Am back: a newly-minted husband of one very loving and truly special woman. The wedding was -- and since it was my wedding, I can gloat -- awesome. The church was beautiful: lilies, dendrobiums and roses seemed to make the aisle float magically. We were overwhelmed by the number of people at the church, it seemed like there were more people at the church than at the reception, an irony of sorts in a Filipino wedding.

So many stories to tell, like the priest's homily about a red rose and a maya bird, and how I actually had time to gas the car, air the tires, and play a few rounds of Little Fighter 2 before I left for the church. But most memorable, at least to those in the wedding party, was how the ring bearer and the arrhae bearer got into a little toddler tussle and ended up almost losing the rings. The ring bearer bumped into a pew, and, according to eyewitness account, the rings flew in the air, shimmering in the sunlight, and fell to the marble floor with ominous wayward tinkling. The ushers and the groomsmen, some nervous, some calm, huddled and created a perimeter: "Holy CRAP! Where did it go?!?!" The rings were found -- tuloy ang kasal!!

Come dinner time, we had to keep the doors closed as we added two more tables: a hallmark of Filipino weddings are the last minute RSVPs, or lack thereof. The receiving line was peppered with people we hadn't seen in years, and people we had never met. Shook hands like a happy politician.

All's well from then on, except for a few people who didn't get their pictures taken, or had seating problems (among other things). Each table had a disposable camera, red and white wine and a bottle of champagne. The toasts were amazing. My brother, under threat of severe bodily harm should he try anything embarassing, shared sincere words as my best man. He also did a fine job as MC.

And our parents were delightful with their parting words: my mother revealed a dramatic flare in her speech as she kept referring to our future "children" (note plural form). I took in several potshots from all sides for my suspected bald-headed fate (my father lost most of his hair before he turned 23).

The tables had bunched white rose centerpieces, and too bad we didn't get a bite to eat. Many said the food was scrumptious.

Dancing: the sight of 50 or so people representing 5 generations of friends and relatives raising their arms singing Y-M-C-A was momentous. In Da Club, Dancing Queen, Love on the Run, My Sharona, Groove Tonight, Work It -- we danced barefeet until 12 midnight intermittently talking with friends (to whom we are extremely grateful to for staying on top of our wedding logistics -- no wedding planner, yes) and shooting up tequila and vodka.

The crowd from Los Banos -- friends of my and my bride's parents -- were in full attendance. So were college friends, high school friends and former officemates. Relatives from abroad and from Manila were around as well (and some stayed up with us until 2 am while we ate leftovers). We had guests from Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the United States -- what a turnout!

And yet, we still missed friends and family, who, in one way or the other, couldn't make it, but wanted to come. We will get the pics up soon, so you can share the moments with us.

All for now. Back to the grind for me.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Exhausted, but ecstatic. Tomorrow's ceremony and party promises to be memorable for everyone. Last night's Despedida de Soltera was a fulfilling preview to what might be: friends who've never met hanging out, relatives from each family sharing dinner, and wine and vodka lacing stories of hometowns, children and bridesmaid dresses.

Wish us luck. See you all when I get back.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Haven't blogged in a while: have been terribly busy with all the wedding plans. But this is a worthwhile plug. My good friend since high school Wowie Ebron, now a post-doctoral student at the University of Texas, has just been published at Nature. Here's the link, then check out "Brief Communications" and look for "Super Tough Carbon Nanotube Fibers". Last I checked, all the chemistry he knew was what went on making this stuff. And this, which he proudly learned to synthesize on the cheap at our school lab.

Way to reprazent, dude.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:35 PM | Permalink
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Recently I have been noticing, much to the chagrin of my fiance, that my handwriting has degraded into a series of misguided lines and abrupt curves. Hardly legible, they do not even pass for fancy medical prescription script that, says her, "you should really think about learning cursive writing again."

First, the changes in my handwriting serve as a landmark -- a fork in the branch of evolution -- of how far I have departed from the days of papyrus and the days of writing on ruled paper. Gone are the days of asking: "May extra ballpen ka pa ba?" or "SHET!! Naputol ang lapis ko. Naimbyerna naman ako!" Having said that, I do relish writing with my nibbed fountain pen, but that's because I like watching the ink drain into the paper.

Second, hardly anyone, other than myself, is put through the agony of trying to decipher my code. I do however stumble to read my own handwriting which to me is more proof that I should have a Powerbook soon. But, alas, that's another topic.

Thirdly, I don't actually write cursive anymore. Since college I've used a form of print that, well, appears only when I write with my hand. It's a serif with some sans serif elements. Not too flowery, but not terribly readable either.

In fact, I seldom use my handwriting anymore. Hardly anyone I know does (witness the rush to create tablet-PCs; yes, the takeup is low and indeed handwriting recognition these days are left to powerful CPUs, not lazy adults) and sure enough this article galvanizes my point: cursive handwriting (or "dikit dikit") will go the way vinyls have gone: a half century from now we will probably have anthropologists collecting handwriting samples as a way to preserve this "dying art". No one says "Don't forget to write to me, okay?" It's more like: "Send me an email."

Cursive handwriters are an endangered species. My handwriting surely shows signs of it.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Gollum wins Best Digital Performance in the recent MTV Movie Awards. Watch his acceptance video.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Troubled handheld computer industry unite! By the way, I own a Handspring and hardly ever used it except for playing Bejeweled.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:51 AM | Permalink
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Bishop Teodoro Bacani is accused of molestation of a woman in his staff in the Diocese of Novaliches.

A letter from the bishop was read to his parishes today, Sunday. Parts of it can be found here.

Several versions of the details of the allegations were reported: One claimed that Bacani had hugged and caressed his secretary when she came to his room in Novaliches to update him on a bank transaction. The other version said that the bishop attempted to kiss the woman. Rañada said that while Bacani might have expressed affection inappropriately, there was no malice in his actions. He said the gestures did not constitute sexual harassment.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 11:38 AM | Permalink
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The FBI is recruiting teenage girls (some honor students) to help catch pedophiles on the Internet.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:56 PM | Permalink
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So, the Philippines is going gaga (65% ratings share for every episode on average; but how can you NOT beat Daimos?!? Erica! Richard! Erica! Richard! ) for the Taiwanese soap opera (called Chinovelas) Meteor Garden. If you want to get up to speed on the storyline intricacies, click here for a fan's detailed overview (with spoilers though). Here's a tribute to Flower Four (or F4) the boy band (yes, BOY band) that topbills the soap.

Of course, there are photo galleries.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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Via GA, when was the last time GIF animation impressed you? Right after you see this stuff. (In Japanese; ust click and watch.)

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:00 PM | Permalink
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This article is doing the rounds.

(FindLaw) -- President George W. Bush has got a very serious problem. Before asking Congress for a joint resolution authorizing the use of U.S. military forces in Iraq, he made a number of unequivocal statements about the reason the United States needed to pursue the most radical actions any nation can undertake -- acts of war against another nation.

Now it is clear that many of his statements appear to be false. In the past, Bush's White House has been very good at sweeping ugly issues like this under the carpet, and out of sight. But it is not clear that they will be able to make the question of what happened to Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) go away -- unless, perhaps, they start another war.

That seems unlikely. Until the questions surrounding the Iraqi war are answered, Congress and the public may strongly resist more of President Bush's warmaking.

Presidential statements, particularly on matters of national security, are held to an expectation of the highest standard of truthfulness. A president cannot stretch, twist or distort facts and get away with it. President Lyndon Johnson's distortions of the truth about Vietnam forced him to stand down from reelection. President Richard Nixon's false statements about Watergate forced his resignation.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:45 PM | Permalink
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I recalled some more details from my Family Planning Seminar two days ago:

Health worker: "Anu-ano bang salita sa sexual intercourse? Anu-ano bang mga tawag sa sexual intercourse?"
Man in audience: "Pagtatalik!"
Health worker: "Pagtatalik! Very good!"
Man in audience: "Pagsisiping!"
Health worker: "Pagsisiping! Very good! Meron pa ba? Ano pa bang tawag natin? Sige pa."
Man in audience: (hushed voice) "Kantot!"
Health worker: "Kantot! Very good! Kantot. Although hindi masyadong tama yung salitang yon, yon din ay tumutukoy sa sexual intercourse."
Man in audience: (enthusiastic) "Hindot!"
Health worker: "Hindot. Tama. Hindot."
Man in audience: "Kangkang!"
Health worker: "Ano?"

Health worker: "Ang babae parang plantsa yan, kailangan pinaplug muna, tapos ginagawaan nang paraan para umabot sa tamang init bago gamitin."

Health worker: "Ano ang average length nang Filipino penis?"
Audience: No reply.
Health worker: "Ang average length -- average ha -- e 4 to 6 inches."
Men in audience shift in their seats.
Health worker: "E ano ba tong 4 to 6 inches, galit ba yan o tulog pa?"
Woman in audience: "Tulog pa!"
Health worker: "Ready to fight na yaaaan. Baka sa honeymoon ninyo, silipin ninyo yung mister ninyo tapos nakita ninyo kulukulubot pa yung ari nya tapos maliit pa sa 4 to 6 inches sabihin ninyo lugi kayo. Hindi yan. Ang 4 to 6 inches e galit na yon."

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:50 PM | Permalink
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Via GA, a collection of dolls that make Chucky look like your next door neighbor.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:11 PM | Permalink
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Mwahahaha!! Raymart's probably having trouble keeping up with Claudine's lifestyle. Alas, he just wanted to make sure that the man doesn't get away for dinging his SUV.

Actor Raymart Santiago is facing robbery charges before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly failing to return the driver’s license of a man involved in a traffic altercation with him in Quezon City last month.

In his sworn statement, Frederick Lorenzana of Buenamar Subdivision, Novaliches, Quezon City, said he lost P1,500 cash he kept in his driver’s license kit when Santiago took the item. The money, Lorenzana added, was meant for the enrollment of his kids.

Lorenza was driving the delivery van that was involved in a minor collision with the actor’s Ford Expedition at 11:45 p.m. on May 13.

After the accident, Santiago allegedly alighted from his vehicle and struck the complainant in the throat. The complainant said this happened just as he handed his driver’s license to Santiago’s driver as proof that he would own up to his part in the accident.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
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Sure, drugs are bad. But what will they do to the kids who test positive? Are there any privacy issues (for juvies) on hand here?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:32 AM | Permalink
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I wonder about FVR's winning margin over Miriam when he won back in 1992. But, considering that Metro Manila only has about 4.5 million registered voters, 400,000 seems a lot.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:24 AM | Permalink
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I'm not sure this article is accurate, but I do know this person used to live in my building. Apparently, he has newer, better digs now.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:32 AM | Permalink
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As part of receiving our Marriage License from the Philippine Government, we had to sit through 4 hours of a "Pre-Marital Seminar on Community Building". Our expectations were very low: crowded room, no air-conditioning and I was coming down with fever-like symptoms (most likely the alternating heat and rain). The first half of the seminar was torture: a man named Wenceslao Cortez rambled on about how marriage is a union of God and man and the triangle that is the sacrament of marriage. Of course, this was a way to please the anti-contraception (Catholic) critics of the government's population control campaign. But it clearly had no place in a seminar hosted by the Department of Health, and the session was slightly less excruciating than chewing glass.

But the family planning seminar itself (the second half of the afternoon) was a wonderful and inspiring (not to mention surprisingly well-crafted) witness to how far health and sexual education has come in this predominantly Catholic (and therefore conservative by default) country. I tip my hat to the former nurse-turned-social worker now standing before us who is obviously schooled in the art of health communication. The wooden penis foretold the imminent glee.

(My apologies to the non-Filipino reader: there are quotes here that are best left in Tagalog.)

She kicks off by making everyone know what Family Planning means:

"Family Planning is not contraception, it is about the health and welfare of your family."

These are the basic tenets, she says, and contraception is just part of the dream of every single person in the room, that is, the healthy, happy, prosperous family. Nods all over.

Then, after prefacing with a piece on how this seminar might be maselan to other people, she gets right down to it:

"Ano-ano ba ang tawag sa reproductive organs nang lalake?"

A hush from the room of about 30 future newlyweds. Then someone breaks the silence: "Titi!" Then, someone else says: "Ari!" Then, someone says: "Etits!" And the ball is, er, rolling.

She goes through much discussion of puberty ("Ano-anong pagbabago sa lalake na nagsisilbing hudyat na maaari na syang mag-conceive?" "Lumalalim ang boses, very good." "Nagkakabulbul. Very good.") and fertility, and shares only the details we need to know (ably referring to the Family Health Centers as a source of further information on the topic).

The most remarkable part of her seminar was how she emphasized matters that one would normally take for granted -- indicative of how aware she is of the socio-economic make up of her audience.

"Sa babae, importante ang foreplay. Ano ba ang foreplay? Ang lalake kasi, konting tukso lang, konti himas ready to fight na. Pero ang babae, parang mantika yan. Kailangan iniinit muna, bago magluto."

She goes on to describe how the men should learn how to caress and fondle ("Importanteng hinihimas ang clitoris (pointing to the body part in the diagram) para maging-wet ang babae.") the woman, because in her words:

"Ang babae kailangan nang romansa. Kundi, hindi sya ma-sasatisfy sa pagtatalik nyo. Konting halikan. Kurutin mo ang utong nya. Kasi, ang pagtatalik, hindi one-way. Kailangan, pareho kayong liligaya."

Then, she points to the anus: "This is not an alternative, okay!" Chuckles in the room. But she cautions:

"Marami sa inyo, baka nabasa nyo sa magazine, o kaya napanood ninyo sa X-rated, na pwedeng mamangka sa anus. Bahala kayo kung saan kayo masaya. Ang importante lang e masaya kayo pareho." Some people were shocked. I, of course, was delighted with all this liberalism. After all, this scathology thrills me.

"However," she continues, "kayong mga lalake, wag ninyong ipapasok sa puwet tapos saka ipapasok sa vagina! Magkaka-infection ang misis ninyo! Baka sa honeymoon ninyo di kayo makapaghoneymoon nang todo-todo." Someone in the room said: "Saka labag sa Bibliya ang sodomy." She completely ignores the remark.

At this point, I wanted to ask her to be our godmother.

Hold on, there's more.

In the question and answer portion, a lady in front of us asked: "Kapag bagong panganak kayo, maam, gaano katagal bago po kayo pweding gamitin ulit nang asawa ninyo?" My jaw dropped. Like I said, you cannot take for granted the mindset and understanding of any of the listeners. Some of them barely had education. The lecturer answers: "Bahala kayo kung kelan, pero dapat ang inununa mo e yung pangangalaga nang katawan mo. So, kung di ka pa handa, wag muna kayong magtalik ni mister."

Another question: "Maaari po bang magka prostate cancer sa over sex?" She replied: "Yes, it's possible." I had to ask: "How over is 'over'?" She replied: "E kung tatlong beses sa isang araw, medyo over na yon. Pero mapapansin mo naman sa katawan mo kung nahihirapan ka na."

At the end of the session, she reminded everyone that this seminar was by Presidential Decree. Everyone is entitled to their own way of raising a family. "Ang importante e nalalaman ninyo ang paraan na pag plano nang pamilya, at na may mga safe and effective means to do so."

I heard her loud and clear.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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MUÑOZ SCIENCE CITY, Nueva Ecija - The eyes of scientists at the Philippine Carabao Center here -- and perhaps, the rest of the animal science community worldwide -- are now focused on the husband-and-wife team fusing the somatic cells of a donor imported buffalo with its recipient to produce the world’s first cloned carabao.

Drs. Edwin and Eufrocina Atabay use the in vitro, or test tube, maturation method in transferring the cells of a Bulgarian buffalo ear to the enucleated egg of a Philippine swamp carabao.

It is a meticulous process, considering that it took Dolly, the first cloned sheep, five years to develop. But the two Filipino animal scientists are hoping they will come up with a native female carabao pregnant with the first cloned carabao in time for the International Buffalo Congress to be held in the Philippines in October 2004.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:33 PM | Permalink
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It was SuSE together with IBM. Yes, IBM. And the funny thing was that Microsoft's bid was CHEAPER.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 06:16 PM | Permalink
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