Piercing Pens

Reporters without borders urges internet users to join in 24-hour online demo against internet censorship

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19459

Where: www.rsf.org

When: 11 A.M. on 7 November to 11 A.M. on 8 November

No one should ever be prevented from posting news online or writing a blog, but they are in the 13 countries singled out by Reporters Without Borders for a 24-hour online protest against Internet censorship. (more…)

Since last week, I’ve been searching eBay.com for a reduced-size multimedia card for Oriah’s new phone. I found some items with “interesting prices,” but I lost the bid on a low-priced item. I’ll keep on looking until I find a good one.

The introduction earlier this month of PayPal payment processor in the Philippines, despite its limited features, was still good news for us, online shoppers. All we need to do now is to enter our credit card details on our PayPal accounts, and we can do business with online merchants that used to snub Philippine-based netizens. It’s sad that we can’t receive funds, yet.

By the way, those who sell items on eBay could take advantage of some stuff available online such as this free eBay auction software.

Press Statement of DESAPARECIDOS (Families of Desaparecidos for Justice)

This coming All Saints’ Day, we, the relatives of the disappeared continue to suffer but cannot mourn. We are uncertain whether our missing loved ones are still alive or already dead. There are no graves where we can light candles or offer flowers.

Those we call desaparecidos are our relatives who were abducted and are still missing. They come from the ranks of workers, peasants, professionals, youth, indigenous peoples and women who were tagged as enemies of the state. The military, police and paramilitia – the elements of the state are the only ones who would have the motive to silence them and stop them from their work in serving the people. (more…)

I watched a portion of That’s Entertainment veteran Jojo Alejar’s TV show one night. It is called All the Way. Oriah said it is patterned after the TV show of Jay Leno and David Letterman. The show’s not bad, but I’d prefer watching Eli Soriano and the Iglesia ni Cristo ministers.

What I noticed about Alejar is that his hair looked like a wig. Oriah said it only looked like that, but she thinks it isn’t. At least the guy doesn’t need the hair transplants New Jersey surgeon Dr. Gregory Pistone offers, hehe.

While browsing the Inquirer last Sunday, I came across Mrs. Arroyo’s photo at a monument of Gat Jose Rizal in China. The photo creates an illusion that she has high regard for the national hero–as if she did not desecrate Rizal’s memory by lying to the Filipino people on December 30, 2002, Rizal’s 106th death anniversary.

When we have extra money, Oriah and I eat out at some of the restaurants in the Roces/Morato area in Quezon City. We once tried one that serves Mediterranean cuisine. The food was not great, but I think I enjoyed it naman. But the price– it’s too steep for young, struggling writer-journalists like us.

One thing that we noticed while eating was that on the other table there was a big family with a bunch of preteens and teenagers who were very noisy. They were even speaking in accented English. And because of the general ambiance of the place, even if I haven’t been out of the Philippines, I felt like we were in another country where many un-Filipinized Filipinos roam. In United States, maybe? Since California ranks first in the number of Filipinos, probably it was like in one of the restaurants in La Jolla?

Anyway, we decided not to eat there again. Not because of the Pinoy kids with foreign tongue but due to another reason I cited earlier.

Wikipedia has a list of all TV commercials done by Manny Pacquaio. With the rate that the boxer is accepting such ads, I’m sure that list always needs updating. Looks like the only commercial Pacquiao has not done yet is one for a Papaya soap.

What Pacquiao doesn’t have, Kris Aquino has. It’s for a papaya soap that sounds like the name of a now inactive sexy star.

The current favorite endorser–not ours, though–is Sam Milby. He has fastfood and cellphone ads, among other products including–yes–a Papaya soap. I wonder what he will do next, maybe one for plastic surgeons. Do you think he will say, “Why not?”