Gaps, patches and in-betweens

Maybe that's why I haven't posted lately. But I do have something for the lack of words... this is the video i made right after Cape Town for 16 Days of Activism to end Gender Violence, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day and Human Rights Day. photos from apwld photo archives, video and soudbites from one in nine campaign rally at cape town.

James has been missing for a month now!!! Take action! Sign the petitions! http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1575 http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/CPAjamesbalao/ Send appeals! http://www.amnesty.org.ph/appeals.php?id=13 Member of the Cordillera People's Alliance Missing since SeptEMBER 17, 2008 UA Case Type: Enforced Disappearance Victim: James Moy Balao ● 47 years old, single, male ● Founding member, researcher, trainor and educator of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) ● President of the Oclupan Clan Association ● An indigenous person belonging to the Kankanaey and Ibaloi tribes people of Benguet. He is also of Japanese and Chinese descent. Place of the Incident: Lower Tomay, La Trinidad, Benguet Date of the Incident: 17 September 2008, between 8AM to 9 AM Alleged Perpetrators: unidentified elements of the Intelligence Security Unit (ISU) and Military Intelligence Group (Region I) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in collaboration with local Philippine National Pol...

The world comes to a food crisis. Philippines wants to do a charter change. Thailand does something about city services bill. Free water bill and half of the electric bill. -- well, we were charged the usual electric bill and didn't seem to get any discount but i've actually seen the bills of people that were charged half of their electric bills. Water is free till end of the year. We were told it is all because of the global food and economic crisis and it is the way to help. But now Thailand is in a state of emergency. And the Philippines? well, we are still marching, still opposing. Who knows what will happen.

Diru was going to do her business in the toilet. Nanay: Don't mind the dead centipede, I'll take care of it later. After a few seconds... Diru (still in the toilet): Nanay... what if the centipede is not dead? Nanay: What makes you say that? (sticks her head in the toilet) Look it's curled up. It must be dead. Diru: What if it just fainted? (looks up to nanay) Maybe it smelled my fart, and it fainted.

A couple of people have commented on how they admire the way English is easy for Filipinos. And how easy it is to get by in the Philippines when one is a foreigner because the people speak and understand, read and write english. But something happened to us over the years. **************** A Thai officemate was telling me that the Thais used to study in the Philippines to get masters degree or other specialised education. One Thai from a store, upon learning that we are Filipinos, excitedly told us he studied medical technology at Manila Central University. **************** I remember a while back when a cooperative study group went to Indonesia I think, trying to learn their kind of very successful cooperativism. One praticipant of the study group asked their host where they learned cooperativism. The host looked at the group and said, "Why, in the Philippines. You taught us this." **************** When we took Padma to the Walking street market at Thape Gate, Kigao for the...

As we waved Padma goodbye, leaving after her short - very short visit here in Chiang Mai, a sad feeling came over me. I suddenly miss Baguio. It's been a while since I've missed it. But now I do. The road to Loakan flashed before my eyes, and my friends. And yes, I felt the cool wind too.

...well, of course kigao is always a single dad everytime I have to travel but ... I have techno advantage hehehe

Stumbled upon old stuff from last year before the kids were here with me. Should have been part of the missing series, and should've come at least before They're Here post. The missing and the drinking Unbearable lightness of the head It’s not until the next day’s hangover affirming your diminished youth and braincells deepfried in beer batter while fired by nicotine, that you realize it is true the ability to gulp down gallons of alcohol and keeping it down the next day, is gone. At least until the next drinking spree when you will try to prove yourself wrong. Believe. The Anticipation. Trip. My untied shoelace, which wasn’t my doing or undoing Stumbled me into a waiting oblivion. Oct. 20 2007, on my first application for the visa of my kids, also applicable upon hearing that there was no need to change the visa had we.... ; almost always about visas and trips) Waiting to exhale. I didn’t even realized I was holding my breath until I called the Thai embassy a...

Boiling hot. Humidity is high. But that does not derail the whole of Thailand to celebrate my birthday. Well, firstly, their four to five day new year celebration. My family went around with our landlord's family for a water fight party in the whole of Chiang Mai. Everyone goes home soaking wet and laughing. The only way to escape it is to stay home. It lasts until tomorrow or the 16th. It's just like the San Juan fiesta in the Philippines only of course the San Juan "wetting" of people only happens in San Juan. By the time you get to the office you are already boiling mad because not everyone is wet, only those passing through San Juan gets wet. But here in Chiang Mai, there is no escape, no mercy especially from those just waiting on the side of the road with small or big buckets ready for splashing. Maybe that's why also the four-day splashing is timed well with a four-day holiday. Well, of course, it is New Year. It started out as a blessing of scented water s...

It was not a new thing to me. I have been faced with extreme poverty before. Disaster situations, evacuations, evacuation camps due to militarization, women in poverty, families living in flea infested camps, waiting for someone, anyone, to bring them three days’ supply of food while we prepare them and help them work on a more longer term change to their plight. But back then, I was looking at things as a young, very enthusiastic, messianic, as kigao would say, single person, with only myself to worry about, wanting to contribute something, anything to change the world. Some ten years or so ago, when I was working directly with beneficiaries, I guess I became immune-- so used to all that poverty I was regularly faced with it, and so busy with trying to do something about it that there was no time for emotions. I was regularly faced with how the world is unfair, with pain, with other people’s loss. Then something happened to me over the years as I became a mom of two, the levels of wor...

Since November 2007. And tita cel, for Christmas and New Year.

A word used twice today and probably will be repeated as the day or week progresses. The first was by Almah, a former officemate now home in Papua NG, looking at the pictures on facebook. Meanwhile here in Chiang Mai, an officemate, used it to describe how she felt about the programmes she handle--which is a separate story. Other occurences: Just a while ago at lunchbreak, I was telling my officemates about my high school happenings. After which we all fell silent, each with our own thoughts. Yesterday I was walking to the office and found myself remembering the sweetest poem (author unknown) someone has ever given me. We live our lives, we make our plans We make choices as life demands But no matter what this world may allow I’ll give you the love I have for you now No ifs No buts Even the mood last night was...nostalgic. Guess it's the week for it.