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