PLDT inefficiency

Internet access was down from 2 p.m. Thursday, July 19, 2012 until early evening of Saturday, July 21, 2012, when I finally got through a CSR of PLDT (that's after 3 days and several tries to contact them!!!).  In every call I did, a recorded message says "Sorry, you may have difficulty to access the internet due to major network failure." So, PLDT admits they have ISP problems that even waiting for hours to get a CSR on the phone was close to impossible!


Finally, I got through a CSR, Saturday 7 p.m. I requsted to speak with a supervisor for assurance that the issue will be attended to immediately within 12 hours.  They tried to troubleshoot over the phone but was not able to fix or even make a conclusion what was wrong.  I gave details on what was going on with connection status and the fixed light-on of the DSL lamp of the modem.  The supervisor said the modem was stable but still we do not have access to the internet.


As I was about to leave the shop, my son suggested that I get a spare modem at home so he could try if it will have the same effect.  In 10 minutes, or less, he called to inform that our shop now had access to the internet!  The tech support of PLDT at 172 surely lacks knowledge or training on how to troubleshoot.  Their inefficiency could have cost us a couple more days lost business until their local technician could come over and find the defect.

Canon MP287 All-in-One printer

Last November 30, 2011, I was persuaded by an employee of Enigma Technologies in Baguio to get the Canon MP287 All-in-One printer instead of the HP All-inOne printer that we were already taking to my car.  He said the Canon had the CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) that would be less troublesome refilling.  It was a good idea, so we went back up to their office to see if it would really only cost me 90.00 pesos more.


In short, I was convinced and exchanged the HP for the Canon.  I was informed also that warranty would be shortened to only 3 months because it is a conversion to CISS.  Just right after 3 months something went wrong and I had to have it serviced.  Then after another 4 months another servicing again that did not really work out well.  When I had the time after  2 weeks, I returned to the service center and the serviceman told me that it was the end of the service life of the printer and needs to be reset.


With all the debate we had, it came out that dealers of Canon purchase the software that could reset the printers.  The serviceman told me that resetting was their only way to profit because they sell the printers at a low price.  This was very disgusting because in less than a year the printer would go useless if I do not have it reset for a fee.  Could this be only in the Philippines?


The best printer I had was an Epson that provided service for more than 10 years and I had it serviced only once.  HP is a second choice for me as any problem I encounter with it is easy to resolve. All had refillable cartridges.

World's largest- the Philippine Crocodile -

Bonuan Bangus of Pangasinan

The Milkfish known as Bangus in the Philippines is hardly, or not even mentioned among the species of fish for food in international cookbooks.  Of course, that's aside from those authored by Filipinos. The most delicious of this kind of fish comes from Pangasinan and is referred to as Bonuan Bangus.  Once one has tasted this bangus, it will be hard to savor any other bangus that come from other places.  It can be cooked in different ways and still retain its delicious flavor.  A favorite recipe for this fish is inihaw (grilled) stuffed with minced tomatoes and onions.  The Bonuan Bangus is one that you can easily tell apart from other bangus with the taste of its stomach fat alone.

The Bonuan Bangus are raised in ponds called "palaisdaan" from their fingerling size.  When the fish reach the size of one foot or larger, they are harvested and sold at the market.  There is no reference why it was called Milkfish but this could be the reason as their size at one foot or so is too young against the size of a full-sized adult bangus that could grow to six (6) feet.

I have tasted the adult bangus and it does not have any flavor even close to that of its young.  The flesh is tough and has many tendon or muscle-like meat around it.

Philippine TV Newscaster mistakes

News-casting in Philippine television has been using the Filipino language for quite some time now.  But it is so disgusting that their news writers put in some wrong words in delivering the news.  For example in English,  a news would go like, "A large residential area was burned down.  There were no reports of casualties and there was no one hurt."  In Tagalog or Filipino it is narrated as, "Malaking lugar ng kabahayan ay natupok ng apoy.  Ayon sa mga balita walang nasawi at wala ring nasugatan."  The word nasugatan means wounded.  It would be more appropriate to use the word nasaktan which directly means "got hurt".

Another is the use of the word "namataan" that means seen or spotted.  It is alright to use it for weather reporting like, "Ang bagyo ay namataan sa sa hilagang-kanluran."  A reporter used the word in reporting an earthquake that occured and said, "Ayon sa mga balita ang epicenter ng lindol ay namataan sa bandang karagatan na malapit sa Bicol."  Instead of namataan, it should have been said "ay nagmula", which means "it came from".

Sport casters have been using the word "bumubulusuk" when referring to "flying fast upwards" when the word really means "on a steep dive".  The right word for flying fast upwards is "pumapailanlang".

Pacquiao-Bradley judges' Scorecard

Fortunately, a friend at Facebook posted this scorecard of the judges of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight.  Analyzing the way the judges scored for Bradley, Duane Ford had two rounds that were doubtfully given to Bradley.

Duane Ford had Bradley win in rounds   1,      5,  7,  8,  9,  10       and 12
CJ Ross had it for Bradley in rounds          2,  5,  7,  8,       10, 11 and 12
Jerry Roth saw Bradley win in rounds        2,       7,            10, 11 and 12


Round 1 and 9 were given by Duane Ford to Bradley which the other two judges gave to Pacquiao.  Ford's scorecard had  Bradley win straight from Round 5 through 10 to which many will disagree!  Taking out round 1 and 9 from the scorecard of Ford will give Pacquiao the split decision.

An investigation on the scoring must include a slow-motion replay of the bout and let the three judges watch it carefully and point out where and how they saw Bradley as the winner.  Let other boxing judges view it with them to find out how they did the scoring. In basketball, slow motion replay becomes the point of reference when it comes to buzzer-beating winning shots.  Slow motion replay will either absolve them or condemn them.

Using the name of God

The Philippines has a predominantly Catholic population.  Many are, on a personal view, are 'overly' religious to the point that anything that happens or occurs, they attribute to God.  A good example is when some relative or friend survives from an accident or disease, the common statement you hear from their circles is "God is good" or "God is really good".  Taken as it is, it seems alright and very religious in a sense.


But, thinking about it more deeply or what others could term as outside-the-box, it could mean that God was only good to them but not to others who perished in similar accidents!  Winners in contests and games are often those who use the the phrase 'God is good'.  Understanding it well could easily mean that God was not good to the losers!  In short, it could only be taken into context that God is only good to the winners (who are only a few) and not good to the losers who are more in number!

I believe in a God much differently from how others believe their God.  I am not also a religious type of person who professes his faith to look good.  In such circumstances, I would rather say, God has his intentions or plans.  Or, maybe God has another purpose for the turn of events whether it be pleasant or not.

Baguio's Wild Morning Glory Climbing Vine

http://indianflowersandherbs.blogspot.com

The 'lanot' or 'lanut' is hardy climbing vine of Baguio City that's got purple flowers that opens up at sunrise.  In my curiosity, I searched, better yet googled it, and almost did not find anything like it published online.  It was only when I searched the entire phrase "Wild Morning Glory Climbing Vine" did I find photos and a blog about it.  It was  
called the Ivy-leaved Morning Glory (Ipomea cairica) and is also known in India as 'Mile a Minute vine'.

Curling up to close around 1:00 p.m.

The name Morning Glory is very deserving for the vine as the flowers are open only in the morning!  At 12 o'Clock noon time, the flowers start to slowly curl up and finally closes after an hour or so.  It is a sturdy vine because even if the tips have been cut off from its main "vine stem", the flowers continue to open and close at their designated time of day!

Closing around 1:00 p.m.

Baguio has so many unique plants that are not found elsewhere in the Philippines.  The native Sunflower and Pine Trees are the more popular ones.  There is also the "runo" that resembles and grows like a bamboo.  It is not as hardy and tough like a bamboo.  The inside of it is not hollow instead it is solid.  The "Runo" will deserve a blog and what its name is in English and its scientific name.

Credits to photo on link

This is a similar Morning Glory when it comes to flowers.  The difference can easily be seen with the leaves it has.  The leaves look more like that of the Sweet Potato (Kamote) leaves.

Flowers of the vine at the wires still open and close even it has been cut

The vines that have crept to the electric and telephone wires have been cut from the main vine as of this writing for almost a week now.  The flowers still continue on to open in the mornings and close at noon time.

China greed at Scarborough Shoal

When China was not yet "commercialized", so to speak, their only concern was to promote their communism within their country.  Nothing really much about claiming ownership of whatever, outside their country.  Now they map the entire South China sea as theirs and their territory including the Scarborough Shoal, which just a little over a hundred kilometers away from the Philippine coast.  Would there be no more international waters anymore at the South China sea?


What if a Filipino or some Filipinos claim that their ancestors too have discovered a part of China, are they willing to leave or give out that area?  History also might have it that Chinese were in the Philippines much earlier than the Spanish and Portuguese, why didn't or don't they lay claim on the Philippines now?  Communist Chinese government officials' thinking are so absurd and ridiculous.  They might make a "Tiananmen Square massacre" at the Scarborough Shoal if the Philippine Coast boats stand their ground there!

SM Baguio & Louie Garcia

It's been quite some time I have not posted anything on this blogspot.  The issue of SM Baguio was really not much of a concern to me until the planned cutting of 182 Pine trees, within a 1 hectare area, came up to give way for SM's parking space building.  Vigilant Baguio people were able to temporarily put that on hold with their protests.


The issue is a topic that comes up daily at Facebook because of so many events that have happened.  SM earthballed a few trees days ago in the middle of the night.  Observers, as of this writing, already saw the trees starting to wilt.  It is really sad for the people of Baguio because Pine trees could hardly be seen in the central business district anymore.


Going back to Facebook, Baguio people are defending the trees from SM and a multitude of posts and comments could be read daily.  To our disgust, there was an idiot by the name of Louie Garcia who posted this comment on one of the walls:

Translated:  "It is a must that all trees in Baguio should be cut, so it would trigger a landslide that would kill all the Igorots . . . they are too arrogant . . . go SM cut all the trees!!!"

This triggered a succession of shares of this comment posted and angered the people of Baguio with Facebook accounts that saw this.  Something similar to this comment was done by a Filipina abroad when Manila was battered by heavy typhoons some years ago.  Currently, there is an outrage at Facebook for the comment of this idiot Louie Garcia.  Though he may have many namesakes, his profile photo shows and he is the guy we are pointing to and nobody else.

Young Filipino dies in New Zealand – Mother in RP denied visa for wake and funeral

Filipino Warren Rosillo, 18, died a horrible death in Auckland, New Zealand from multiple stab wounds from a jealous 17-year old boy.  The mother is in the Philippines in Mindanao and wanted to attend his wake and funeral.  She was not granted a visa by New Zealand immigration because she did not have enough show money.

Is this really how foreigners look at Filipinos?  They have no compassion at all to the point of being insensitive and inconsiderate.  Maybe if this happens to them, it will be only the time they realize the mistake they did.  Unless, those people of the New Zealand immigration do not have family and just came out from thin air.

It will be good if after this, they will have thoughts of making some exceptions in their general rules and policies on granting a visa.  Surely they would have known the news of her son’s death and as human beings they should have felt the mother’s grief!   They have made the grief of Warren Rosillo’s mother even worse!  It's hard to believe that there's even no news story about the mother being denied a visa.

Crab menu in Dagupan City

In the late 1990s, we at work, frequented Dagupan City and on some occasions stayed overnight.  When there, it's often that seafood comes to my mind because of the variety they have there and special ways on how they prepare them.  My favorites there since the 1970s, were Sinigang na Malaga, Sugpo (Prawns) and Talaba (Oysters).  Their style of cooking has advanced as much as technology.  When we dined at Bonuan, Tondaligan at the outskirts of  Dagupan where restaurants and diners abound, that was my first time to encounter a crab menu.

Spicy Crab

Being fond of spicy food, I went for the Spicy Crab.  Served in a shallow bowl because it was cooked with Gata (coconut milk) and literally sitting on an inch-high of spicy sauce!  It was a large crab and I thought I would not be able to finish it all.  I started man-handling it.  The shell had a very generous crab fat which I immediately mixed with the steaming rice on my plate.  Then, added spoonfuls of the sauce.  It was a really delicious meal that the Spicy Crab is now on the top of my favorites when in Dagupan. 

Filipino Pancit Variations

Chinese influence in the Philippines can commonly be seen in the Filipino's food preferences.  One on top of the list of food preference is the pancit (rice noodles), the name pancit (or pansit) was derived from the Chinese Hokkien pian i sit .  In my curiosity, I have always gone to sites where photos of rice noodles are prepared in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and other Asian countries look so delicious!  They are the original countries that use Chopsticks instead of spoon, fork and knife.


My curiosity led me to search for Filipino Pancit dishes.  I was expecting to find only around 10 to 12 variations.  To my surprise, based on Wikipedia, it lists 29 variations of pansit!  Among those in the list, I would say that I am only familiar with less than half of it.  For the benefit of Pinoys who love pansit as I do, I have copied the list from Wikipedia.  I have added some comments that may be similar to one another, see how many you are familiar with:

1. Pancit Alanganin
2. Pancit Alahoy
3. Pancit Batchoy
4. Pancit Bato is indigenuous to the Bicol Region; especially the town of Bato in Camarines Sur.
5. Pancit Bihon Guisado
6. Pancit Bihongundoy
7. Pancit Cabagan
8. Pancit Canton
9. Pancit Canton Ilonggo
10. Pancit Chami (Lucena City, Quezon)
11. Pancit Estacion (Tanza, Cavite)
12. Pancit Habhab (Lucban, Quezon)
13. Pancit Kilawin (a variety pancit originated from Rosario, Cavite. In lieu of pancit noodles, shredded unripe papaya fruit is used cooked with vinegar and fish. Usually partnered with Dinuguan dish)
14. Pancit Lomi
15. Pancit Lucban
16. Pancit Luglug (very similar with Palabok and Malabon)
17. Pancit Malabon
18. Pancit Mami (round egg noodles)
19. Pancit Miki (round egg noodles)
20. Pancit Míki-Bíhon Guisado (round egg noodles + bihon)
21. Pancit Olongapo (Pancit Miki with 'Sarsa' sauce. Miki cooked in tradition added with sarsa a thickened chicken and pork broth, darkened a little with soy sauce of choice)
22. Pancit Molo (version of Filipino wanton soup without noodles, Chinese Wanton is with noodles lots of veggies)
23. Pancit Moròng
24. Pancit Palabok (thinner round noodles used compared to Luglug and Malabon)
25. Pancit Pula (variation of Pancit Miki from Batangas City)
26. Pancit Sotanghon (this could also be with soup)
27. Pansit Sabaw (Pansit Miki with soup)
28. Pansit Tuguegarao or Batil Patong



Nom-banh-chok noodles of Vietnam

29. Pansit Sinanta (also from Tuguegarao, consists of flat egg noodles, bihon, clams and chicken, with broth colored with annatto)

Offensive smelling food for others

Food in the Philippines are quite unique when it comes to its odor or aroma  that is also uniquely appealing to the Filipino senses.  Pinoys salivate to the aroma of those food while or after being cooked.  These foods are like Tuyo or Daing (dried fish), the condiments are two types of Bagoong (some say similar to caviar) fermented salty tiny shrimps (alamang) or fish (monamon) and Patis (fish sauce) derived from drippings of bagoong fermentation. 


Many marginal Filipinos would be content to have these food and condiments with rice as their meal, in general, for the entire country.  There are regional preferences on how the these are mixed with other food such as vegetables, spices or coconut milk.  Some foreigners who taste or eat them complain of indigestion or stomach troubles but it usually is hypersensitivity to spices or coconut milk ingredients.


Filipino food is a matter getting used to taste and smell.  Most are health food, nutritious and filling with rice!

Dating for Pinoys

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of luvfree for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Searching for dates online has been offered by many social websites.  One website that specializes purely on dating is luvfree.com.  Among the countries that have members registered with the site is the Philippines that rank third after the U.S. and the U.K. with most members.

Filipinos are really active online and many seek to find partners for life on dating sites.  The good thing with luvfree is that it is free to join and create a profile.  Like other social networks, they have a messaging system, video chats, rating photos and others.  Unlike other dating sites, luvfree services are absolutely free and no hidden fees or charges.

The dating website is what many people like freebies like some Filipinos who would prefer to get things free or on trial first before getting into it seriously.  The biggest concern for dating sites that charge or ask for a fee is you would not know if the person you meet online is for real.  It is so easy for websites to create fake profiles to please members.

Even video footage a member does not guaranty that it is the same person you have met on a dating site.  With free services coming from luvfree, people know they don't lose anything and not worried to use credit cards to pay for fees or charges.