Tagaytay Seminar

I was among the 52 young professionals invited for the U.S. Embassy’s 2006 Tagaytay Seminar held at the Taal Vista Hotel last weekend.

The seminar, with the theme, “It Starts With Me: Civic Action and the Fight Against Corruption”, was the embassy’s latest gathering of the country’s emerging leaders, representing eight sectors – the academe, business, civil society, church, government, media, professionals and the youth.

The seminar kicked off with a digital videoconference at the embassy’s Public Affairs audio-visual room, with Indian national Arvind Kejriwal, the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Emergent Leadership talking from Texas, USA (where he was for a study leave), on how they were able to fight corruption in his country.

After a brief lunch, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs officials herded all the delegates to a big bus and van for the 1 ½ hour trip to Tagaytay.

Friday ended with a preview of “Kubrador”/The Bet Collector, the award-winning digital independent film by Jeffrey Jeturian, starring Gina Pareño. The presence of the film’s scriptwriter and supervising writer, Ralston Jover and Armando Lao, respectively, ensured a lively and stimulating open forum after the showing (more about this in another post).

Saturday’s sessions kicked off with an inspiring keynote address by Ms. Pura Sumangil, the chairperson of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government or CCAGG, a non-governmental organization that monitors government projects in the Abra region of the country. The rest of the day saw all 52 delegates divided into 5 breakout groups for specific discussions on how such sectors can fight corruption through civic action: academe/youth, business/professionals, civil society/church, government and media.

Sunday saw the resource persons for each breakout group presenting the results of the discussions. Presenting for the Media group was award-winning journalist, ex-PCIJ member and my ACFJ classmate Luz Rimban. Columnist/TV Host Rudy Romero moderated the wrap-up session before the seminar closed.

We left Tagaytay City just after lunch with inspired spirits from the seminar’s proceedings. But what really made the whole experience truly unforgettable was the delegates and the social activities that happened right after the seminar sessions. More about these in my next posts.

New beginnings

Love the new look for blogger. Hope to post more these coming days.

I am thanking the Lord of the following blessings: the A that Sharon S. gave me for our Reporting on Conflict and Peace class, for finishing my MP draft on time, for being able to attend the US Embassy's Tagaytay Seminar and meeting a lot of wonderful new friends there.

Twin goals that I'm praying really hard for the coming days: to be able to find a suitable new home and have a new lease in my career.

I hope the last two months will be better; I had to postpone taking the Diploma in Photojournalism at the ACFJ, to concentrate on my twin goals for now.

It feels like I'm on a crossroads again, having officially finished my MA. New look, new hope, new beginning... I'm leaving it all up to the Big Guy up there to give His blessings and pray for the best.

Sudoku crazy

Finally, I've caught on the sudoku craze. I tried to solve my first number place puzzle last Friday while at my hotel room in Tagaytay City (I was attending a seminar on anti-corruption sponsored by the US Embassy - details in my next post).

Soon after the delegation arrived at Taal Vista Hotel, we repaired to our own rooms to prepare for dinner and the evening session. While trying to catch a quick nap, I browsed the day's paper and chanced upon the Sudoku puzzle.

Since I was not feeling sleepy anyway, I simply plunged into solving it, not minding its level 5 difficulty rating. Naturally I failed to solve it. My MA classmate Jude, a co-delegate and who is a Mensa member who writes sudoku puzzles for fun, commiserated with my fortune. He did not fail to give me the lowdown on sudoku's origins either, being the genuis that he is.

Anyway, I solved my next attempt - a level 1. The feeling of accomplishment was quite zen-like. Now I'm hooked and on a roll already. Aside from my favorite newspaper, I get my daily fix from this generous site.

Some things hurt more...

than Cars and Girls... or so Paddy wrote and sang in "Cars and Girls".

Paddy is Paddy McAloon of the superb 80's British band Prefab Sprout and thanks to YouTube.com, I've been seeing a lot of them lately these days. And like all honest to goodness music, which PS plays superbly (which is something greatly missed these days), it is healing and lifting my spirit.

Hearing Paddy sing again and seeing their rare videos brought good memories of growing up in a music-filled atmosphere. I discovered Prefab Sprout at about the same time I joined two choirs in the 80's - one in high school and the other in church. Suffice it to say I had a bit of formal training as a tenor in both choirs; I learned how to read notes, blend voices as well as sing solo. I remember having good times with my fellow choir members going as far as Baguio City to sing for churches there. We also took part in church Cantatas and university music festivals.

It's no wonder that music is among my passions. If there was one arena I would have wanted to succeed, it would have been in it; deep inside, I've always been a frustrated musician or rockstar if you will. Now, I only get to sing in the occassional videoke sessions either with my ACFJ classmates or with other good friends (because only good friends tolerate one's less than professional singing hahaha).

But I digress now - see how Prefab Sprout brought up good memories through their music? There is really nothing like to listening to good music - it just triggers a flood of good memories. In this case, I was in double heaven, for I was seeing music videos of again this little known band; I remembered complaining before that their videos rarely received considerable play on MTV.

Now, lo and behold, there they were in YouTube.com in all their 80's glory...

In my book, Prefab Sprout is one of the greatest yet underrated British bands to come out that from glorious musical decade of the 80's (many say THE musical decade and I agree). But while PS was critically acclaimed they only received moderate commercial success. But as Paddy sang, some things hurt more than cars and girls, like too much fame and fortune. Just look at Boy George and George Michael - all 80's icons too (what's with the name George and the slide from fame?).

I couldn't forget the band's line-up. While frontman Paddy McAloon wrote puzzling lyrics, for me he is a great songwriter, singer and guitar and keyboard player. His brother Marty McAloon played bass while childhood buddy Nick Conti played drums. Another friend Wendy Smith provided backup and I must say, hauntingly ephemeral vocals. In some of these YouTube videos, only Paddy and Marty sing, especially in the music festival that they joined in Ireland in 2000; I learned later that Wendy was giving birth hence her absence. Nick reportedly plays with them from time to time. Paddy looked a far cry from his movie star looks these days but his voice remains absolutely youthful and powerful.

The good news is, PS is still performing; I heard they have a new reunion album in the works. Judging from the comments in the youTube videos, I am not alone in wanting the group to come back to perform regularly again and I hope they do.

My all time favorite song by the band, which I consider to be their greatest song is When Love Breaks Down ; this was also their highest rating song which went to number two in the US charts. Paddy's lyrics in this song really hit a homer for me when I first heard it way back:

"...When love breaks down

The lies we tell,
They only serve to fool ourselves,
When love breaks down
The things you do
To stop the truth from hurting you
When love breaks down
You join the wrecks
Who leave their hearts for easy sex..."

There are several other immortal Prefab Sound songs; the following are my favorites:
- The Sound of Crying (haunting and gets better each time you hear it)
- The King of Rock and Roll (with PS' scarcely seen video)
- Appetite (the first PS song that got me hooked to the group)
- Cars and Girls (featuring Wendy's haunting back-up vocals)
- Goodbye Lucille (with Paddy's signature singing)
- Life of Surprises (great video; even greater lyrics = ..."never let your conscience be harmful to your health...")

Actually, all PS songs are classics. Rediscovering Prefab Sprout this time was absolutely providential. Now I'm consumed by the need to store these immortal songs in my walkman phone soon. You know, when the blues hits you, you just tune in to Prefab Sprout and everything turns out fine somehow.

For now, thank you YouTube for having these music videos, I am truly grateful.

To Prefab Sprout - thank you for the music. I am indebted forever.

Win or lose

Congratulations are in order to UST for winning the 69th UAAP Basketball championships tonight. It has been 10 years since they've last won... The university will surely go all out in celebrating their hard-earned victory. I've yet to confirm whether the UST Tigresses also won the women's basketball crown; if it's true it could be a double celebration for UST, who is considered an athletic powerhouse in the country.

Two of my sisters were athletes here; C used to be with the athletis varsity team while M is now a reserve for the volleyball varsity. M is probably going home late tonight what with the university's celebrations.

Too bad for Ateneo though; this makes it the 2nd or 3rd time for it to be the bridesmaid, with an absent DLSU at that. At any rate, the Blue Eagles will have to console with celebrating the win of the Juniors basketball team last week.

I'm just happy that the UAAP is providing such good sportsmanship for students; the cloud over the cheating scandal last year is slowly being eased out like a bad memory or a disastrous oil slick.

My 2 year stint in college in UST before plus a semester of teaching at the Faculty of Arts and Letters for a semester in 2000 and my current 2 year MA studies in Ateneo make me a proud product of both universities. So win or lose, I still come out privileged for having been associated with either institution. In my book, both schools are winners in their own right.

(It's just too bad that the UAAP site is not updated for people like me who were not able to watch the game live or on TV. Although the site indeed looked very promising).

Pedestrian Photos

Pedestrian

More than two years after it was constructed in time for the 2004 elections, the pedestrian overpass in Commonwealth corner Tandang Sora Avenues, was finally finished sometime last month.

Surprisingly, unlike usual government projects, no billboard plastered with a politician's face is proudly claiming credit for the long-overdue project. So knowing how much it actually cost will be daunting...

The project is a blight in the eye no matter what perspective you look at it; it has added to the aesthetic degradation of the area - I still remember seeing the mountains of Bulacan upon the descent from the INC area into the intersection - I was already traversing the highway in the early 80's when I lived with my grandmother in Fairview and went to school in Pasay City.

I've been living in the area for ten years now eversince I was employed in a tv network in the area. I've been witness since then to the area's metamorphosis from being ugly to now being very ugly...

Aside for marring the horizon, the pedestrian project's steel structure is flawed in every aspect. The ladder from the Old Balara side, which is on the right side going to Fairview from Philcoa, was constructed in front of the KFC entrance and runs directly into power and phone lines. The lines even cut the center aisle while other wires dangle just beside the railings. On the Culiat side, two transformers dangle right beside the railings too.


What is even worse, the ladder for the Culiat side, the one beside the 7-11 branch which is also constructed in front of another foodmart, goes down precariously to a narrow step just beside a deep trench that is a driveway of a private property.

When I took these pictures, the whole pedestrian overpass was very slippery because puddles of water were collecting all over the elevated walkway since the whole project has simply no roof. You have to build a project like this, you have to complete it as it is only logical to do so.

But then again, that may be too much of a stretch for the honorable politician who sponsored the project. Considering how long it took to get done, most of the funds would have been used up then, leaving insufficient money for building the roof as well as the proper ladder landings for the pedestrians.

It only goes to show how the MMDA gives importance to the plight of Filipino pedestrians. Surprisingly, the MMDA has expended more time, money and effort for the hideous wire fences along portions of Commonwealth and Tandang Sora Avenues, rather than completing or putting finishing touches to the equally hideous pedestrian overpass.

I admit though that using it beats having to play the deadly dodge game everyday with the murderous buses and jeepneys who ply the busy intersection. But a host of accidents waiting to happen also awaits the hapless pedestrian who uses the pedestrian overpass.

I can only shake my head in disbelief at the turn of events in this area I've called my home for the last ten years, ever since I got employed in Broadcast City.

In the past decade, I've seen the area go through countless changes in terms of road-related projects. This area is a politician's paradise - I've lost count how many times the pedestrian islands here have been shaped and reshaped (now they're all gone) and how the narrow two-lane avenue connecting Tandang Sora up until Katipunan Avenue has been dug up and reworked etc...

But the typical pedestrian's basic needs here are not even met. Sidewalks are barely navigable; what's left are eaten up as parking space by waiting tricycles or are obstructed by unscrupulous homeowners or business establishments. There are no decent waiting sheds; pedestrians waiting for transport on either side of Commonwealth Avenue or Tandang Sora get soaked especially during bad weather. As Tandang Sora Avenue is a conduit to C5 via Katipunan Avenue, deadly trucks lord over the narrow street posing a danger to pedestrians here (many have met gruesome accidents here courtesy of these killer trucks).

The glaring lack of the government's attention to these little details only mean the welfare of pedestrians are not important to those running the country. Just imagine that this situation is replicated in varying degrees in countless other intersections all over the country. Until when do we hapless pedestrians suffer from this cursed fate only time can tell. Such is our lot for being proletariats in this banana republic earning third world rates with first world aspirations.

Bruno and Me

If you happen to be at the Manila Diamond Hotel, check out on Bruno at the front lobby security area. He is one of the hotel’s resident K9 and while he looks menacing, he is as tame as, well, a pet dog. Just make sure to ask his handler’s permission first before petting him.

I didn’t have much time to dig into Bruno’s past or circumstances when I met him that May 1 night last summer. I was in a party mode that night, being at the hotel to take part in the ceremony that changed the name of the Konrad Adenauer Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University, into the Konrad Adenauer ASIAN Center for Journalism.

It was just after the ceremony when my group of ACFJ Fellows were about to step out the hotel to cross Roxas Boulevard over to the Baywalk that I spotted Bruno. I couldn’t resist petting the forlorn looking animal, who looked tired and plain sad. I wondered then how long he had been working already that day as it was close to 9 o’clock when I saw him. Do dogs have minimum hours too when they work? Are they fed and rested well enough too? I wonder what PAWS would say on these matters, which struck me as thoroughly very First World concerns.

At any rate, it seemed a topic worthy of a story someday. At least me and Bruno had a picture as souvenir. What a pair of handsome fellows don't you agree?

Back for good

I'm back to blogging here, which was where I started maintaining one since early last year. I've since experimented with other sites but the first proved to be more effective because it was the simplest. So I've turn full circle and come back to Blogger.

But I will still maintain my paid site, www.jalwynalburo.com , which I'll try to develop into a more professional blog. I have another, which is more multimedia in nature - www.jalwynsjournal.multiply.com.

I'll be uploading posts I've made offline and never uploaded yet in my other blogs. For the a long time, I've had this writer's block which kept me from active blogging. But I've already ran out of excuses not to do this anymore. As my tagline says it, I simply "live to write (and) write to live."
I'm particularly proud of the flickr badge which I was able to make, finally, with some help from TPP (thanks Tina)! By the way, almost all of the pictures there were taken from my new toy, the just awesome W810i Walkman Phone from Sony Ericcson; however, it is still at the shop these days (more on this in another post) :(

So much to say, so little time... At any rate, its good to be back.