SURIGAO BY THE DOZEN

"12 Things to do" in Surigao City/Del Norte-Whether you're local or a foreigner, you can't say you've really been to Surigao, unless you've done at least one of these, much better if it's all of the above, they're not that hard, and you thought the place is boring.







1.) EAT CHICKEN BARBECUE AT THE PIER: sometimes referred to as "the Berlin Wall" because the stands line-up the portside walls, this is not just a "to do" list, but a "must do" for locals here in Surigao City, so if you're a first timer, you should find out why.
Take your pick: paa, petso, atay/baticonoy, retazzo, esoy and adidas, and don't forget the "hanging rice" (poso)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

MY 6 MOST MANIPULATIVE LINES

There is a saying that “Persuasion is more effective than force” and while most of us would tend to agree with it, the trouble is the thin line that separates persuasion and manipulation. (the same thin line that separates caring and controlling) and the thing with manipulation is that it is usually done among people with intimate relationships, the most common is between parents and their children, and it runs both ways. Below are some expressions which I consider to be manipulative. I’m sure you’ve heard these before, either being said to you or you telling others at some point in your life. this compilation is my opinion based on my experience, I’ve added some comments to make it amusing (at least) hopefully you’ll enjoy reading even if you don’t agree with it. (and if you do-next time somebody tells you…)

1.) I LOVE YOU
This one I’m sure we all agree, win hands down, as one of the most manipulative expression of all time, it has been used, misused and abused, for selfish interest.

2.) THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
Another expression that has been abused, and is all so familiar among kids, and while I don’t question the intention, there are times when we are intelligent enough to asses the situation honestly, and objectively, is it really for your own good or more for the one saying it?

3.)IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT…..
Your career, your studies, your…. etc. and of course my favorite, “if you really love me, you would”… (fill in the blanks)

4.) CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR?
* When someone buttonholes you with this approach, beware! The use of this sentence is unfair; it’s blackmailing. The speaker traps the listener, who has to listen to the request or be rude. And in giving consent to listen the listener is placed in a dilemma by the word favor. He has to grant something against his own best interest, or to appear in an uncharitable light. Watch out for him.
and don’t you find it equally manipulative if not annoying when said in the vernacular? “Hanggyo lang kini kung mosugot ka”.



5.) IT’S ONLY A SUGGESTION
The most common opening for unsolicited advise, but let’s face it, even when we say that, we don’t admit, that deep inside, we expect our advise to be taken at face value. Maybe we should follow it up with- “TAKE NOTE WHO IS MAKING THE SUGGESTION”.




6.) IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE
No I’m not saying this isn’t true because I subscribe to this wisdom, but not when you’re invited to a free Orientation seminar for a direct selling company, or an association/organization, and suddenly the seminar takes longer than originally scheduled and you have to excuse yourself because of your other obligations, or they will schedule another meeting which just happens to be in conflict with your other commitments, when organizers will suddenly lay that expression on you…how convenient.


*Peoplewatching; research briefs on human behavior. Academic Publishing Corp.

PINOY HALLOWEEN

It’s Friday morning October 30, and we’re buying candles and flowers in order to avoid the rush hour crowd on Saturday, in preparation of All Saints and All Souls day, like most Filipinos. I grew up in that tradition, in my younger days, it was to visit the grave of our departed grandparents, and now my late mom. The routine has always been, to go to the memorial park early in the evening, light up some candles, pray, eat our dinner there, do some bonding with old family friends and relatives, who are likewise in the cemetery for the same reasons, and go home by late nightfall, it wasn’t that crowded yet. But lately a lot of things have changed, and not just the crowd, we now go early in the morning, (more to find a good parking space) pitch our tent, (yup) eat lunch and dinner there, and stay late in the night, or like others, spend the night there. Some memorial parks actually go as far as put up a Halloween festival, with dance contests, talent shows, complete with food concessionaires, and even those selling masks, and a fireworks display, late in the evening, this is probably to entice more clients, to have their umm resting place there.
But wait, isn’t Halloween an American tradition? That maybe true, however, since it just happens to precede All Saints and All Souls day, a Filipino tradition, in which Filipinos honour and remember their dead, it’s not surprising that Filipinos have adopted it as well (among other things American). And with our penchant to make every non-working holiday a celebration, it’s not surprising we have adopted and celebrated someone else’s as well.

Come Nov. 01 (All Saints) and Nov. 02), Filipinos go to the cemetery to gather, and remember their dearly departed, it’s a family affair, and for once, it’s not just the sadness of losing and missing a loved one, but a celebration of seeing those who are still alive albeit already living in other places or some other country, who have come back to visit as well. And since Filipinos traditionally celebrate it at the cemetery, Halloween gets an authentic boost when we celebrate it there as well.


(above) It’s not summer camp. It's All Saints Day and they're preparing to spend the night here at the cemetery, just like most Filipinos on Nov. 01 and 02. It’s a family affair, so everyone is in for a treat.


Aren’t day supposed to come out only at night?


The, (L-R) aswang, white lady, and kapre, creatures of Philippine folklore that have made our Halloween distinctively pinoy, no witches and broomsticks here.


Creatures whose world has turned upside-down.


not only can they get to come out at daytime, they get own the damn road as well


When you hold a Halloween dance contest on All Saints day-at the cemetery, you can be sure, the spirit of Michael Jackson lives on.


It’s a non-working holiday, and in the middle of the semestral break, come Nov.01 and 02, everyone’s’ dying to go to the cemetery


Lest we forget... it’s a time to remember our loved ones, who have gone ahead of us.


Bwa ha ha ha ha

Copy and paste code onto your website or blog


Add site

THE PARADOX OF WISDOM

1.) IT IS SAID: First impression is lasting

BUT: Do not judge a book by its cover.

2.) IT IS SAID: The squeaky wheel gets oiled.

BUT: The nail that sticks out gets hammered.

3.) WE ALWAYS SAY: I will cross my bridge when I get there.

BUT ITS BETTER TO: Dig your well before you’re thirsty

4. IT IS SAID: Only fools go where Angels fear to tread.

BUT: The biggest risk of all, is to take none at all.

5.) IT IS SAID: Fortune favours the strong

HOWEVER: And the meek shall inherit the earth.

6.) IT IS SAID: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

BUT: Out of sight, out of mind.

7.)IT IS SAID: He who hesitates is lost

BUT REMEMBER: Look before you leap.

8.) IT IS SAID: Two heads are better than one.

BUT: Too many cooks will spoil the broth.

9.) IT IS SAID: An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

BUT: No Pain-No Gain

10.) THEY SAY: The Pen is mightier than the sword

BUT : Action speaks louder than words

PS: Look who’s talking?

THOSE WHO SPEAK
“Those who speak now know nothing;
Those who know are silent.”
This word, as I am told,
Were spoken by Lao-tzu
If we are to believe that Lao-tzu
Was himself one knew,
How come that he wrote a book of five thousand
words?

THE 10 SIGNS OF AGING FOR MEN

1.) You are now starting to wear reading glasses

2.) When it comes to music, sports, gimmicks, and even fashion, you think the
70’s and the 80’s rule.

3.) Your favourite music collection is mostly made up of vinyls (and in
fairness, it was been proven that vinyl has superior sound quality than CD’s)

4.) You no longer like wearing printed t-shirts (you prefer plain colored ones)

5.) Sticking racing stickers on your car or motorbike is in bad taste.

6.) You now frown when young women wear sexy clothes inside the church.

7.) Your average annual beer consumption is declining.

8.) Forget new age, your idea of a chill out music is still Pink Floyd’s “Dark
Side of the Moon” album.

9.) Your parents, teachers and especially the principal were right all along-
freedom goes hand in hand with responsibilities.

10.) You just come to realise, that despite its flaws, the system actually
works, and more than that-you are now part of it!