Archive for November, 2005

25
Nov

Call of the times…

HELP END POVERTY.  Email the European Union’s "Trade Commissioner", Peter Mandelson, and tell him to make trade justice a reality at the upcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in December 2005. Act now at:

http://whiteband.org/Actions/wto/eu.en/takeaction?o=typ&v=cpsm

Join me and thousands of others in writing to him so he feels the pressure from the world’s largest anti-poverty movement when he goes to Hong Kong.

It only takes a few minutes of your time and is our last chance this year to acheive a breakthrough for the world’s poor.  I just did my share. Hope you do yours.

18
Nov

Signs of the times…

THESE ARE REAL SIGNS as seen on shirts and places in Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The "Gay Capital" of the United States or in the east coast for that matter. But more than a popular place for same-sex marriage ceremonies, PTown is home to hundreds of artists, bohemians, writers, poets, eclectics and other interesting mix of people. They see PTown as an escape from the ‘real’ world because of its serene, picturesque and peaceful setting. One can’t help but fall in love with the place and once you’re there, you never want to leave. It’s a tourist haven for white, powdery sand beaches, whale watching, old houses, shipwrecks sightings, lighthouses, historical sights, nightlife and shopping! Its uniqueness and small town feel (with a population of only 3555) draws a lot of tourists year after year after since the 1800’s.

Bush CatI’m too cheap to buy shirts so I just took shots! Hehe. Well, the thing with these NOT oftentimes politically (in)correct shirts is that over time, it’s not funny anymore or you’ve outgrown them. So what do you do with a shirt that cost $15-25?? Next time you have the urge to buy shirts with statements on it, think twice. OR better yet  just follow me- grab your digicam and start shooting. You still have the funny quips, nevermind if you can’t wear them. You’ll get over it soon enough!

SeamensThis is a real commercial bank, not a sperm bank!! Funny, how one plays with words and it comes out with double meanings. You hardly expect it in an institution such as this but there it is, "Seamen’s Bank"! Of course, I also think of ’seminal fluids’ whenever I think of Seimen’s Technology. Why they name them that? I don’t know! :-)

Mat_1

Plain and simple. I’M MAT.

Cathgirl

This one is sorta cute: Catholic School Survivor. I sure am a survivor of 10 years Catholic schooling!

I would have wanted the other shirt just for kicks but sure I am a catholic girl but NOT gone bad…! :-)

Isyu

How would you like a shirt that says: "Instant slut, just add alcohol?!" or "Super Concentrated Bitch" OR "Porn Star in Training". That attracts unsolicited comments outright from crazy drunks!

Ur_lif Yerlyf"Planted TV?" They seem to be glass-like TV monitors planted on rows of square pots but they’re actually just thick glasses with ‘your life’ prints on it. It’s a crowd drawer! Cool concept from a facade of a restaurant.

Dont_panic

…And this is a name of a souvenir shop. It makes sense, you don’t have to panic for souvenir items- just check out their store and you’re sure to find stuff to bring home to friends and family. So don’t panic!

Master

Need I say more on this $34.50 signage?! ;-)

04
Nov

Sampayan

Pics08_1 I WAS RIDING MY BIKE TODAY out from work and my eyes caught this sight! It just made me smile. It reminded me of how we do laundry in the Philippines. Yes, we do have washing machines but we don’t use electric dryers there. We rely on "natural" drying technique utilizing the power of the sun- as in this picture. I think it’s the best and most effective way of drying because the clothes smells sooo good perfectly sun-dried. The thing is nobody ever does that here anymore! Everyone almost has dryers OR goes to a laundromat to wash and dry clothes dropping coins in the machine.

So seeing the ’sampayan’ in this relatively hi-tech side of the world made me homesick. Strange things happen to me when I see the most trivial stuff here and automatically relate it with my gensan, davao and manila days… Sigh.

(ps. my 3 year-old nokia 3650 is still a nice reliable companion when I want to capture a moment or a sight! i should upgrade soon but really cellphones here more than being in style- owning the latest, most advanced gadget, are meant for its use- to make and receive calls. in that regard, i don’t need to get the latest nokia phone to be in! heck, i’m using a samsung SGH-E-105 flip phone as my main phone; that would perhaps embarrass my little sister to be seen with it! i don’t care what make my phone is. is that a sign of aging??!)