bluerain

(02.03.07/06.10)

the plan was to spend the morning at the sistine chapel and then head off to the colosseum, but plans are made to be broken.  we arrived at the vatican museum an hour before it was opened, thinking that it was too early, we never realized that the queue to the museum was very long - maybe people stayed in line overnight?

sculptures inside the vatican museum

the wait was so worth it in the end.  the vatican museum which houses the sistine chapel, has marvellous collections of artifacts, from egyptian, greek and roman statues, (giant) sculptures that i only saw in books and movies - that of apollo, hercules, hermes, etc., amazing.  but the outstanding work of arts are those made by the two masters, raphael and ‘the’ michaelangelo.  i am lost for words to describe the greatness of their works.  never in my life have i thought that i would someday stand in the same place where michaelangelo created his masterpiece, that of the ceiling of the sistine chapel.  i never wanted to go out, we stayed there like maybe an eternity - lol! - but it was all worth it.  we were not allowed to take pictures of the walls and ceiling (pero tigas ulo ko eh! he he he!).  as expected, we never got the chance to go to the colosseum - so that’s where we are heading for today, and no more road blocks - although i doubt it, because everywhere we go, we inevitably get to see something magnificent and we stop for pictures or sometimes stayed awhile just to marvel on such wonders of the ancient roman world.

view of rome above st peter’s basilica’s dome

before heading back to our hostel, we passed by the palace of st. angel - a museum/castle - the view from up the tower was great. and of course, we end up grabbing some souvenirs to bring back home, oh, plenty of things to buy and oh, so little cash (lol!).

- bluerain

(01.03.07/05.54)

climbing the double dome of the st. peter’s basilica in the vatican city was a challenge i confidently thought i could breeze through, unfortunately, i was humbled by the experience.  the never ending stairs leading to the dome and the very congested room, small enough to fit one people at a time, almost made me claustrophobic, the truth is, i almost panicked and wanted to go back, but i couldn’t because there were people behind and it was almost impossible to get up or down, i felt stuck and felt a bit woozy - a penance for my trespasses - lol!

st peter’s basilica

the st peter’s square is magnificent, and the basilica was something i never imagined.  i saw the main altar and the chair of st. peter - carved in the ancient baroque style - i am left in awe at the marvels of the mosaic paintings and the marble statues which were enormous - the pieta carved by micheangelo - a superior piece of art created by the master while he was just 23 years of age, he breathe life to a rather cold and lifeless stone.

we missed the sistine chapel, it closes at 1300 hrs, so we will be back today at 10 am.  can’t wait to see the works done there by michaelangelo.

after vatican city, we went to the piazza di spagna, crowded with people as always, then went to the fountain of trevi, threw some coins in the fountain, hoping to comeback to rome.  lea threw a second coin, perhaps hoping that she will meet an italian, as what most people believe would happen if you throw a second coin, a third coin would mean marrying an italian - we don’t want to go that further though.  we stayed until dusk in the fountain of trevi, the play of lights livened the place a bit more.  we were able to see other magnificent structures along the way, we also visited the great partheon, with it’s colossal structures.  i should give it to the romans in the olden days, they definitely are pompous and they love their buildings, fountains and statues - they just don’t create it, they create it beautifully and huge and imposing.

the fountain of trevi

we also did a bit of shopping, plenty of high street stores around, from prada, gucci, D&C, etc., — officially on our first day, and we are about to be maxed out - i hope not.

today, the challenge would be to conquer the colosseum, and perhaps see some serious gladiator actions - i’m fed up with tourists running around in our hostel in their underpants wrestling and goofing around with some other blokes/mates - too camp!.

- bluerain

(28.02.07/05.24)

our ryanair flight to ciampino airport in rome was delayed for more than an hour, nonetheless, we arrived safely in rome, took the terravision coach to rom termini (not a bright idea since we have to pay more - the convenience was priceless though), along the way, we witnessed a bird’s eye view of the city and it’s ruins - grandiose indeed.

after fumbling with our maps and asking for directions (or lack of) - we found our hostel, the alessandro downtown, initially we were taken aback, the place is sinisterly hidden at the back of some alley way (we eventually realised it’s a decent location though, less noise - although we can still hear the busy streets late at night - so we can just imagine how it is like in some busy area), the 6-bedded room wasn’t bad at all, it was tidy (we have to share the room with 3 other tourists).  we have to share bathroom (clean as well), etc., there’s a common room, kitchen, and internet access (but we are not allowed to download pictures, etc., due to some internet laws imposed on hostels, BB, hotels, etc, re - antiterrosrism rubbish, thus no pictures yet - i’ll post it later). 

starving and exhausted after the trip, we decided to go out and have our first ever, real italian pasta - do’t ask what it is, i could’nt even say it - i realized that italians eat a 2 - 3-course meal, there’s the antipasto, primo, secondo, and there’s even a dessert and wine to wash it down, but of course, pinoy kami, so pasta lang muna, and it was cheaper than when you buy a full meal in dublin. 

we later surveyed the area, making sure sure that  we know where the bus stops and metro/tram stops are, our next pit stop would be vatican city, which of course will happen today.  i woke up at 4 in the morning, just so that i can have the shower room and the internet room all for myself.  lea is still asleep, i know she was tired from yesterday.  i can’t wait for the day to start, and they will be serving our free breakfast soon.  so later…. ciao!

-bluerain

bar hopping or pub crawling, whatever you call it…. had a great craic (as the irish would say) last saturday as we went around dublin searching for the best chill out place…. cruised along dame street to temple bar to st. george st - and lo! and behold! - we discovered the DRAGON - cool place, a feast for all the senses! (unfortunately we couldn’t get pictures inside, such posh club, our nerves and shyness got the better of us, oh, well, the experience was well worth it!). 

from front lounge to the dragon - it’s worth the trip!

   

we were starving after checking out the karaoke queer scene at the george - so to charlie’s did we go - for some scrumptious chinese  -  roast duck, king prawns, spare ribs, and chicken soups - yummy!

we called it a day (!) at 2 a.m. - stranded in the streets (like most other revelers) - as we waited for almost an hour to get a taxi ride back home - we were either drunk or sleepy….

party mode!

- bluerain

snowcapped dublin mountains as viewed from my porch

it reached zero degree Celsius in the early mornings and of course as expected, it snowed, not enough to sustain until late afternoon, but enough to make working people go bonkers (frozen cars, slippery roads, wet kids, and frostbites, well, my toes had one, or so i think!).  but, all in all, it’s another sleepy day.  worked half of the day, went home,  straight back into bed, woke up at 1600 hrs, went out for a late munch at burgerking, an hour of window shopping, and then dragged myself back to the apartment.  after which, maybe i’ll try to get back to bed before midnight for the next day’s work - and as such, concludes the cycle of my so-called ’semi-charmed life’.

the freezing cold in the morning is disastrous.  the agony of waking up at five in the morning to get ready for my 7.30 work, and the necessary rituals of breakfast, toileting and showering, plus, the 45-minute dress-up and facial care (hey, that’s pretty much decent for a struggling metrosexual ‘kuno’ guy like me!) - if people only knew what i need to put up with to go to work every morning (well, actually, it’s just three or four mornings a week) - and the cold… bbbrrr, sooo cooold, i think i’m going to have a nosebleed (i’m getting too old for this….).

naah, don’t mind me, it’s just my old melancholic self talking.  i don’t take myself seriously, not that anyone has to. hah! a semi-charmed life my arse! (can’t wait to go to venice before the month ends and be free from all these - better start packing!)

- bluerain

sho! wala kang kakupas-kupas - rinig ko ang sigaw mo from pinas to ireland!!!! (kahit email sya ha ha ha!)

sa lahat ng bumati - salamat po!

tong - usap naman tayo - miss na miss na kita - promise, one of these days pupuntahan kita sa OC! turuan mo kong mag-surf!!!! he he he!!!

thanks magby, thanks hazel & joseph, thanks lhey, thanks elicor, thanks lea, thanks mia, thanks oliver, thanks roy, thanks ruthie, thanks dette, thanks to my family, and thanks na nga to all my friends (specially sa mga nakaalala - aaww, it makes no difference anyway, i’m giddy, just simply happy - i luv ya ol!!!)…. miss ko na kayo lahat!!!

- bluerain

I recently got a copy of the Human Development Report 2006 which was released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) last November. 

Simply put, this report gives the world an idea as to which of the 177 UN member states are the best and worst places to live in. 

luxembourg

Twenty-four hours after rummaging through the 440 pages of the report, I was able to gather very interesting facts about the status of different countries and how in particular my beloved country, ‘ang lupang hinirang – Pilipinas,’ measures up to the rest of the world.

How do the UNDP rate the different countries then?  The UNDP uses a composite index which they call the human development index (HDI) that measures the average achievements of a country in three basic dimensions of human development:

1.  A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth;

2.  Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools; and

3.  A decent standard of living, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars (in other words, ‘paano gumastos ang mga tao pag hinambing sa kanilang kinikita – doon mo lang malalaman kung ang mga tao ba ay may kakayahang bumili/gumastos sa pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan at kung commensurate ba ito sa kanilang kinikita, or something to that effect’).

Included in the index, though studied separately, is the gender empowerment measure (GEM), which was intended to measure women’s and men’s abilities to participate actively in economic and political life and their command over economic resources. (ibig sabihin the more equal ang participation ng babae at lalake sa kalakaran ng pamumuhay at buhay pulitika, mas mataas ang puntos na makukuha sa HDI, and should not be misinterpreted as a study on gender inequality).  Other interesting data about each country are included in the study, and gains equivalent points in summing up the final rank.

The index is constructed from indicators that are available globally using a methodology that is simple and transparent.  I will not bore you with the intricacies of their research and of course the verbiage that goes with the report, but needless to say, the study was quite extensive, and it has been going on for the past two decades(?).  Most UN member states requests that they be included in the study year after year because they would want to find out where they stand in the world arena. 

The top ten best places to live in (for 2006) are:

1.  Norway

2.  Iceland

3.  Australia

4.  Ireland

5.  Sweden

6.  Canada

7.  Japan

8.  United States

9.  Switzerland

10. Netherlands

fjaerland, norway

Norway has topped the study for six consecutive years, undoubtedly the best place to live in the world – prompting the Norwegian government to reprimand its people by telling them to stop complaining about almost everything and anything about their country (they never are happy are they?).  UK has dropped down from no.15 in 2005 to no.18 in 2006 (they are failing miserably year after year).  Norway, Iceland and Australia are non-movers, they are very consistent.  The US moved up from no.10 to no.8.  Ireland made the biggest best jump from no. 8 in 2005 to no.4 (much to the delight of my Irish mates - haarrr!), Ireland posted the strongest and fastest annual growth rate in GDP per capita in the world.  The richest country in terms of average earnings by its people would be Luxembourg (rank no.12 overall).  The only asian country to consistently make it to the top ten is Japan.  Hong Kong (#22 - as an independent state in the study), Singapore (#25), and South Korea (#26) are the only other asian states to make it to the top thirty.

manila yacht club

My beloved Philippines is ranked no.84 (a non-mover from the previous year 2005).  Our rival in terms of the tiger cub economy, Thailand, is way up at no.74 (another non-mover).  Thailand has gone a long way, from a mere shadow behind our country to a true tiger economy (not a pretend like ours, haaay!).  India is ranked 126 – and with all due respect, we fared better in almost all aspects of the study compared to them.

The bottom five (worst countries to live in) are all from the African continent.  Some of them I never even knew existed. 

173.   Guinea-Bissau

174.   Burkina Faso

175.  Mali

176.   Sierra Leone

177. Niger

niger

The poorest country is Burundi (#169) with its working people earning an average of 90 US dollar a year (as compared to an average of US$70,000/year for the working class of Luxembourg).

swaziland maidens

The lowest life expectancy is topped by Swaziland with people dying at an average age of 33! (nagkalat kasi ang AIDS – they have the highest HIV prevalence in the World for ages 15-49 y.o. –  kawawa talaga). Japan has the highest life expectancy of 81.9 years old.  The Philippines’s life expectancy is 70.2 (kaya medyo mahaba-haba pa ang buhay mo dong! – kumain ka kasi ng Japanese food para magaya ka sa mga sakang!).

hong-kong

In terms of cellular phone subscribers, Hong Kong topped the study (with 1184 subscribers per 1000 people – mas marami pang mobile phone kesa sa tao!).  The Philippines has 404 cellular subscribers per 1000 people – we are not mobile phone-crazy as we thought we were, mas malala pa nga ang Italy which is second place with 1090 subscriber per 1000 people (marami ring cell phone snatchers doon!).  Ang walang hilig mag text ay ang mga taga Myanmar (ex-Burma) – 2 subscribers/1000 people lang, lahat kasi nasa bukid eh.

The most number of internet users are from New Zealand (788 users/1000 people) as compared to just 54 users/1000 people in the Philippines.

Cuba has got the most number of doctors per 100,000 people with 591.  The US has 256 doctors/100,000 people; the UK 230; Ireland has 279; the Philippines has 58 doctors/100,000 people; while Tanzania only has 2 doctors/100,000 people (sad fate!).

There are a lot of interesting facts that you can get from the report, from literacy, HIV prevalence, sanitation, maternal health, military armaments, etc., but it will take me pages upon pages to mention them. 

adare manor in ireland

It is but fitting to say that these facts open our eyes and make us realize our place in the world.  I hope our people in the government have studied these reports and have made it their goal to push our country further up in the human development scale.  It would be stupid not to take these studies seriously, it has been created so that each country may learn from each other, aid each other, and focus their resources to areas that need them the most .  Most Filipinos who have travelled abroad can seriously point out the difference in the standard of life that we lead as compared to that of our brethrens from the more developed countries.  I can’t wait to see the Philippines sharing the spot with other developed nations which have gained the insight to value human potential and pushing people to dream and helping realize them.  As the UNDP report aptly puts it, “human development is first and foremost about allowing people to lead a life that they value and enabling them to realize their potential as human being.”  - bluerain

Ricardo Eliecer Neftali Reyes y Basoalto, born in 1904 in Parral, Chile.

Son of a famished railroad worker.

Mother died of TB when he was still a child.

Started writing poems at the age of 13.

Became ambassador to Burma at the age of 23.

Travelled to more than 50 cities in his lifetime.

Married four times.

A staunch admirer of Joseph Stalin, but eventually got disillusioned with Stalinism.

Became a Communist Party Senator.

Exiled. His 1952 stay (during his exile) in a villa owned by Italian historian Edwin Cerio on the island of Capri was fictionalized in the popular film Il Postino ("The Postman", 1994).
Wrote more than 40 volumes of prose and poems before he died.

Left three mansions which were converted to museums after his death.

Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971 (after 20 years of trying).

Died at the age of 69 of heart failure secondary to cancer.

Pen name: Pablo Neruda - considered to be the most read poet after William Shakespeare in the 20th century.

As If You Weren’t Here Now’ (Porque Estas Como Ausente)
translated by Robert Haas

I like it when you’re quiet. It’s as if you weren’t here now,
and you heard me from a distance, and my voice couldn’t reach you.
It’s as if your eyes had flown away from you, and as if
your mouth were closed because I leaned to kiss you.

Just as all living things are filled with my soul.
you emerge from all living things filled with the soul of me.
It’s as if, a butterfly in dreams, you were my soul,
and as if you were the soul’s word, melancholy.

I like it when you’re quiet. It’s as if you’d gone away now,
And you’d become the keening, the butterfly’s insistence,
And you heard me from a distance and my voice didn’t reach you.
It’s then that what I want is to be quiet with your silence.

It’s then that what I want is to speak to you your silence
in a speech as clear as lamplight, as plain as a gold ring.
You are quiet like the night, and like the night you’re star-lit.
Your silences are star-like, they’re a distant and a simple thing.

I like it when you’re quiet. It’s as if you weren’t here now.
As if you were dead now, and sorrowful, and distant.
A word then is sufficient, or a smile, to make me happy,
Happy that it seems so certain that you’re present.

(happy new year guys!!!-a.gonzales)

Patients would often refer me as ‘the vampire’ – whenever they see me donned in my phlebotomy suite and pushing my trolley towards their beds.  I don’t mind though, as long as they don’t meant it to be a referral for my being disturbingly pale and ‘un-dead’ looking, or maybe it’s a bad scrutiny for my OC behaviours (vampires are believed to be compelled to stop and count spilled grains along their paths, as mentioned in Chinese vampire lore).  There are days when I get fascinated with veins – even when I’m not working.  Staring at people’s jugulars, brachials and basilars excites me – I’m tempted to take their hands and do venepuncture – ‘glorious, glorious veins, I like them big and bulging!’

Almost all cultures have something that resembles a vampire in their folklore.  The ‘vetalas’ of India, the ‘hopping corpse’ of China, and the goddess Sekhmet of ancient Egypt – they all paint a picture of a blood-thirsty, ghoul-looking creatures of the dark.  Literatures have romanticized vampires for more than a century.  They embody those who thrive in the dark, those who are ostracized, those who are hunted, and those who are strange. They are forever young and ambiguous. 

Unfortunately, I’m never a vampire.  But, I have seen the darkest of man, and have felt how it is like to be abhorred.  There is nothing romantic about it. Like vampires, I have never really fit in society, and I have this ridiculous aversion for humans and human’s feat in idiocy department.  Like vampires I am repulsed by mirrors.  Mirrors are believed to reflect the soul, which of course vampires don’t have.  But that’s where my affinity with vampires ends – I hate looking at myself in the mirror simply because I look funny.  And in as much I hate to admit it, I am still human.  The funny thing is, we might have crossed path with vampires at least once in our lives – creatures that are sad, hollow, and dead inside.    

- bluerain

Here we go again, the year’s almost about to end, not that I have anything to complain about, if anything, I should be thankful for the boon I have received this year. I would sound immodest and pompous as to list them all here. Yet, there are setbacks, my dad’s passing away, friends lost, little boy’s dream (mine!) crushed (too ashamed to declare this one!), weight lost, weight gain (damn it!), bills to pay, mortgage to pay, dropping that dream car from my wish list (for now!), breaking a toe nail, spraining my ankle, needing eyeglasses, being forced fed with broccoli, and the list go on and on and on — whiner!

And then there’s normita, a friend I first met back home while I was working in the national kidney and transplant institute (NKTI). She’s loquacious, very caring (patients adore her), family-oriented, and a very hard worker (I’m sure she is a prized catch for Nurse-On-Call!). She can also be maddening (though in a sweet way) - the never ending text messages she sends chronicling the day to day events of her life is exasperating. She also talks to strangers, which I find amusing, it makes no difference if that stranger in the bus or train, is a dodgy tourist, a bag lady, or a blind man’s guide dog, she talks to them all the same. Then, she has this massive SLR camera which she brings with her on our trips, it makes funny sounds and you need to wind it every time (she wouldn’t buy a digital even if she can afford one) and the only person I know of who would stop on a roadside to have her pictures taken with an undergrowth of thorny-flowery summer weeds for a background and be so sheepishly happy about it - she’s mental this girl is!

Behind those infectious laughter though, normita has been through a lot. It is a cliché to say that she is a fighter. Her father also passed away early this year. She may not confide with me, but I am certainly left privy to her ills and ails in life. We are of the same lot, thus the reason for the affinity I have with her. She is a gentle (though loud!) being who lives life and tries to live it to the fullest. She constantly reminds me to be grateful and I marvel at how she takes everything in stride - uncomplaining, unashamed, and free-spirited.

A few minutes ago I received another text message from her narrating the events of her life for the past 24 hour, including her first Christmas party in Dublin, her first cocktail shot, etc., - she puts a smile on my face. But please normie, no messages, not at two in the morning when I’m just into my first 30-minute of REM sleep. We always joke about it, but she insists, - she would let us know everything that’s happening to her, she wouldn’t mind if we care or not. For me it’s more of valuing friendship, making them part of your life and you, their life, and I am humbled by it.

And then, it made me realize, like normie, I shouldn’t be ashamed to list all my blessings and share them to friends. I keep a list of all my complaints, why not do the opposite as well. I may not have the latest car model around, or perhaps a perfectly sculptured body (well, almost), or perhaps a posh job (hey, I don‘t mind wiping somebody else‘s ass), yet I have got a million things to be thankful for. I had my first taste of appletinni (I have always wondered why JD of Scrubs likes it so much) last week at our Christmas party; I have a nice housemate who cleans the house every 30 minutes, plants ambiguous shrubs inside her room, and plays gospel music whenever I surf on porn sites; I’m thankful for my state-of-the-art laptop with biometric sensor that enables fingerprint logon (sooo 007!); my scoliosis which gives me preferential sick-off whenever I complain of back pain; a good paying job - actually two good paying jobs; longer day offs; travelled extensively for the past two years; met intriguing individuals and became friends with - in particular a lesbian Goth artiste and another a prostitute; I’m thankful for TV shows like lost, supernatural, scrubs, shameless, and x-factor; I’m thankful for the fact that I’m 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 56 kg. (though I always hope I’m taller); I have friends around the world who still recognise me and email me (especially on holidays!); I have a loving family back home who never fails to call me every end of the month to remind me about the heap of bills I needed to pay (I love it when they’re so thoughtful!); and just simply thankful that I have a roof over my head. Still there are a few wishes that I hope to make this Christmas, well aside from a new spidey outfit, a pair of pet piranhas from the amazon would be a very nice gift to receive. If not, I will always settle for an SMS message from friends and families - and I won’t mind if it’s two in the morning.

  - bluerain