Shortened Hours

UC guys, if you still are not aware, here are our class schedules for tomorrow, June 30, 2011: 

So instead of 8:15pm, I get to go home at 3:00pm. Or will I?

I have other things in mind.. [insert decepticon laugh here]

Myself in Marketing Terms

Our Mktg1 (Principles of Marketing) instructor gave us three minutes to write about/introduce ourselves using - what else - Marketing terms (needs wants demands stuff).

Here's what I came up with:

 I am Bjorn Reyes, 18 years old, an only child from a middle class family. My mother is a Registered Nurse, while my father is currently the Department Manager of ISD, ABRECO (Institutional Services Department, Abra Electric Cooperative). Being an only child (my only sister passed away in the past year), I tend to receive whatever I need; therefore marketing basically helps by informing me about the products and services with the best quality and lets me choose among them. Being 18, I often have a lot of wants and demands; I would love to get the best products and services available. However, my parents never dreamed of me grow up as a spoiled brat; they see to it that I always get only what I need, sometimes what I want and occasionally what I demand.

Considering we were only given a few minutes to accomplish this task, I guess I did a pretty good job on it.

My teacher was sking how I got to write "a lot", given the less than ample time to do such. I smiled and thought to myself: "the perks of blogging."

Dad's DayS

Every third Sunday of the month of June, we celebrate Father's Day.

{Why do I hear "Yah, we know" everywhere?}

  

On Sunday morning, though, I woke up to this touching - really really touching - Father's Day message from one of my classmates in grade school:

"I wish I could greet my dad, but I couldn't. Naiingit ako sa inyo because your fathers are still with you, and you can show them how much you love and care for them. How I wish I could also celebrate father's day with him kahit minsan lang. Sigh. I miss you, papa. how I wich you were here. I love you so much, pa. Happy father's day po sa mga haligi ng tahanan dyan."

 My former classmate's father passed away - he was with the military - about seven months before she was born.

I know father's day ended a day ago. But then - read my classmate's message again and try putting yourself in her sneakers - does that mean we stop showing our fathers how much we love and care for them?

I sure hope not.

The "real" winners

With all due respect, here are the real winners of the Mutya ng Dolores pageant:

Mutya ng Dolores 2011 [center]

Mutya ng Talogtog: Emerisa Alcantara

Mutya ng Dolores-Environment [right]

Mutya ng Calumbaya: Charina Bermudez

Mutya ng Dolores-Tourism [left]

Mutya ng Cardona: April Rose Avero

I guess transparency is a good word.

Peace out!

Congrats Mutyas...

Mutya ng Dolores: My winners

After I posted a nasty blog entry criticizing the overall results/winners of the Mutya ng Dolores pageant, feedback were calling on me to show who I believe should have gone home with the title. They say it would make me "more transparent."

Whatever that means, here they are:

Mutya ng Dolores 2011

Mutya ng Salucag: Deanne Joy Purisima [!]

 I know. I know. While nobody can argue that among the pageant's Magic 7,  Deanne delivered the best answer in the Coronation Night Q & A (she went home with the Mutya Articulate Award), her pulchritude (anlalim pare!) arguably also easily qualifies her to the top 3 prettiest mutyas, if there was such a thing. Beauty and brains, remember? Beauty and brains, baby! Beauty and brains... I know. I know.

Mutya ng Dolores-Environment

Mutya ng North-East Poblacion: Maezy Tordil

May be considered as the most physically beautiful of the Mutya ng Dolores candidates, her A in the Q & A was not bad either. Maezy is definitely someone you'd love to be doing the represent-Dolores thingy.

Mutya ng Dolores-Tourism

I'm leaving the 3rd and last spot open as a testament that all of the candidates deserved a shot at the title. Here are my honorable mentions though for Mutya ng Dolores-Tourism:

 Mutya ng Isit

Mutya ng Taping

Mutya ng Isit: Julie Anne Apolinar

She was not voted Mutya ng Congeniality for nothing. The award is a attestation to her friendly personality and ever-ready smile. Now that's something she can use in marketing tourism in our town.

Mutya ng Taping: Lea Nina de Leon

With her body custom-made for modelling, she's absolutely one who can champion Dolores for tourism.

Mutya ng Central Poblacion

Mutya ng Central Poblacion: Rashel Taluban

I praise her for the natural beauty she possesses. A natural Dolores beauty for Dolores tourism.

Mutya ng Lublubba

Mutya ng Lublubba:
Liway Grace Trinidad

Dolores Fiesta is now known as "Dolores Sakuting Festival". Liway is great in it (went home with Mutya Talent award after doing the sakuting). Do the logic, she's one for Mutya ng Dolores-Tourism

Mutya ng Dolores : A bummer

{Notes: This blog entry went straight from my mind to the keyboards. It underwent no copyreading nor editing of any type. It is a long overdue blog entry. If you happen to be from Talogtog, Dolores, Abra or a fan of the reigning Mutya ng Dolores, don't even bother reading. If you insist on doing so, (and before you get to challenge my credibility for writing this), please keep in mind that the name of this blog is "Random thoughts and Arrogant Opinions". Makes sense?}

It still is strange that I, of all people, had the guts to write something like this. After all, it was I who later fell in love with someone I met mainly through the Mutya ng Dolores pageant. [wink] So then why would I even consider calling the pageant "a bummer?" Allow me:

While I commend the  great minds behind the Dolores Sakuting Festival for coming up with something that succeeded in showcasing the beauty of Dolorenias, I, like some other hundreds of my town mates, am not thrilled of the overall results.

 Here's part of a candidate's answer during the Coronation Night's Question and Answer portion:

"I'm sorry, I'm just a people. I'm not perfect."

Oh girl, you're beyond right, you're not perfect. I am not even close to being perfect. The person reading this right now is not perfect. Neither is Megan Fox nor LeChoke James, President Obama...the list goes on. NOBODY IS PERFECT.

However, she, who is just a people [foul!], went on to bring home the bacon: the Mutya ng Dolores crown, that is. I AM NOT FREAKING KIDDING! This is like Venus "Major Major" Raj being crowned Miss Universe, only this is a bit worse.

Yes, I am fully aware that the Q & A portions is just but one part of the whole pageant. But then, I guess we can all agree that it is big BIG part. The cliche is "Beauty and Brains." It was never (and never will be) "beauty, hot body, sexy legs, seductive eyes, nice arse and brains."

On the other hand, a little of slip-up (call it that way) won't do much to hurt your chances of winning, right? Wrong. Have I mentioned about Venus Raj? I did. Venus Raj was a major major crowd favorite even before the Miss Universe pageant and had a major major chance of going home with the title. The minor minor slip-up cost her a lot. She ended up as fourth runner-up.

The reigning Mutya ng Dolores looked good, she really did. However, all of the candidates did. On the other hand, we have to admit that only a handful of them gave good answers [see: Miss Salucag]. Now I'm biased.

It is a shame that the winner gets to represent the young ladies of Dolores the youth of Dolores pretty much the whole town of sorrows Dolores. This is so much like electing Manny Pacquiao to the House of Representatives. Oh, that guy is involved in politics? It figures.

Nuff said. I have to go wear my bullet-proof vest.

Take it easy, you guys.


 [Wanna know who I believe should have won? See here.}

Ab-ableng/Abal-abal: A second look

Ever heard of the cliche "You are what you eat" ?

Basically, it connotes that you have to eat healthy to be healthy. Blah. Blah. Blah.

But then, if we take the saying literally (which is what I often do)........

There's a reason you never see me chew these creatures: I am what I eat, and I never dreamed of being a tiny insect easily attracted to rancid stuff (read: keddeng).

Of course, I'm kidding.

The Philippine beetle (salagubang in Filipino; ab-ableng / abal-abal in Ilocano) is actually considered a delicacy in most of Northern Luzon including my hometown of Dolores, Abra. [Here's a recipe] Although, we consider eating them conventional, it is not a surprise that people may call them exotic.They are usually abundant when the wet season starts; therefore, it is a common sight in Panar (ab-ableng country) to be filled with people waiting for them to come out when dusk settles in May.

My parents love ab-ablengs, my uncle goes to Panar almost every afternoon to bag some for dinner and my niece chomps on them like there was no tomorrow. I guess that means they taste good, don't they?

That said, I still do not see myself eating them in the near future...

Peace!

[photos from Discover Dolores and Dolores, Abra]