coffee break

you like?

my blog needs a revamp. really. i’m growing tired of how it looks. even the layout, although it’s simple and clean as i like it. so i’m undertaking this project of redesigning this blog.

for one, i’ve dealt with all the technicalities of it, blog engine update, bandwidth, bandwidth stealing, security, openid, etc. well that’s what i do for a living so this blog must be a shinning beacon of enterprise driven architecture. never mind that this engine is written in php. now that i’ve taken care of all the techy stuff, it’s content. i promise, like my previous ‘new year resolutions’, to blog at least once a week.

so i leave you with this for the mean time…

it’s a shot taken by marius at the legaspi market in makati. he’s one of the couch surfers i hosted during the summer months.

download hi-res image here.

no news at all.

well, except this.

So here’s the deal. BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) have recently reversed its ruling on companies and its employees on ROHQ (Regional Head Quarters) status. The new circular RMC 41-2009 states that the flat 15% preferential tax rate will only be applicable to employees doing both managerial and highly technical roles. As opposed to its previous ruling that all employees of an ROHQ company will enjoy the 15%.  For whatever reason, the BIR have changed its mind and it affected a lot of employees, including me.

The COMELEC rejected Ang Ladlad’s bid for a party list accreditation for the May 2010 election. From the definition of the party list, these organization should represent the minority. They represent the voice of the small people in the congress were congressmen represents the majority of the people that elected them. COMELEC have sited that the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community that Ladlad represents promotes immorality. I being openly gay is affected by this blind judgment that my government have cast upon me.
Just recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ruled to clear the Ampatuans. Seeing 57 dead bodies in a dugout mass grave who wanted to bring change in the Autonomous Region of the country breaks my heart and spirit. My government not doing anything with this blatant display of arrogance and power affects me.

How can I in good conscience root for this government? A government who discriminates me because of my sexuality instead of protecting me. A government that calls me immoral yet takes my ‘immoral’ tax. A government who turns a blind eye on the arrogance of its official for favors and wealth.

My countrymen, I beg you this election to grab your concerns and your worries. Put it in your heart and mind. Take control of you future. I will not persuade you who to vote, but I implore you to vote according to your conscience. The future is upon us now, this May. Own it.

for me, the measure of a good government is not gnp, or increased export or number of jobs created. it’s simply how much trust its citizen has in the government, and right now i have too little respect more so trust to this government. i used to say better gma nd fpj. now i wonder how it would be if fpj won.

listening to:
The Soul Sessions – Joss Stone : Dirty Man (Live)

i just switched to skybroadband and availed the 1.5mbps plan at 999 for existing sky cable subscribers. i couldn’t be any happier with these speed test results. i downloaded java 1.6 jdk (yes i’m a geek) and was able to complete it in under 5 minutes. of course it helped that i took the speedtest at 3.37am but still. not to mention this provider have access to iwanttv. i don’t have to rush home to catch my tv shows. i’m a happy camper indeed.

listening to:
Sex and the City Soundtrack – Al Green & Joss Stone : How Can You Mend a Broken Heart