits because he accidentally lifted his elbow from the table. Besides, I really needed a reason to end the fight without losing, harhar.

The arm wrestling gene apparently doesn't run in the family.

Maligno

Last week, I was able to catch an episode of ABS-CBN's soap opera, Maligno. From the title alone, you'd know this is of the horror genre and from that one episode, I was scared and creeped out.

Nothing scares me more than a storyline involving the devil. Why? Because I know it's true. We studied it in theology class in high school and our teacher-priest himself confirmed that possession of the devil is true. It was the same class that made us watch The Exorcist; it didn't help learning that the movie is inspired by a true story -- all the more contributing to many sleepless nights.

Another movie that gave me major eyebags was The Exorcism of Emily Rose. (I've blogged it before.) In it, Emily Rose is possessed every 3 a.m., the inverted time of Christ's (traditionally believed) time of death (as man), which is 3 p.m. For an entire week after seeing that movie, I'd force myself to sleep by midnight so that I won't have to be awake by 3 a.m., only to find myself automatically waking up at -- guess what, 2:45 a.m! I will never watch that movie again.

In Maligno, the protagonist, Claudine Barretto, is raped by the devil, played to creepy perfection by Rafael Rosel. I didn't exactly see that episode, but from what I did catch, Claudine is already married to Diether Ocampo, who apparently, is taking orders from Rafael.

In one of the scenes, shirtless Diether is trying to get it on with Claudine, who is still too traumatized to give in to his sexual advances. Diether basically ends up with blue balls.

Writers, here's the problem: If a creature as beautiful as Diether gets blue balls, what does that mean to mere mortals like us?

Watch this clip of Episode 4, courtesy of blogadeur. The first 30 seconds alone is scary. I also wish the show would come out with a DVD so I can see the entire soap, never mind the possibility of sleepless nights.



Online Videos by Veoh.com

Kitchen Discovery: Do you have what it takes to cook? (part 2)

Yesterday, I wrote about the Kitchen Discovery Class at CCA, which allows someone to know if he has what it takes to be a chef and thus, pursue culinary studies.

After a brief intro by Anne, CCA PR Manager, we were introduced to our chef. I held my breath as I finally got to learn if it would be Chef Tristan (aaaaay!) or the lovable Chef Rosebud....

... it was Chef Menoy Jimenez.

My brain had a 3-second blackout before it resumed normal operations.

Now, Chef Menoy, as I later learned, is the founder of the Discovery class and an institution at CCA. And he doesn't teach anymore, but when he used to, students would line up to register for his class, so you can say we were honored to be "discovering" the kitchen with him. (I just prayed he wasn't what Douglas Nierras is to dancing -- you know, the terror teacher.)

Chef Menoy talks fast, breaks down concepts into relatable analogies, and is funny. It wasn't hard for me to relax after the first minute especially when he explained that one of the objectives of the Kitchen Discovery Class was confidence-building: that there's nothing to be scared of about the kitchen and cooking is a joy to do again and again.

The class was divided into three groups, and I was paired with Giff, Giles, blogger Ian and Laarni. We had a mother in the group (Ian) so that was a relief. The normal Kitchen Discovery Class requires 15 students to be divided into groups of five.

We proceeded to the kitchen and saw the ingredients laid out before us. While I recognize some of them by name on paper, I certainly couldn't recognize them in real life.

The class with Chef Menoy

Here's a funny story:

Laarni and I are admittedly "beginners" in the kitchen, to put it mildly. I was tasked to chop the cilantro for garnishing.

It looked like this:


I turned to Laarni and asked, "Sinasama ba yung tangkay?"

Laarni turned to the sous chef and asked, "Sinasama ba yung tangkay?"

The sous chef said no and gave us a look which I can only describe as... sympathetic.

The morning dish had five components: (1) Caramelized Salmon with Orange-Shoyu Glaze, (2) mixed Sauteed Vegetables, (3) Soba Noodles, (4) Lemongrass Beuree Blanc and (5) Balsamic-Soy Reduction. Since the name of the recipe was a mouthful, Chef Menoy summarized it as "masarap na salmon." We would make all of these, except for the Soba Noodles, which the sous chefs took care of.

What can I say -- it was very easy! Granted that some of the ingredients weren't staple wet market fare (I think), e.g., Grand Marnier, zucchini, shallot, lemongrass, you basically just mix these ingredients, fry the salmon and thicken the liquid mixture through boiling (which is what reduction means). Chef Menoy also shared that you can do mistakes in cooking -- sometimes, accidents make the dish even better. This is as opposed to baking, which call for exact measurements and timing.

From this:


To this, by Team Fierce:



So watch out, I can now do a mean, to-die-for salmon in a Zen-inspired plating! (Chef Menoy offered a tip on plating; remember the acronym CZA -- Clean, Zen-like and Appetizing.)

We took a lunch break and I delved into The Mystery of Tristan's Non-Appearance. Here are the facts that I unearthed from highly and well-placed sources, whom I shall not name:

a) Tristan is either a flirt or just too charming
b) Tristan calls everyone "baby"
c) Tristan is ALWAYS there every Saturday... except that Saturday!!!

Hmp.

I am taking comfort in the fact that it took years for me to meet Piolo, but eventually, I got to meet him face-to-face in his dressing room.

The afternoon session was devoted to baking under Chef Anne Atanacio, simply the funniest teacher I've ever met. We were doing Panna Cotta, a desert that would be hard for us to go wrong with, according to her.

Since the environment was more relaxed -- we had a funny teacher and the group was down to nine from the original 14 -- we had a "friendly" competition: Who would make the best Panna Cotta?

It was me, Giles and Laarni; Giff and two CCA students; and Fifi, Ruby and Penny, a professional blogger.

Logic would have it that Fifi's group would win this one -- she bakes! But at this point, I was so comfortable around the kitchen (class objective met!) that my ego inflated like dough on a 85°F oven.

While the recipe called for relatively easy tasks, it was the orange-segmenting job that got me stumped: I couldn't cut the orange into smaller segments without mutilating the whole thing. Eventually, I tossed my horrendously shaped orange segments into the citrus caramel sauce -- with the seeds still in them, which I learned, I should've taken out in the first place!

Now the citrus caramel sauce proved to be a little tricky -- we were supposed to bring the sugar mixture to a boil until it turns amber in color. While waiting for the flawlessness to happen, Chef Anne began to spice up the conversation. We reminded her of certain people, apparently. For example, she said Giff looked really familiar ("Lord of the Rings?" I offered), but never got to come up with a name. I apparently look like Beth Tamayo. (Great.) But here was the clincher, she said Giles looked like Vhong Navarro and Dingdong Dantes's ex: Bianca Lapuz.

Ibang level!

Since we were bloggers, we also exchanged sites that are heavily clicked in our bookmarks, traded gay lingo (Shaider for "shy") and got a lesson from Chef on how to be in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Model:

Top Chef meets Top Model. Chef Anne strikes a fierce pose with Giles, me, the very cute in an anime way sous chef Miguel and Lalaine.

Amidst all the chaos, we almost burned our caramel sauce that Chef had to step in and rescue it from utter mess. Naturally, we were jeered by the entire class -- until Giff's group actually burned its sauce. They were thus coined, "repeaters."

Fifi, Ruby and Penny were practically yawning at us -- not only did they finish first but they actually made a perfect panna cotta, with perfect sauce, topped with perfect orange segments, and accented with a perfect tuile (it's like apa, those sold outside church every Sunday). Hmp.

Our team's Panna Cotta topped with mangled orange segments (photo by Giff)

In the end, we managed to make not just edible, but actually, delicious panna cottas, so yep, I now have a desert up my sleeve in case the need arises.

So do I have what it takes to cook? I think everyone does; we just need a little coaxing out of our shell. From Lucky Me Pancit Canton, I can now do salmon and panna cotta -- that's quite a transformation.

CCA's Kitchen Discovery class are held on Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm. Fee is P3,800 inclusive of all food ingredients, access to facilities, utensils, certificate of completion and "costume" -- comprised of a shirt, skull cap, side towel and apron. Check out the CCA website or call (+63 2) 994.2520, 30 & 40 for more information.

Kitchen Discovery: Do you have what it takes to cook?

My answer to that question is I'm not sure. While I've pretty much documented my incapacity to whip up anything edible from scratch -- not instant -- I've also had delusions of preparing something special for the family, such as a five course meal.

If you're in a similar bind (culinary delusions, that is), you can find out if you have the aptitude for cooking by taking Center for Culinary Arts' (CCA) Kitchen Discovery Class.

Last Saturday, CCA invited bloggers, including myself, to take the class. While I had trepidations, (mainly making an idiot of myself), it wasn't hard for me to accept the invitation when I discovered who my possible teacher would be:

Tristan Encarnacion -- Need I explain more?

Rosebud Benitez -- I love her! Too bad she left QTV's cooking show, Ka-toque, to host her own show.

Just to give you a background, CCA is a culinary school in Katipunan, right across the Ateneo Gym. (The school is also behind the restaurant, Cravings, and I don't just mean geographically.)

All CCA students go through an admissions test to find out if they have the aptitude, not only for kitchen work, but also for either of these two areas: cooking or baking. What CCA did was make this admissions test a class in itself, hence, the birth of the Kitchen Discovery Class. So yep, through the class, you also get to find out which of these two areas you enjoy more.

Call time was 9 a.m. After a quick registration, we were provided with our "outfit" -- a white shirt, blue apron and a chef's cap -- and our recipes.

For our morning session, which would run until 12 noon, we were tasked to make a Caramelized Salmon with Orange-Shoyu Glaze, with mixed Sauteed Vegetables, Soba Noodles, Lemongrass Beuree Blanc and Balsamic-Soy Reduction.

This dish had me at "caramelized."

For the afternoon session from 1 to 4 pm, we would bake Saffron Panna Cotta with Citrus Caramel Sauce and Almond Tuile.

It had me at "tuile" which was good because it meant I actually got through reading its entire name.

We changed into our outfit and proceeded to a classroom for introductions. We all got excited because it felt like being in school again and I had my friends and acquaintances as classmates -- Fifi, Giff, Giles, Ruby, and from Multiply, Jerome and Jerome. In total, 11 of us were bloggers and 3 were new CCA students, so you can just imagine if you have your whole barkada with you, it'd be a blast!

After a brief intro by Anne, CCA PR Manager, we were finally introduced to our chef. I held my breath as I was about to learn if it would be Chef Tristan (aaaaay!) or the lovable Chef Rosebud....

.... but of course, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for my entry on that :-)

Plus!!!
-- who was the "repeat student," who naturally, got bullied for it by the entire class?
-- who reminded the chef of Bianca Lapuz and Beth Tamayo? (Bonus tidbit, they are guys, LOL)
-- and do I have what it takes to be a culinary student?

Touched

This makes all the posts worth it (And yep, this got me teary eyed). From my Multiply:



The entries:

An Open Letter -- You are loved, so stay gay and happy :-)
Matthew 23:13-28 -- God doesn't tolerate the self-righteous. They're the ones who make you distance yourself from Him; don't cave in to them.
Make it personal -- Have a personal relationship with God -- don't hate yourself for what others tell you. They're not God, they don't know God.

I wrote these hoping to help even just one person :-)

Spread the love!

The Philippines doesn't deserve a cheeseburger

See this, this and this for the headline's pop culture reference.

An addendum to my previous post on the population:

Mainly, this article discusses the strong relationship between our population and economy, but there's a part that analyzes the point when Thailand economically outpaced the Philippines (Let me kill the suspension: it was when Thailand had slower population growth.)

This article was published in 2006. It's now 2008. Bat parang walang nangyari?

Viewpoint : Is more really merrier?
By Juan Mercado
Inquirer
Posted date: September 26, 2006

NOT when you're financially strapped while kids eat you out of bed, board and breakfast, says a new analysis of data from 74 Philippine provinces.

"A young population matters," asserts the new Asia Pacific Policy Center study, "Population-Growth-Poverty Nexus: Evidence from the Philippines." And "more is not necessarily merrier."

Dennis Mapa, research director of the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Statistics, sifts through provincial data from 1985 to 2003 to pinpoint what boosts -- or crimps -- incomes.

In this 18-year period, most "probinsyanos" [provincials] found their incomes increased, on average, a piddling 1.8 percent. It'll "take about 38 years before average (real) income per person doubles," the study says. "Most people will not experience doubling of real income in their lifetime."

Some provinces posted more than 5 percent growth. But "majority have income growth comparable with the world's poorest countries."

In 2004, Mapa and UP School of Economics' Arsenio Balisacan examined incomes in 80 countries. Between 1975 and 2000, they found, the paths of "Asean's development twins" -- Thailand and the Philippines -- steadily diverged. In 1975, the Philippines population was 43 million, slightly larger than Thailand's 41 million. Their economies muddled in tandem at 2.5 percent plus yearly. Head-for-head, Philippine gross domestic product then was almost twice Thailand's $805. But over the next 25 years, Filipino incomes grew only 2.6 times -- "cadaverous when compared to Thailand's eight times," noted Mapa.

(By 2010, Filipino per head income would top $1,800, Rep. Joey Salceda says. That is still below what Thailand achieved in 2004: $2,490. And Vietnam may have overtaken us by then.)

This income gap affects the daily lives of Thais and Filipinos. Out of every 100 Filipinos, 46 scrape below the $2-a-day poverty line, the UN Human Development Report reveals. It's 36 for Thais.

One reason is Thailand's on-going "demographic transition," the process where fewer births and fewer deaths result in slower population growth. Japan completed its "demographic transition." It is ongoing in Indonesia and Vietnam. That held down Thailand's population to 63.1 million by mid-2003.

In contrast, the "demographic transition" never got off the starting block here. "No province here has undergone demographic transition," notes the Population Center Foundation-backed study. So, Philippine population topped 81.6 million in 2003 (and is 86.3 million today).

Transitions offer "demographic dividends," which Thailand cashed. Out of every 100 students who enroll, 94 Thais reach Grade 5; only 76 Filipinos do. Skilled health personnel attend 99 percent of Thai child births compared to 60 percent here. Out of every 1000 cell phone users, 394 were Thais and 270 Filipinos.

Had the Philippines followed Thailand's population growth path, Mapa and Balisacan estimated that 4.03 million Filipinos would have broken free of the poverty treadmill. "This should be enough to get serious about the relationship between population and development."

In the current study, the earlier econometric model gauges the impact of population on income in 74 provinces, head counts and household poverty. The 74 stretched from Abra, in the north, to three Davaos in the south, Antique in the west to Samar in the east.

Focus of analysis was young dependents (14 years and below) with their heavy call on resources. In our provinces, 41 percent were youngsters compared to Thailand's 35 percent. The model crunched other "variables" ranging from schooling, electricity to migration, agrarian reform and typhoons.

Among 10 provinces with the fewest dependents were Cavite, Siquijor, Bulacan and Camiguin. They were used as a yardstick to determine "what could have been the income growth picture" with fewer dependents. Some findings:

. Slicing a percentage point from dependents reduces demand on resources, and jacks up provincial per head income by 7.5 percent. Probinsyano incomes would have risen from P27,443 to P29,063. "This would mean an increase of 6 percent in national average per capita income."

. Camarines Norte and Sur, as well as Davao Oriental, had large clusters of young dependents. If these three had fewer dependents, Camarines Norte's income would have been P3,297 higher, Camarines Sur's P2,764 more, and Davao Orientals P2,152 more.

. A comparison between Mindoro Occidental and Camarines Norte reveals that "about 48 percent of their growth differential" pivoted around differences in numbers of dependents.

. "Under the status quo . the poverty head count in 2003 was estimated at 20.4 million Filipinos. This is over a quarter of the total population."

The low dependents yardstick, however, would increase per head income by P2,227. This would slash the poverty head count down to 17.6 million. And 2.82 million individuals would be better off -- "surely a large number that merits serious consideration."

"Population is not the only reason for the poor performance of a majority of provinces," Mapa wrote. But the tests run by the econometric model show the dependence burden is "a robust determinant" of income growth.

The 2004 cross-country analysis concluded that "the Philippines pays a high price for its unchecked population growth," Mapa said. That is reiterated in the 2006 within-country study.

The call is for a clear population policy backed by strong government support. "Young population matters. And contrary to the cliché, more is not necessarily merrier."

Six years and counting

Today is my blog's sixth year anniversary. My very first post was as follows:

Monday, May 06, 2002

*this is the author's third attempt in posting his first ever blog*

Okay, this is getting to be exasperating for me. Anyway, what I've been trying to say for three times now is: THIS "BLOGGING" SEEMS A LITTLE BIT WEIRD FOR ME SINCE I'VE ALWAYS KEPT MY JOURNALS SECRET! Whew.

Anyway, I remember the time when, not a few weeks ago, some parts of my journal were published in a major daily here. And I did get some decent response, although all were from girls (humph), and most of them seem "partly" interested in me (aaaah!!!). Horrifying thought, I know.

Allen, my high school friend, and I were surprised by the number of feedbacks that my article got. One of our former batchmates even rang him to say that he saw me on the paper (which was funny for I've already been writing for two years now). My explanation was simple. Pinoys are so much into "tsimis" that they won't miss out on the chance of being let in on a stranger's experiences, no matter how normal they are.

Welcome. =)

Thank you to everyone who dropped by -- those who left comments or lurked under anonymity, those whom I've met and haven't met, those whom I dated (hehe) or not dated, and especially those whom I've become friends with.

Here are some choice entries from my 2002 archives (and risk exposure to my juvenile writing):

On being accused of plagiarism

On the very first Bench underwear fashion show

My classic Math story

My classic response to a reader who said I'd burn in hell

The fashion show where a half-naked model slathered oil on his bare chest while telling me he needed to work-out more

Rising rice prices

I tend to buy mid-priced rice. The last time I actually bought one myself (around February), I went for those in the range of P23-25 when the low-range was in the P18-19s.

Two Sundays ago, I decided to make the trip to the wet market myself. I thought to myself, if NFA rice is now in the P18 range, ordinary, low-range rice would be in the P25 level; I decided I'd buy P30 a kilo.

I got to the rice stand and what do you know -- the lowest was P33 a kilo; mid-range, about P38; and high-range, P42-44.

I now eat low-grade rice at home.

Which makes me think how families, particularly those who do not have access to NFA rice, cope. There's the euphemistic literal expression, "Nagdidildil ng asin," to describe how the poorest of the poor eat: that is by patting rice on salt to taste (since they have no money to prepare an actual dish to go with the rice).

If you think about it, the "rice" part is just an add-on concept; it's not mentioned in the expression. But with its soaring price, rice is not far from being completely reduced to just a concept to these families.

"Mommy" is back

I've never been this excited since T.R. Knight came out of the closet!

Someone left a comment on my blogspot's Tom Yum entry. Not sure if it's "Thai Lady" herself, but a heap of thanks just the same!

Hello,

Mommy is back! :)

Our restaurant is now on its soft opening. We serve authentic Thai food and Filipino dishes.

Khao Pad @ Ortigas Home Depot, Auto Depot. J. Vargas Ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Khao Pad is the revamped "Thai Canteen" at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus (International Center).

Visit us soon!

Alkies, we have to drop by! It's near Astoria ;-)