The Agitated Meow.

I happened to pass by Davao's Gen Luna Art Gallery a couple of months ago and what I saw just never slipped out of my system (like a nightmare set on replay).

I have been neglecting this blog for more months now than I can remember. I love blogging. I always have. It's an avenue for all the useless information my brain loves to hoard. And of course, I love to rant. I'm a ranter (whatever that means). But Dentistry has gobbled up all my precious free time (or so I would like to blame). Seriously now, I believe blogging can contribute to my survival. I’m a talker. And I need verbal detox every now and then. But Multiply’s layout has become incomprehensible. I don’t know how to go around it anymore. Does anyone else feel the same way? Or am I just getting old??

On the free Sundays that I do have (yes, only one freakin' rest day per week), I spend 70% of my time worrying and glossing over the horrors of the week that is to come -- yet again. So basically, Sundays have become worse than any other toxic day at school. At least I just have to grin and bear it on weekdays. Worrying is worse. It gives me wrinkles.

It probably doesn't help either that I HATE Sundays to begin with. There's just something so wrong about being obliged to stay at home on a supposedly "free" day. Well that's how it is on my parents' planet anyway. Gah. I hate Sundays.

Going back; I really want to continue blogging. Unfortunately, my love affair with the written word is akin to Janet's Jackson's yo-yo dieting -- or Bea Alonzo's weight problems. Now you see it, now you don't. 

I want to simplify my life. Multiply has become too complicated. I’ve been thinking about blogspot.com or even wordpress. I have to admit, I really don’t see what all the fuss is about with the latter. Wordpress is so BLAH. Does it have anything to do with the whole minimalist trend gone-too-far? I don’t know. Although it IS interesting to note that geeks, wannabe-geeks and pseudo-intellectuals love using it so much. What’s with that? Hmmm. I shouldn’t try analyzing things too much.

STFU Kat.

Now I’d like to know what YOU think. Multiply? Blogspot? Wordpress? Blogger? Any Verbal Detox Therapy I don’t know about?

Hit me up. That is, if anyone still reads this saggy old blog. If nobody replies, then I know I’ve been gone for far toooo long. Well, either that or the Multiply-ers have left the nest. I will miss you guys.

*smuaaaack*

x Kat x

P.S. For some reason, I can't move my pictures on this blog entry to their proper placements. Been trying to post pictures of my new babies but I can't figure out how this stupid system works. Multiply is seriously fucked up. I'm outta hurr.

"The Helium Club is the World's First Online Reality Series, with the Debut Season tackling on the hip Manila scene plus the million stories behind it represented by the newest Youth powerhouse of this Era. Witness pure grade high-end Real Drama.. exclusively on the World Wide Web. Life clubbing never got this intensely true, never looked this better.

I have to be honest here. I don't exactly get what these sires-of-the-moneyed are trying to prove just yet. The trailer is on the haughty side; I am agreeing to the obvious. However, contrary to most immediate reactions, I DON'T hate them -- not yet anyway. Because in addition to the fact that I don't advocate presuppositions, there's probably more to be seen from "The Helium Club" (that name just gives me the LOLs haha). But snide remarks aside, yes, I'm saying you have to give these rich twats the benefit-of-the-doubt.

The official website's not yet up. All the criticisms stem mainly from their Facebook which contains the controversial 5-minute trailer. But hold it! To those who just can't wait to jump on these egomaniacs' balls, here's some food for thought. HELLO?? Teasers aren't called teasers for nothing people. I'm not siding with these twats but I have to congratulate them for the IMPRESSIVE amount of tongue-wagging they've amassed over Holy Week. These self-promoting kids are now the talk-of-the-town. And for that, I have to give credit where credit is due. Kudos! Now that's what I call marketing genius.


In a developing country (read: uber 3rd world) such as ours, it's understandable why so many people are quick to hate anything that involves needless flaunting of excess. Yet, these rich kids couldn't care less what you think. Your opinion doesn't matter! They've got more cash than you and me after all.

Hahaha!

NAH, kidding aside. What I meant to say was, they have already foreseen this backlash. This enterprising bunch may seem dumb but I don't believe they're as stupid as they look. They knew this was coming, and they're using your rage for their own personal gain. By playing along to their expectations, you're actually (in effect) proving that they are, in fact, smarter than you!

Sure, they annoy the hell out of the 90% of people who've seen their show's trailer. But then again that's exactly the point. Of course they annoy you. They wouldn't have garnered as much attention if they weren't as vulgar and in-your-face (which is so nouveau riche, but yet again that's another story altogether hehe). The more you hate, the more you love as they say. Pretty smart move actually. They have taken self-flagellation to a whole new level!

I just hope these snug schmucks' pet project makes sense soon enough, to live up to the baffling debacle they've set themselves in. Otherwise, this catastrophe may just become the most infamous mistake of their lives.

But either way, it's STILL a win-win for us mere peasants. WHY SO, you ask? Because at the core of this fiasco is still the undeniable reality, that these rich kids have set themselves up for the masses' viewing pleasure.

O.K., so maybe they're not THAT smart after all. Hahaha!

Can't wait for the debut!

The G20 Blacklists The Republic of The Philippines

LONDON – The Philippines was among four nations blacklisted as uncooperative tax havens yesterday after Group of 20 leaders declared the age of banking secrecy was over and said they would no longer tolerate shady havens draining away badly needed tax revenue.

At the request of the G20 summit of rich and developing nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) named the Philippines, Uruguay, Costa Rica and the Malaysian territory of Labuan as the worst offenders, saying they had refused to adopt new rules on financial openness.

Leaders had agreed to name and shame the countries that refuse to exchange tax information, which could result in tough sanctions – including the withdrawal of financing by the World Bank or International Monetary Fund.

“The time of banking secrecy has passed,” French President Nicholas Sarkozy said following the summit. “Everyone around the table wants an end to tax havens. Everyone knows we need sanctions.”

The announcement reflects mounting concern that banking secrecy in tax havens has helped to worsen the economic crisis by disguising the true value of some global assets. Anti-poverty activists say such places provide corrupt officials places to stash illicit funds, often depriving poor nations of needed resources.

The OECD has divided countries into three categories: those who comply with rules on sharing tax information, those who say they will but have yet to act and nations which have not yet agreed to change banking secrecy practices.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which both have strong banking secrecy traditions, said last month they would adopt international rules on tax cooperation and were ready to comply with G20 demands.

Liechtenstein, Switzerland’s tiny Alpine neighbor, said it has already met with British officials to prepare for the new standards. Monaco said earlier that it would be more transparent with foreign tax authorities.

In return they were spared the fate of being blacklisted but were left in a gray area of countries that still have to implement their commitment to accept new information-exchange standards.

China supported the blacklisting, but would not agree to have two territories, Hong Kong and Macau, classified as uncooperative tax havens.

Potential sanctions for transgressors include extra audits of those who use tax havens and curbs on tax deductions claimed by businesses using the territories.

In their communiqué, leaders said they may consider further penalties in their bilateral relations with tax haven territories.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Brown and President Barack Obama played a key role in pushing for a crackdown on tax havens.

At least 35 offshore tax havens, from Britain’s Channel Islands to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, are under increasing pressure to provide more information to international authorities to prevent people from evading taxes or hiding income by shifting money to such places.

Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the British Treasury, said a culture of banking secrecy had worsened global economic problems.

“That lack of transparency – that opaqueness – has contributed to the severity of the problems we are seeing in the world economy at the moment,” he said.

At times like these, I wish I could just slit the throats of BIR employees (who do lots of "overtime" on the job), steal all their hard-earned cash (hey, swindling and stealing aren't easy feats honey!) and throw their shitload of sin-for-paper to those women -- with handkerchief-sized clothes -- grazing the streets of Central Bank, looking for their next meal ticket.

Seriously. I'm not joking.

In my book, those social-workers-by-night deserve more respect than some people WE know.
(A big shout out to the owners of a certain lechon manukan in Davao who have built their fame -- and house! -- on taxpayers' money). That's thanks to the wife.

Ang maigo tuwad. Hah! Morons.

But I am going off on a tangent. I digress.

Going back to my point, I'm more serious than I can ever be about slaughtering those pigs at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (internal is right -- everything goes in, nothing comes out!). Gaaaah. I wish I had all the money in the world to give to those who actually NEEDED it. But I can't keep on wishing and waiting for a miracle that has a more minute possibility of transpiring than Bebe G. metamorphosing back into Rustom P. Gah. Tough luck ladies and lesbians. So instead of wasting my time on hoping for a miracle, here's something tangible to think about.


I always like to believe that there's innate goodness in all people. Yes, you -- and maybe even those enterprising manok lechoneros I mentioned earlier. Sa mga nanggagantso o nanggagago, utang na loob. Mahiya kayo. PLEASE donate at least a portion of your dirty cash to charity. Who knows, it might be enough compensation for your time in hell.

To the rest of you good-hearted folks, if you have the means (money, time, connections, etc), please help. If you choose to put your good money to use in some other charity case, that's O.K. as well. Poverty and economic distress are all around us; we can only help as much as we can help ourselves.

I'm only a student. I don't have much money. My parents' money is not my own. They already have their charities of choice. I have been taught that my own contributions to society should be of my own sweat and blood -- and so it shall.

If interested, you can reach me at 09285025372. I may not have the cache of cash, but I'm more than willing to LABOR for free on charity cases.

As Melody's entry so aptly put it, "there's always a way to make a difference." In this case, one wheelchair at a time.

Flashing eyes,

that burn into mine.

My heart to you,

it will forever be.

For the mere touch,

of your hand on thine.

Emotions explode,

with all,

that is of me.

I have,

however,

often wondered.

Why fate,

had to be,

so cruel.

For in as much as here,

is a love that is mine.

It is a love,

I can never,

ever truly have...

To myself,

and myself alone.

And so,

I choose all,

or nothing.

I cannot stand,

on middle ground.

But in times as such,

That I can't see,

The wonder,

That is your beauty...

My soul drifts,

into aimless oblivion.

Searching,

For its missing half.

Chasing,

Pursuing,

The half,

It can never,

Ever be with.

If only,

To look at it,

Touch it,

Feel it,

Once again.

Even for the very last time.

P.S. Yes, that's my hand (and those roses are long dead now).

----------------
----------------

This piece was written by yours truly at another time.

(Don't ask me when.)

That was a different Meow then, I suppose.

And I originally had no intention of making this crappy poem public.

But I've been inspired by the  Elton John song that goes,

"It's the circle of life,
And it moves us all.
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love.

'Till we find our place,
On the path unwinding,
In the circle,
The circle of life."

x Kat x

P.S. As usual, no plagiarizing please. Thank you.

I had originally planned to out myself as soon as the inevitable kulubot on my fez starts to show (which I estimated to be roughly around 5 to 48 years from now). But alas, the gay pride in me can hold out no more.

Simple lang mga tsong.

Walang dapat ikahiya.

Si Hesus mismo ang nagsabing, natural lang na may mga bading at tomboy sa mundo.

Oo tama ang narinig mo kabayan.

According to Matthew 19:10-12, Jesus said;

"Not everyone can accept the marriage of man and wife, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth (homosexuals), and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others (castrated men serving royalty in ancient times), and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (those who foreswear marriage to better serve God). Anyone who can accept this, should accept it.”



I could not care less for the homophobic Pope Benedict XVI (the revered Pope John Paul II is an entirely different story).

I am not a religious person -- and I admit that -- for religion and all its differing sects are nothing but the product of human subjectivity. I am, however, spiritual. What binds me to God is between Him, myself, and the Holy Bible (the Bible being my only tangible connection to the Catholic Church).


Jesus himself declared, "Come to me and you shall receive the Kingdom of Heaven." He never said, "Oh but if you're gay, please get in touch with one of my secretaries and start penance!"

Christian priests in particular (and those naive enough to follow their every word without regard for common sense) have been wrong countless times before.

• System of Slavery.
• Subordination of Women.
• Taboo of Interracial Marriages.

Any of these ring a bell??

If people had not wisened up to one of the most important gifts God has given humankind (common sense), people would've continued relying on blind faith:

• Obama would have never been elected President of the United States.
• Women would still have been slaving away in the kitchen "where they belong."
• Women would still practically be baby makers, all in the name of "giving honor" to their husbands.
• No Sidney Poitier. No Oprah Winfrey. No Rosa Parks. No Nelson Mandela.
• No Beyonce. No Kanye. No niggas.
• No Fil-Ams. No Brit-Fils. No Aus-Fils. No whatever-Fils.
• Essentially saying, no "artistas." Blah blah blah.
• I can go on and on and on...

This kind of outrage -- and more like it -- stem from the Church's constant misinterpretation of the Bible and complete disregard for the gnawing TRUTH.

For those who haven't lived long enough enough to know (and for those who never really cared enough to realize), YES these false assumptions were once perpetuated by the so-called "men of God" in their belief of their own twisted interpretations of God's words.





In fact, these "men of God's" haughty nature even drove them to the point of making intentionally erroneous translations from certain passages in the Holy Bible -- all for the sake of vindicating their wrongful prejudices!

Case in point: Would it surprise you to find out that there is NOT a single statement in the Bible implying that homosexuality is a sin?

Because nowhere (and I mean NOWHERE) in the Bible is there a condemnation of homosexuality per se. That's a fact.

The passage below, from I Corinthians 6:9; is probably one the single most influential verses from the Bible "condemning" homosexuals.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither pornoi (fornicators), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakoi, nor abusers of themselves with mankind."

Two millenia down the road and with the advent of the blasphemous version of the Amplified Bible in 1958, the Greek word "malakoi" has been translated to simply flat-out mean: homosexuals.

Yes. The H word.

But WAIT. Is malakoi really a synonym for "homosexuals" in the first place??

An all-important question too often disregarded by blind followers of the Christian faith.

The answer, ladies and lesbians, may astound you. Because it is a BIG resounding NO.

Malakoi does NOT mean homosexuality.

But if you would look at newer versions (New American Bible, The New Catholic Translation, etc) of the original scripture, you would see that indeed, they have single-handedly transformed "malakoi" into what it is now known as "homosexuals."

BLASPHEMY! LIBEL!

The truth, lies simply in taking a short lesson on the history of Greek language. Something the hypocrites cannot be bothered with I suppose.

First of all, the scripture cannot mean now what it did not mean then.

Translating malakoi as homosexuals imposes a twentieth or twenty first century cultural meaning on the text -- which malakoi did not mean in the first century. If malakoi was not a universally understood reference to homosexuals in the first century when Paul used it, then malakoi cannot mean homosexual today.

Herewith, the facts...

The Malakos Word Group:

I. Malaka
It is used 3 times in the New Testament; in Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 10:1.
It is translated disease in the King James Version (of the Bible) and sickness in the New American Standard.

--> Obviously, the Greek word "malaka" has nothing to do with homosexuality.

II. Malakos
The word malakos occurs 4 times, in three verses in the New Testament.
In Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25, Jesus uses the word to refer to soft clothing.

--> In the Bible, Jesus never used the malakos word group to mean homosexual.

III. Malakoi
In Corinthians 6:9, the Apostle Paul uses malakoi (the plural of malakos).
Some differing Bible translations translate malakoi as "male prostitutes."
However, the fact that malakoi means male prostitutes in Paul's usage is highly unlikely since Paul has already mentioned pornoi, meaning male prostitutes, in this vice list.

--> Because Paul's reasoning is tight and his writing style spare, it is unlikely Paul would repeat himself by using malakoi with the meaning of male prostitutes.

IV. Malakoi (New Testament)
The word malakoi in New Testament times, was sometimes an epithet for being effeminate, not homosexual.

--> However, the ancients did not equate "effeminate" with "homosexual."

Case in point: Some of the mightiest warriors in ancient times were homosexuals yet they were not called malakoi.

So how did our ancestors use the word "malakoi" then?

• Pericles, 495-429 BC; in his funeral oration, lauded the Greeks because they cultivated knowledge without malakia. Here, "malakia" referred to intellect. Thus, knowledge without intellect -- not homosexuality.
• Plato, 427-347 BC; in The Republic, had Socrates express that too much music effeminates a warrior, causing him to be malakoteroi: soft, feeble, sensitive.
• Aristotle, 384-322 BC; in Nicomachean Ethics, used malakos to describe lack of restraint and excessive enjoyment of bodily pleasures. Again, there is no mention of homosexuality, or anything remotely close.
• Josephus, AD 37-100; used malakos to describe men who appeared soft or weak through lack of courage in battle or who were reluctant to commit suicide in defeat or who enjoyed too much luxury.
• Epictetus, AD 55-135; used malakos to refer to soft-headed persons, whom he regarded as unable to absorb true philosophy.

In addition, here's a dose of centuries-worth of reality for the bigots.

Observe how, through the years, the word malakoi mutated from one entity to another.

An OUTRAGE!

• Paul, the Apostle; AD 55 - malakoi
• Tyndale; 1526 - weaklinges
• Great Bible; 1539 - weaklynges
• Swedish Version; 1541 - weaklingar
  
• Valera Spanish; 1602 - effeminados
• King James Version; 1611 - effeminate
• Darby; 1884 - those who make women of themselves
• Moffat; 1913 - boys who have sex with men
• Lamsa; 1933 - men who lie down with males
• Revised Standard; 1952 - sexual perverts
• Amplified Version; 1958 - those who participate in homosexuality

These Burmese refugees (from the Myanmar of today) are slaves to the blood-thirsty tourists who come to Thailand from far and wide to gawk at something as exotic and rare.


And of course (as with everything that involves lots and lots of cash in this dog-eat-dog world) the Thai government is only too f***ing happy to divulge the whims of paying tourists -- roughly around a measly $8 per person to be exact.

It is a small price to pay -- even for the stingy low-riding backpacker. These clueless wanderlusts (wandering in lust, perhaps in the most literal sense) were immersing themselves in a unique "cultural" experience after all -- or are they? Well, at least that's what the Thai Tourism Authority wants them (us?) to believe anyway.

Bullsh*t.

The story below (condensed from articles from Marie Claire and Australia's The Age) exemplifies the many political and economic hurdles that these Kayans (the "long neck" refugees of Burma -- and I state this every so often to emphasize that they are NOT Thais) have to face every single day of their lives.

That is, if the rest of us aren't made aware, NOW.


Zember, a quick-witted young woman with a cheerful, oval face, doesn’t want to be a human exhibit anymore. Ever since she was 5, she has worn brass rings around her neck and smiled at foreigners who tromp through her rural village in Thailand. For tourists, it seems like the adventure of a lifetime — riding in a jeep through the snake-infested jungle to see the exotic “long-neck women” of the Kayan tribe. But now Zember has removed her coil — in protest of her captivity.


She no longer wants to keep Thailand’s shameful secret: that the long-neck women are Burmese refugees who are being prevented by Thai authorities from taking up asylum overseas. As a lucrative tourist attraction, the women are forced to live in a virtual human zoo.

"When I was young, I wanted to wear the rings and keep my own tradition. In one way, I feel sad that I've taken them off. But now I go to the city, no one cares, no one stares," she said.

"The people who control us say that if the people see us in the town, they won't pay to see us in the village." she adds.

Riding motorbikes, a common, inexpensive form of transport, is also frowned upon because the Thais who control the long-neck villages say: "It's not part of your culture".

Zember, also called Mu Lon, has not rejected her culture, but she now sees her rings as a weapon of exploitation by powerful local Thai authorities. Long-neck tourism is big business in Mae Hong Son, but little of the money returns to the Kayans — the operations have always been run by Thais.

"It is the No. 1 attraction in this area. It's why tourists come here," said Wanchai Thiansiri, a Chiang Mai-based tour guide. "They may go to see caves as well, but the long-necks are the attraction."

Sitting in a small cafe in the town of Mae Hong Son, not far from her village, Zember, 23, strokes her bare throat and says it feels strange that no one is staring at her. She and a number of other Kayan refugees have been offered resettlement in countries such as New Zealand and Finland, but Thai authorities won’t hand over the exit visas. “They don’t want us to leave because it will hurt tourism,” says Zember. “But I don’t want to be put on display anymore.”


The older generation (the original 100 refugees) were grateful to have a means of surviving, said Zember in basic English, but they did not understand tourist comments that they were a "human zoo". "Ours is the first generation who can read and write." she said.

The 500 or so Kayans (also known as Padaung) who live in Thailand fled the brutal military regime in neighboring Burma (also known as Myanmar) two decades ago, and they have been confined in three guarded villages on the northern Thai border ever since. An estimated 40,000 tourists per year, many of them Americans, to see the women’s giraffe-like appearance.

In return, the long-neck women earn a paltry salary of 1500 baht ($45) a month selling souvenirs and postcards. Few tourists are aware of the scandalous situation, Zember explains, because the women’s wages are docked if they discuss their plight. So they “smile and say nothing.”

Zember and her family were accepted for resettlement by New Zealand in 2006 as part of a wide-scale program organized by the U.N.’s refugee agency, UNHCR. Five other long-neck families are also due to relocate to New Zealand and Finland but lack the exit permits. “We have all the other paperwork,” says Zember, waving a crumpled plastic folder of documents. Hundreds more Kayans have also applied for resettlement, but approval of their cases is stalled indefinitely until the exit-permit issue is resolved.

“As official refugees, the Kayans have a right either to resettlement abroad or to full Thai citizenship. They are being given neither,” says Kitty McKinsey, the UNHCR’s regional spokeswoman in Bangkok. She points out that over the past two years, Thailand has issued exit permits for more than 20,000 other Burmese refugees who lack the Kayans’ commercial value. “The Kayans should be treated the same as other refugees,” McKinsey says.

The UNHCR, as well as the New Zealand and Finnish governments, say they are lobbying the Thai authorities to this end. But the local government in Mae Hong Son — Thailand’s poorest province, which depends heavily on tourism — remains impassive. Governor Thongchai Warianthong, the official responsible for signing the exit permits, issued a statement to the Thai press saying the Kayans are “happy and comfortable with their lives” in Thailand.

Zember is living proof that the Kayans aren’t content. “Some people of my mother’s generation say they are too old [to leave] now, but no one is happy,” she says, shaking her head. “We have no freedom and life is very hard.”

Wearing her long, dark hair loose, and a lace-edged khaki tee with black cargo pants and no neck rings, Zember looks like any other modern Asian woman. (Contrary to popular belief, the women’s necks are not abnormally long and do not snap when the rings are removed. The coil, which weighs up to 25 pounds, creates the illusion of a long neck by depressing the collar bones.)

“People see us as aliens from another planet. They’re shocked [to realize] we’re normal human beings,” she says in tentative English.

One of Zember’s friends, Ma Lo, 24, who has also removed her neck rings, says the women are punished for doing anything modern, like using cell phones or computers. “The owners of the villages dock our wages,” she says. “They say it ruins our traditional image and tourists won’t pay.” In fact, the two women receive no salary at all now, and their refugee status prevents them from finding other work.

Zember, who hopes to become a nurse, admits she has only a fuzzy idea of what life abroad might be like if she escapes. “I learned on the Internet that there are more sheep than people in New Zealand,” she laughs. But she knows a bit about the West from the backpackers she sees. “The girls look so free and sexy, and their eyes shine,” she says. “I stare at them and feel even more determined to fight to get out of here.”

Zember takes off her coils in anger; but even bare-necked, she attracts attention. Tour guides now point her out as "one who rejects tradition."

"I take off my ring so they will let me go (to New Zealand). When I stay here in the village, they make money from tourists and I don't like that way," she said.

"I want to get my own education, work by myself and own by myself."

Here's something that our national embarrassment, better known as the Philippine government -- and its many tentacles (appropriately named so as our government truly is an invertebrate in every sense) -- should all chew their fangs on.

"It is not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."

- Aung San Suu Kyi, Political prisoner, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize awardee, Prime Minister-elect of Myanmar for 18 years and counting

 

 

x Kat x