why i love lebron james..

i love Lebron James. that's a fact.  his photo is my profile pic on facebook and one of my ultimate dreams is to meet him personally. in fact, if i'd be given a choice to dine with Pres Obama and Lebron, i'd choose Lebron..!


some of my frenz don't understand my  blind-like devotion for this gifted basketball player. truth be told, i also don't know. i admire singers, actors and other famous personalities but nothing comes close to the way i feel about this guy. people say that he is the most hated athlete, he is dumb, he is a quitter..etc.etc.. but i don't care.


maybe, one of d reasons why i love lebron is the fact that i can relate with him... nope, i can't relate with his money or his ability to play basketball.. i can't relate on how he can change a community's fiscal situation just by playing basketball but i can relate with him in a sense that he grew up without a father figure in his life.. and instead of destroying his life with drugs or other offences which i biliv is normal for people like him and his neighborhood, he chose the right path and used his God given talent to improve his life and those around him.i may never be successful like he is ( he is one in a million, literally), but i always draw inspiration from him..


this sunday, miami and chicago will determine who's gonna represent the east in the NBA championship and for me, win or lose, i'd always root for my guy Lebron.. 


He ain't Elvis but he's the King!!!

the united colors of Chungking Mansions...

Some of my trusted Filipino friends told me that in order to truly appreciate my stay in Hongkong, I should visit Chungking mansions.

When i first heard about chungking, i thought it was some kind of a big mansion (i've no idea why Hongkongers love to use the word mansion even if the building that they're calling a mansion is just a small one.) like those mansions that we see in Philippines. But i was wrong.. very,very wrong..

Chungking is conveniently located in the heart of Nathan road in Tsimshatsui or simply TST.. If it's your first time to go there, your head will literally spin. U will be amazed at the diversity of the place. Africans, Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, red,white, yellow, brown race, name it and u can find them there. It's United Nations at its best. Though the place has a not so good reputation, (what do u expect from an old building bustling with people from different continents?), it is undoubtedly the most visited place in Hongkong. I read somewhere that a record setting 120 nationalities have set foot on that mansion and a whooping 10 thousand people go there everyday.

The first time i entered Chungking  was in 2003. The first thing i noticed about this place, aside from the people of course are the lifts.. They are too small and it's as if the traffic in Manila had been diverted here. After that year, i never went there again. though i sometimes go at the lobby to buy cards but i didn't use those slowwwww lifts again. Not until May this year when i was asked to write about TST.. 

Nothing much has changed, except for the huge CCTV that i didn't see on my first visit. You still have to wait for almost an hour (i'm not exaggerating) for your turn. 

After spending the whole afternoon walking and observing people, we decided to try the curries that my trusted friends advised me to visit. We landed on a restaurant named wakas mess.. i thought, what a bizarre name, wakas is a tagalog word that means the end. i joked my friend that hopefully,it wouldn't be a messy end for us.

We tried two kinds of chicken curry,(i forgot the names of those dishes and since we were so ignorant, we ended up ordering same kind of meat), but in fairness, the money we paid was worth it..

I promised myself that i'd still return to that place and try the other restaurants and maybe if i'm lucky enough, i might be able to differentiate chicken curry from chicken masala..

amazing Tsimshatsui!!! (tagalog)

Kinikilala ang Hong Kong bilang sentro ng negosyo at pananalapi, hindi lang sa Asya kundi maging sa buong mundo kaya hindi kataka-takang tinatawag din itong globalized society. Sa mga nais malaman kung ano ba ang kahulugan ng salitang globalisasyon, ang Tsim Sha Tsui o TST sa Kowloon ay tunay na halimbawa ng naturang salita. Ang TST ay maihahalintulad sa isang maliit na United Nations, at naglalarawan sa salitang Asia's world city. Dito sa TST matatagpuan ang pinakamaraming hotel sa lahat ng distrito ng Hong Kong. At kahit na mas mahal kaysa sa normal ang halaga ng mga paninda, dagsa pa rin ang mga turista dito. Marahil ay epekto ito ng mentalidad na "It's the place to be". Kung titingnan ang TST ngayon, wala ng bakas na makikita ng dating maliit na isla na binubuo ng mga maliliit na burol. Dahil sa magandang posisyon nito ay naging dati itong bagsakan ng mga lokal na kalakal, lalo na ng mga panindang insenso na mula sa malayong parte ng Hong Kong na kung tawagin sa ngayon ay New Territories. Heung Po Tau ang bansag sa TST noon dahil samabangong amoy na dulot ng mga insenso. Nag-umpisa ang pagbabagong anyo ng TST nang maging kolonya ng Britanya ang Hong Kong. Ang mga Intsik na nakatira dito ay unti-unting pinalikas papunta sa Yaumatei. Nanatiling sentro ng kalakal ang TST ngunit sa paraang gusto ng mga mananakop. Nang mga panahong iyon, tanging mga Briton lang ang may pahintulot na tumira sa TST. Marami sa mga pumupunta sa Kowloon ay nadadaan sa TST ngunit hindi masyadong pinagtutuunan ng pansin ang mga mahahalagang parte ng kasaysayan nito. CLOCK TOWER Para maintindihan o lalong kalugdan ang kasaysayan ng TST, magandang umpisahan ang planong pamamasyal sa Star Ferry. Pagbaba pa lang sa ferry mula sa Central, makikita kaagad ang matayog na Clock Tower sa tagiliran ng Cultural Center. Ang tore na ipinatayo noong 1915 ay bahagi ng Kowloon-Canton Railway o KCR na nag-umpisang maghatid ng serbisyo noong 1916. Isang de-kuryenteng orasan at tansong kampana na may bigat na isang tonelada ang ikinabit sa tore at umalingawngaw sa himpapawid ang unang tunog nito noong 1920. Noong panahon ng pangalawang pandaigdig na digmaan, pinatigil ang regular na pagtunog nito at saka lang muling narinig noong 1945. Nadagdagan pa ng tatlo ang orasan na nakakabit sa tore mula noon. Nang lumipat ang istasyon ng KCR sa Hunghom noong 1975, pinatayuan ng Hong Kong Cultural Center at Hong Kong Space Museum ang dating headquarter. Samantala, sa dating riles naman umusbong ang gusali ng New World Center. Ang tanging natira ay ang Clock Tower. Ang antigong kampana ay inilipat sa iba't-ibang lugar sa Hong Kong nguni't ibinalik din sa orihinal na tahanan nito noong nakaraang taon. Chungking Mansions Ilang hakbang lang mula sa Star Ferry ay matutunghayan ang Chungking Mansions, ang tinaguriang "one of Asia's amazing places" sa mga babasahing pang-turista. Ito ay nakapwesto sa sentro ng TST sa kahabaan ng Nathan Road at napapaligiran ng mga shopping mall at magagarang otel. Sadyang kakaiba ang Chungking kumpara sa mga gusali sa buong Hong Kong. Hindi dahil sa ganda ng pagkakagawa kundi dahil itinuturing itong buhay na gusali. Hindi ito literal na gumagalaw tulad ng mga hagdan sa pelikulang Harry Potter pero buhay na buhay naman ang loob at labas nito. Sa labas ay makikita ang umpukan ng mga lalaki na hindi mawari kung Indian, Pakistani, Nepali o Bangladeshi. Lahat ng mga dumadaan sa harapan ng gusali ay hindi makakaligtas sa kanilang matatalas at mapanuring mga mata. May mga nag-aalok ng kuwarto, relos, telepono, at iba pa. May hindi magandang reputasyon ang Chungking. Dito daw nagtatago ang mga illegal na mga dayuhan. Dito din daw nagaganap ang bentahan ng illegal na droga at kung ano-ano pa. Ngunit sa kabila nito, dinadagsa pa din ito ng mga tao. Maraming mga dayuhan partikular ang mga Aprikano, Indian, Pakistani at Nepali ang tumutuloy dito. May mga naliligaw din na "puti" lalo na ang mga mahihilig sa adventure. Panaka-naka ay may mga Pinay na pumapasok kasama ang kanilang kasintahang iba ang lahi. Ang mga turistang nagtitipid sa pambayad ng otel, kabilang na ang mga tinatawag na "backpacker" ay kadalasang dito umuupa ng kuwarto. Tanyag ang Chungking Mansions sa mga panindang maleta at bag sa murang halaga na matatagpuan sa mga tindahan sa ground floor. Maraming nga Pinoy ang bumibili ng maleta dito. Pagpasok sa lobby ay agad mararamdaman na parang nasa ibang planeta o pagtitipon ng United Nations dahil iba-ibang lahi ang makikita. Iyon nga lang, walang pulong na nagaganap dahil abala ang bawat isa sa kanilang mga negosyo. Ayon sa Time magazine, isa ang Chungking sa Top10 Best of Asia dahil isa itong "cultural melting pot" kung saan makikita at nagkakatagpo-tagpo ang ibat'-ibang lahi. Ang lugar na itinayo noong 1961 ay binubuo ng limang gusali na may 17 palapag bawat isa. Dati itong residential building kung saan karamihan sa mga nakatira ay mga Intsik. Ngayon, tinatayang may 5,000 ang mga nakatira dito, pero 10,000 tao ang labas-pasok sa nasabing gusali araw-araw. Naging tahanan ito ng pinakamaraming bilang ng mga mumurahing otel na tinatayang umaabot sa bilang na 1980. Dinadayo din ang Chungking ng mga hindi masyadong maselan sa pagkain, lalo na iyong mga mahihilig sa curry. Sinasabing dito daw matatagpuan ang tumay, pinakamasarap at pinakamurang curry sa buong Hong Kong. Dito din makikita ang pinakamaraming panindang cell phones at iba pang makabagong gamit sa buong Hong Kong. Hindi kataka-taka na dito inaangkat ng mga negosyante ang mga binebenta nilang cell phones sa mga tinatawag na third world countries. Ngunit ayon sa mga balita, karamihan sa mga ito ay mga "reconstructed" mula sa China. Tinatayang may mahigit 120 lahi na ang nakatuntong sa Chungking. Dahil sa isang sunog na naganap noong 1988 at sa madalas na pagkahuli ng mga ilegal na turista, nagkasundo ang homeowners association na kabitan ang lahat ng sulok ng mga gusali ng CCTV. Marahil dahil dito, kahit na nakakatakot ang itsura ng nasabing lugar, nananatiling lubhang mababa o halos wala, ang bilang ng mga kaguluhan sa Chungking. Isang paalala lang kung pupunta dito, tiyakin na may kasama dahil bagamat malinis na ang record ng mansion sa mga krimen, ipagpalagay na lang na papunta sa ibang bansa kaya kailangan ng dobleng pag-iingat. Subukan ding puntahan ang Mirador Mansion na malapit lang sa Chungking. Dito unang nanirahan ang mga musikerong Pinoy noong kanilang kasikatan. Sa katunayan, matatagpuan pa rin sa gusaling ito ang opisina ng Hong Kong Musician's Union. Kowloon Park Kapag nahilo sa sobrang dami ng mga tao sa United Nations of Chungking, magandang tumambay muna sa Kowloon Park. Tumawid lang sa kalsada papunta sa bagong shopping mall na i-Square at baybayin ang kahabaan ng Nathan Road hanggang makita ang Kowloon Park. Ang Kowloon Park o Green Lung of Kowloon ay hindi ordinaryong parke. Ang parke na dating kilala sa tawag na Whitfield Barracks aynaging kampo ng mga British Army noong 1890s na pinangungunahan ng kanilang commander na si Henry Wase Whitfield. Nagpatayo ang hukbo ng 85 na barrack buildings noong 1910. Noong 1968, ibinalik ng British Military force ang nasabing lugar sa gobyerno ng Hong Kong na ginawang parke ang lugar na may sukat na 13.5 ektarya noong 1970. Pagpasok sa parke, makikita ang ilang gusali na nakatayo dito. Sa unang tingin, mukhang mga bagong tayo lang ang mga ito pero ang totoo ay mga lumang barracks ito ng British Army. Sa ngayon, hindi na mga sundalo ang makikita dito kundi ang mga namamasukan sa opisina ng iba't ibang ahensya ng gobyerno. Para sa mga mahihilig sa sports, may mini-football pitch sa kahabaan ng Austin road. Nasa tabi lang nito ang indoor sports center at swimming pool. Lubhang malaki ang swimming pool na may sukat na tatlong ektarya. Dito madalas ginaganap ang mga malalaking paligsahan sa paglangoy. Mahigit 1,000 katao ang pwedeng lumangoy dito at magtampisaw ng sabay-sabay, sa halagang $19 bawa't isa. Sa mga mahihilig naman sa mga ibon, merong man-made aviary na napakaganda. May maliit na falls sa gilid, at sa itaas ay matatagpuan ang iba't-ibang uri ng ibon. Sa di kalayuan, makikitaang parang post card na itsura ng mga flamingo na naliligo. Kung kakayanin pa ng "powers", dalawin ang tinatawag na maze garden at mamangha sa mga disenyo ng mga tanim na ginawang parang isang higanteng palaisipan. Sa bandang unahan nito ay ang makikita naman ang tinatawag na sculpture walk. Dito nagtatanghal ang mga kilalang iskultor. May Tai Chi place o Kung Fu garden din para naman sa mga mahihilig sa mag-ehersisyo. Marami pang ibang pwedeng puntahan sa parke gaya ng Color Garden, Piazza, Pagoda, Hanging Garden at iba pa. Bago tapusin ang pagliliwaliw, huwag kalimutang silipin ang Kowloon Mosque. Ito ang pinakamalaking mosque sa buong Hong Kong. Tapusin ang pamamasyal sa TST sa pagsa-shopping sa Park Lane o kaya ay bumalik sa Star Ferry at manood ng Symphony of Lights na nagaganap tuwing ika-walo ng gabi. Tiyak na sa kabila ng pagod, hinding-hindi makakalimutan ang paglalakbay sa mga makasaysayang lugar ng TST, ang tinaguriang United Nations of Hong Kong

RH BILL ANYONE?

courtesy of the sun newspaper..

Filipinos in HK debate pros and cons of RH Bill

It is an issue that has long been debated in the Philippines. Should the so-called Reproductive Health Bill, or simply RH bill, which advocates the use of contraceptives among its more controversial provisions, be passed?The bill became as good as dead when the Philippine legislature failed to pass it during the nine-year tenure of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who appeared anxious not to ruffle the feathers of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which was staunchly against it. But moves are now afoot to revive the measure, especially in the wake of President Benigno S. Aquino III's public pronouncement that he wants Filipinos to be educated on the various methods of family planning and be free to choose which method they prefer. His uncompromising stance provoked a leading CBCP to threaten him with excommunication, a move that only served to draw more attention to the bill, and heightened the polarization of views over its controversial provisions. As the debate among Filipinos raged, two words became bywords: abortion and excommunication. But do these words really reflect the essence of the RH Bill? According to Fr. Emil Lim, SVD, head of the Filipino Diocese in Hong Kong, the Catholic Church is not against the bill per se. "It is the inclusion of the use of artificial contraception into this bill that the Catholic Church objects to," he said. He also said that the Catholic Church is not against family planning, but prescribes only the natural method. "We encourage couples to plan their families according to their means and in a natural way. The Church is against artificial means of contraception because it goes against how God designed the law of nature with regards to the procreative function of sex and the transmission of life. Artificial contraception breaks the natural connection between love and its potential for life. If you want to make love, then you accept also the possibility of life. Artificial contraception is often used to prevent Life from Love. And as is often the case in a contraceptive culture, it degrades the sex and the dignity of persons." With regard to sex and pregnancy, he said that the most apt explanation would be the Tagalog adage "Kung ayaw mo, wag mo." He said, "Is it not more responsible to teach abstinence to our children rather than handing them a condom?" He also clarified why the use of artificial contraceptives is like abortion. "Some contraceptive medicines like the birth control pill are actually abortifacient; they prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted in the womb. What is flashed out is a very small embryo, but a very small human being nonetheless," said Fr. Lim. He reiterated that there are some parts of the bill that they like. "The promotion of breastfeeding, health for women, mothers, and the young, or the elimination of violence against women are good," he said. But he said the bill also "calls for government funded and sponsored universal access to all types of contraceptive devices, and mandatory sex education to our school children," which he said the church does not agree with. Lastly, he said the issue of excommunication has been blown out of proportion. "It is not the whole CBCP en banc who talks about excommunication. I think, it will boil down to individual bishops and priests whether they would excommunicate their faithful or not," Lim stated. According to him, there are two reasons for a member to be excommunicated, abortion and hurting the Pope. But according to Gabriela-Hongkong vice chairperson Rowena de la Cruz, she supports the RH Bill because it is "pro women." She went on to quote a part of the bill that Gabriela Rep Luz Ilagan filed: "The social inequality between the ruling and the exploited classes coupled with government's corruption and its neglect to deliver essential social services is the core basis of poverty, and not overpopulation." She also said that the Church must understand that it the right of every woman to choose how many children she should have. "Hindi tamang diktahan ang isang tao kung gagamit ng pildoras o hindi dahil siya naman ang bubuhay sa bata," she said. (It is not right to tell a person not to use pills because she bears the sole responsibility of looking after her own kid). She also said that using condom or pills should not be equated with abortion. "Prevention ang mga iyon at hindi ka pa buntis kaya wala pang pinapatay na sanggol," she said. (That is just for prevention because you are not pregnant yet, so you are not killing any child). Another Filipino migrant worker echoed the view that contraception should never be equated with abortion because while one prevents pregnancy, the other is meant to flush out something "that is already there." She went on to ask, "Can someone tell me who will feed the people who get hungry due to overpopulation?" Another leader said that if she gets excommunicated for using birth control pills, so be it. "Ako naman ang bubuhay ng anak ko," (It is I who will raise my own children anyway). She said that she takes the pill every time she goes home for a vacation because she does not want to get pregnant. "Alangan namang i-risk ko iyon dahil lang sa kagustuhan ng simbahan?" (Should I risk that getting pregnant -- just to please the Church?) She reckons that if the Church did go ahead with expelling all Catholics who take contraceptives, there will not be a lot of them left because "sigurado, karamihan, gumagamit ng contraceptives" (I am sure, most of them are using contraceptives). But for Pat Gonzales, an El Shaddai member, supporting the RH Bill will never be acceptable. "Hindi ko man alam ang buong nilalaman ng RH Bill, sinusunod ko ang stand ng simbahan tungkol sa bagay na iyan. Kaya ayaw ko sa paggamit ng condom at pills," she said. (Even if I am not totally aware of what the RH Bill is about, I support the stand of the Church regarding this. That is why I am against the use of condoms and pills). Another Filipina worker says she is also opposed to the bill, but for a different reason. "I am not a religious person. I don't like the way the church meddles with government affairs but I also don't believe that condoms and pills would miraculously solve our problems. Dati naman ng may pills ah, bakit hanggang ngayon madami pa ring tao sa atin?" (The pills have been around for a long time, but how come our population keeps growing?) She said the only solution to the problem of overpopulation is discipline among couples. "Wala na ngang maipakain, anak pa rin ng anak tapos isisisi sa gobyerno o sa simbahan, tama ba iyon?" (Many can barely feed themselves, and yet they keep having children. Then they blame the government and the Church is that right?) As the controversy continues, legislators are poised to again debate the bill in the upcoming 15thCongress. Filipinos can only hope that whatever solution they could come up with would really benefit most, if not all people, and will be implemented.

excited to be blogging again!!!!

after my site was killed by facebook, part of me still wanted to have a blog site, and after a year of concentrating on social networking sites, i'm back to where i love most, writing my heart out..


am not sure if other people would see this one day or if other bloggers would be interested in reading my posts, (and i'm wishing that they would), and if i'd get lucky to have some followers, pls make sure to leave a comment after visiting my humble page.. thanks and thanks to google for this space..