Friday, March 24, 2006

Somalia

Mula sa tigang
Na buhanging pinapangingas
Ni haring araw,
Nangagbulagta ang
Mga murang sikmurang
Pinagdamutan ng
Tinapay at tubig.

Bakit pa nga naman
Sila maglalaro
Ng taguan o trumpo,
Eh katumbas naman
Ito ng lakas
Ng kwarentang
Mga tulo ng tubig
Mula sa mga gripo
Ng mga edukada't edukado
Ng Aprika?

Tama ngang kumurap
Na lang sila ng kumurap
Na katumbas lamang
Ng lakas ng
Isang masarap
Na pinatuyong dilis
Kaysa gumastos
Pa ng iilang lakas
Na katumbas ng
Sobra pa
Sa kwarentang
Mga tulo ng tubig
Sa pagpagpag ng mga
Nangagpiyestang mga langaw
Sa mga galis nilang
Nananatiling basa
Sa kabuuan ng
Maladisyertong Somalia.

Friday, March 17, 2006

I'm confused. What really is the work of a true marketing assistant?

I used to think that I am not really performing to the best of what I am capable of doing. You know, I've been a marketing assistant of central books for 6 months already and I seem to be ignorant with the real-time concept of the field of marketing. Or am I really in the field of marketing? Take for example my recent job as a jack-of-all-trades multi-tasking highly skilled sales/administration employee in Glorietta and main branch in Quezon City. My job description is totally fully general in its sense that I often end up idle in a spot waiting for customers in Glorietta or trying to search for anything to do in Quezon City (just to tell the hidden cameras that I am such a hard working freak). I do act as a sales staff and converse a bit to tell tales to customers about how our books are clearly printed and perfectly binded aside from flooding them with different sets of brochures and offers. I do also computer reports and other typing jobs since (sad to say) my co-employees had limited knowledge for such technology. Alright. Marketing might also mean handling sales and doing the verbal flowering conversation with different sorts of people, but where can I go aside from that? I thought of a marketing assistant as formulating strategies and working with a team of marketers to boost sales and increase the image of the company. BUT and another BUT I know that what I wanted to happen is not applicable in my company. Why? It is simply because there ARE only 2 marketing employees existing and it is me and my boss.

Yup.

So you might as well digest my point. Is being a jack-of-all trades person equates to being a marketing assistant?

Maybe I am not supposed to be called as a marketing assistant but a mere assistant of the assistant. It is just that I am called as a marketing assistant for the sense that I am under the marketing manager which I do assists giving leaflets to law schools, marketing our publish on demand, editing marketing articles and manning book fairs and exhibits.

Wait.

Let me think.

[hypothalamus] ----- [thalamus]

Ok.

I cannot think for more. It's just that I want to be a script writer instead.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

I'd like to share a court proceeding scenario of a rape case from the Supreme Court Reports Annotated Volume 469 or 469 SCRA 658-662.. The rape victim is a 12 years old girl and the accused is her own father. The child is said to be first raped when she was only 10 years old. I felt so bad while reading such article and realized that it is really happening (since I only see it in the movies).

(The victim by the way is only 12 years old when she narrated to the court the violations of her person.)

For rape committed in September 1993:

Q: "When was the first time that he committed sexual assault upon you?"

A: "September 1993."

COURT: "No specific date?"

A: "I cannot remember, Ma'am."

Q: "Can you remember how old are you at that time?"

A: "10 years old, Ma'am."

...

Q: "So, after he removed your T-shirt, bra and panties and shorts, what happened next, if anything happened?

A: "He asked me to lie face down. Pinadapa po niya ako."

Q: "After he asked you to lie face down. what happened next?"

...

(The witness is crying.)

A: "He inserted in my anus --- ipinasok niya ang titi niya sa puwet ko."
...

Q: "Did you tell anybody about what happened to you?"

A: "No, Ma'am."

Q: "Why not?"

A: "Because I was afraid of my father."

Q: "Why are you afraid of your father?"

A: "Because he might hurt me."

Q: "After that incident in September 1993, do you recall any other incident that occurred?"

A: "There is, Ma'am."

Q: "When was it?"

A: "After a few days after the first incident."

...

Q: "After he entered your room, what happened next?"

A: "He laid beside me and he removed my clothes."

...

Q: "What did your father do with the clothes he was wearing?"

A: "He removed his clothes"

Q: "After removing his clothes, what happened next, if any?"

A: "We were lying in my bed and he asked me to lie on my side -- pinatagilid niya ako."

Q: "After he asked you to lie down on your side, what happened next, if any?"

A: "He asked me to raise my right leg and placed it on his side because he was then lying on his side."

...

Q: "After he asked you to place your right thigh over his left thigh, what happened next, if any?"

A: "He inserted his penis into my organ.


For rape committed on December 29, 1995:

Q: "On December 29, 1995, do you remember of any unusual incident that happened?

A: "There was, Ma'am."

Q: "What is that incident?"

A: "I was raped by my father on that day."

Q: "Where were on that day when you said he raped you?"

A: "I was then at the kitchen of our house."

...

Q: "What were you doing at the kitchen at that time?"

A: "I was then sitting at our dining set."

Q: "What about your father, what is he doing?"

A: "He was cooking."

Q: "What happened while sitting at the dining set, if any?"

A: "He told me to approach him."

...

Q: "After you approached him, what happened next?"

A: "I was leaning then at the kitchen sink and he asked me to embrace him."

...

Q: "What happened after you embraced him?"

A: "After that, he raised my T-shirt."

Q: "After raising your T-shirt, what happened next?"

A: "He held my breast."

...

Q: "After that, what happened next?"

A: "He kept kissing my breast."

Q: "How many times did he kiss your breast?"

A: "Many times."

...

Q: "What happened next after he kissed your breast?

A: "He put my shorts down."

Q: "After putting your shorts down, what happened next, if any?"

A: "He also put down my panties."

Q: "After putting down your panties, what happened next, if any?"

A: "He held my organ."

...

Lawyer 2: "At this juncture, Your Honor, may we request witness to be more specific with respect to organ."

Q: "When you say 'organ', what do you mean?"

A: "Pekpek."

COURT: "Proceed."

A: "After he held my vagina, he also put down his shorts and briefs."

Q: "After putting down his shorts and briefs, what happened next?"

A: "He inserted his penis to my vagina."


For attempted rape committed on January 1, 1996:

Q: "Do you recall of any incident that happened on January 1, 1996 3:00 to 4:00 PM?"

A: "We were in our sala on the sofa."

Q: "When you say 'we', who are those you are referring to?

A: "Me and my father."

...

Q: "While you and your father were in the living room and on the sofa, what happened?"

A: "While we were on the sofa, my father was then raising my T-shirt and kissing my breast."

Q: "What were you wearing at that time?"

A: "Shorts, T-shirt, bra and panties."

Q: "What did your father do with your shorts, T-shirt and bra?"

A: "He raised them."

Q: "How about your father, how was he dressed at that time?"

A: "Shorts and T-shirt.

Q: "After raising your bra and T-shirt, what happened next?"

A: "While he was kissing my breast, we were already lying on the sofa, then he went on top of me."

Q: "After he went on top of you, what happened next, if any?"

A: "He was forcing to insert his penis while we were still wearing shorts."

Q: "So, you mean to say, you were still wearing shorts at that time?

A: "Yes, Ma'am."

Q: "What happened next when he was forcing to push his penis to your vagina?"

A: "It did not push through because my mother suddenly arrived."

....

Ok. It been a very long trial though and what happened at the end was sentencing his father reclusion perpetua and DEATH.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Right now I have a blocked mind. I am having the feeling of nothingness like a trying hard dumb writer that thoroughly stares on a white plain blank page. That's exactly what I am feeling right now; I don't know how to think properly, I don't know how to digest the contents of any book that I could grab; I don't know how to react in any comments of a customer, and it is just that I don't know what I am doing or suppose to do.

I likewise cannot think of anything worth thinking. In other words, my mind is no longer cooperative that something might have been transforming my brain to be so dumb frozen. Every time I thought of something, I immediately wrestle to another image that is so broad and completely senseless. For instance, while I am busy waiting for customers to come (which normally took for ages and years), I usually imagine a dog that meows and a cat that barks behind the shelves; when an old woman is walking to the store (just passing by but not my customer I am sure), I imagine her to have 13 penises and one vagina; when a man passes by, I imagine him in ice skating shoes while in an asphalted road; or in my deepest sense of idleness when my spirit moves out of my physical body, I could imagine a guy who is forcing himself to write something by the computer with a bleeding nose for his mind cannot cooperate. Well these are the things that keeps on blocking my mind and prevents me from thinking more sensible. I think I am getting to be like a jerk.

Wait.

I am not a jerk shit. It's just I don't really know what to say. I don't have any idea to share in this space.

[space]

What would the reason be? Maybe there is just something I must be thinking and that something I am thinking is something I used to think when I am thinking of something.

Great.

I hope I am making sense here.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Trapik


Dahil po sa mga berdeng
Papel na mas berde pa
Sa mga tinda naming
Mga lantang gulay,
Ibinalot ako
Ng nanay sa kahon
Papuntang Disneyland.

Biruin nyo po,
Isang linggong mahigit lang
Ng bahay-bahayan sa loob
Ng kahong pumapaypay
Ang init at sikip
Sa mga murang sikmurang
Walang laman kundi hangin,
Kinalabit na kami
Ng Disneyland?
(Ay Disneyland na pala?)
Yehey Disneyland!

Syet.

Dito po pala sa Disneyland
Nangagpila ang mga momo!
Nakahubad si Miki Maws,
Namimilit si Donald Dak,
Nanghihipo si Papay,
At manyak ang mga Seben Dwarps.
Nakakatakot po pati
Ang mga laway
Nila Gopey at Pluto
Na bumabaha sa kama
Ko't kumakalawang
Sa mga kadenang naging
Pulseras ko na noong una pang
Pagdating ni Ursula
Sa madilim kong lungga.

Naku po!
Para tuloy akong
Si Litil Mermeyd na binibingwit
Ng mga puchang momo
Ng paulit-ulit
Ng paulit-ulit
Ng paulit-ulit
Mula sa aking hawlang
Isang berdeng papel
Bawat bingwit dito po
Sa Disneyland Bar.

The above poem was inspired by the book of Mr. Armando Ang entitled: "Child Abuse: A Growing Menace." (The book is available at Central Books Glorietta 3 2nd Floor Inside Goodwill Bookstore at 500 pesos only). The author discusses child abuse by subdividing it into 14 parts such as: 1. Child Abuse at Home; 2. Child Labor; 3. Child Prostitution; 4. Child Sacrifice; 5. Child Slavery; 6. Child Soldier; 7. Drug, Tobacco, and Alcohol; 8. Child Education; 9. Juvenile Justice System; 10. Pedophilia and Homosexuality; 11. Clergy Sex Abuse; 12. Child Pornography; 13. Street Children; and (I hope I am not boring you ok?) 14. Entertainment Industry. From these 14 topics, the one that strucked me the most is the topic regarding Child Prostitution specifically child trafficking. I want to quote this paragraph from Ang's book:

"Child Trafficking for sexual exploitation is considered the worst form of child labor anywhere in the world. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing business in the world, especially in the developing countries because these children are desperate, cheap, and readily available."

It's really shocking that children as young as 12 is for sale; or traffickers just offer the parents money and 'promises' of education for the girls or a new skill or good paying job. Once they are taken out of the homes, they are brought to faraway places and even out of the country and sold to pimps in brothels, bars, restaurants, massage parlors and other sex businesses. Once they are in the brothels, the adolescent girls are kept locked up until the first customer buys their virginity for approximately $500. Every sex from her first customer makes her price depreciate of about $2. There are also instances that the owner of the child will divirginize her first before selling it to pimps. Sounds cruel huh? But this is real shit; and we must be really aware that it is indeed happening.

What if the child refuses to a crook to become prostitutes? Well, learn the techniques. They will torture the child and keep in captivity for a time until she willingly become prostitutes. Now what are these tortures that I am talking about? These are beatings, threatening with throwing acid on her face, locking up chained in a room and starved until her resistance wanes; also are electric shocks, and other brutal tortures that could lead to death.

Tragic.

Now these tragic things inspired me of writing a poem to share the sad fate of those abused children neglected of their rights to have better lives to other bloggers and surfers of the world . I want you guys to be really aware about their situation and help them if you have a way of doing so. We must find a way to help those abused children specifically those of Asia like the Philippines because it is from these countries poverty is common and a good shit source of the most cheap and highly available stock of innocent lives.

By the way, according to Progress of Nation 1995 Report to the UNICEF, the Philippines is fourth in the source of child sex trafficking in the world.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

I have just received the sign of Ash Wednesday. It is a set of two crooked cross strokes of black dirt in my forehead that don't make me feel anything except if I would see myself in a mirror. "X what's that? Kulto?" (Whatever way I express it in words in front of the mirror, I still love it. I am weird though.)

I don't know what's with me that I really like to have the Ash sign. Maybe it's all because I never had any Ash Sign ever before OR maybe because I never go to church or believe in any religious things. Ya right. I never go to church EXCEPT in worse situations --- like burials, weddings, or store blessings. weeeeeeeeeeee! Yipeeeeeeeee! Ok, enough of that -- back to Ash sign. Ok. I got the sign after the mass here in Glorietta Mall (Of course, I must skip from work and leave Kuya Romy behind for a little while). Please don't think that I attended the said mass for God sake. I just went there for the purpose of having such sign.

Dust to dust. Ashes to ashes.

I love the concept. Why? Because I remember death. This is the thing that really fascinates me because I don't know what is death in the first place. All I know, we will all die. Yup but not exactly at the same
time. (Except of course if a huge asteroid bigger than the earth will kill as all). Hahahaha! Shit.

When it comes to my personal opinion, I find the Ash sign concept cool especially when I'll find myself walking amidst all those people who haven't got the sign as almost telling them that: "Hey! I got the sign folks! Sounds cool huh?"

By the way, Why are we from dust? Hmmm, it seems we need the sciences here. Alright. We are from dust because of the mere fact that we will be decomposed to several pieces when we die. Although our skeletons will remain, our flesh will not last and thus will join the soil or will be dust in general sense of the word. Well, the hell those sciences. What I would just surely believe is the fact that when I die I'll be dust because I would want myself to be cremated.

Now your laughing.

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