wtf is happening to blogpress

so frustrating. it was so easy with iPad1. now i can't seem to figure this out with IOS5.1 and iPad2

so let me try to post this rant.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

pinoy mad men

spent time with the stalwarts of the pinoy ad industry.  one long day with them.

some of them i knew from way back.  proud to see that these people i started my corporate career with have done so well.  some of them i was familiar with in college.  they used to be part of this fag group who figured prominently in campus, with their noses up in the air.  i found them snooty then.  partly because of my own insecurities.  but now i get to know some of them and they turn out to be nice and friendly.  and very accomplished.

i viewed dozens and dozens of commercials yesterday.  wonderful output of the best agencies.  after seeing them, i started to see patterns. 

realism in beautiful lighting - urban or rural setting, as real as it could get.  more often in humble (read poverty level) environs.  but captured in wonderful cinematography.

background music unplugged - to accompany the rich visuals, instrumentals without lush orchestration.  typical just pluckings of guitar strings.

real people, less celebrification

the 30-second telenovela

this reflects the spirit of the times.  the 'reality tv' mirror we indulge in.  and of course, the 'indie film'. rather than be dazzled by aspirational themes, we are more reflective now.  and that transcends geography and socio-economic classification.

some noteworthy materials that represent this came from meralco, nestle, safeguard, cinemalaya (siyempre)

network offline

im going offline for a while. well, just the social networks. the timeline has become a distraction rather than a diversion.

what used to be a means for me to be updated on the life pf my friends' became a voyeuristic window to the lives of people i dont really know. not that there is anything wrong with that. but it has become unhealthy for me. stalker mode much!

well, im just giving myself a break, i suppose. let's see how long i can stay offline.


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treatment is prevention

from the conference i attended, i picked up this development in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  some quarters are pushing to increase the arv administration threshold of the cd4 count.  HIV patients under arv treatment are lot less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior.

thursdays with cc: the hunger

apologies to steve jobs fans out there, for my belated posthumous..err post.

Steve Jobs: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

the value of this statement never rang more true to me than when i reflected about my teacher.

he has undoubtedly an amazing voice. he graduated at the conservatory with top honors. and hearing him sing would just sweep you off your feet.

but you won't catch him top-billing any opera, any concert, not anytime soon. why? because he is not hungry enough.

he sings for the love of it. wonderful. and he continues to study and perfect his craft. but he is not hungry for anything beyond that. not recognition. not wealth. he is perfectly happy the way he is right now. he is not pressured to take in more work, more students, because he literally does not need the money. so he just keeps on singing. and while he auditions for roles, or gets invited to some, he wouldn't be caught dead trying too hard to make it.

so that should be a good thing, right? to be content with what you have.

yes.

and no. steve jobs was right in wishing those stanford graduates to continue to be hungry. because hunger is the most powerful motivation to achieve excellence. 'blessed discontent' as i've blogged before.

my middle-class upbringing made me 'hungry'. made me keep on aspiring. and i still do. maybe not for the same things as before. but i still hunger, nevertheless.

i continue to challenge myself, to achieve better results at work, to reach for the higher note, to lose the additional flab. and lately, i hunger to do something that will really, truly achieve better health outcomes for all Filipinos, not just some.

hunger. it is a good thing.

110511 2148 Philippines?

i joined tour groups today. two half-day tours. yeah, these are usually tourist traps. but if you want to get the sightseeing done and over with, without having to do much planning, this is your best bet.

i usually do this for new places i visit. most of the trips i do are business trips anyway.

i joined small groups today. morning tour around the city of cape town was with 9 other pax. afternoon tour to the winelands, we were just six. i was mostly with whites: germans, americans, english.

i'm usually identified as asian. and a lot of them assume that i am either chinese or japanese. (hey mr. wong or hey mr. lee - i guess that is the counterpart of us calling each white guy joe.)

though when i mention that i'm actually from the Philippines, there is usually recognition, awareness. but not 100%. my afternoon tour guide didn't know where the Philippines was exactly.

recurrent themes upon recognizing that you are from the Philippines:

i've met some really nice Filipinos. very friendly.

there are a lot of Filipinos in (names their city). usually they are nannies.

i was on this cruise ship. and most of the personnel were Filipinos. and when i played some latin music, whoa, all the Filipinos just started dancing. it was hilarious!

how's the weather there? i hear it's like raining so much.

oh wow. how is manny pacquiaouuuw? he's great.

and as i have mentioned before, traveling is one humbling experience. im just another asian roaming their city, a tourist.