Simply Tatang's

PAA 40th Anniversary

2009-03-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

The wife and I went to the 40th anniversary of the UC Berkeley campus organization Pilipino-American Alliance at the International House last evening, March 7. The event for me was just like my college experience in all of its shortcomings and eventual payoffs. It was a mixed bag of triumphs and to a certain extent all of the items that I found so difficult to accept and understand while I was an undergraduate at Cal.

Triumph and Sundering
Perhaps the greatest triumph of PAA is the fact that over the years, it allowed Filipino students to meet each other and form other groups and associations. Last I heard, there were nine such groups that were formed through Filipinos meeting other Filipinos: PCN, {m}aganda, PASS, PAHC, PASAE and others. The opportunity to lead a student group allows a student to develop leadership skills, communication skills and social networking skills which are so important in one’s life as an adult. It is one of the greatest gifts that an organization like PAA can give to students.

Of course, having said that, I am chagrined to remember that in my years as a satellite rotating the body of PAA in 1986-1990, one of the split that occurred was between Filipinos born in the Philippines and Filipinos born in the United States. The Filipinos from the Philippines created a group of their own whose name escapes me at the moment. An assembly was called to discuss the necessity of such an act. The concern, as I understood it from the PAA officers was that the university would not know which Filipino group to deal with. PAA wanted one umbrella organization. The newly migrated Filipinos wanted their own.

On the other hand, retrospectively, I am sure that those Filipino immigrants were not comfortable with PAA as much as I was uncomfortable about PAA. From a Filipino immigrant’s perspective and my personal perspective, PAA did not make sense. First of all, I knew what defined me as a Filipino. I was born in the Philippines. Secondly, it seemed like PAA was purely a social organization. There did not seem to be any meat or substance at all. Third, I was unaware of why the organization focused so much on the Agbayani village. The issue of the Filipino immigrant workers from the 1920’s was unknown to me and frankly, I really did not care. One can say that such an attitude belied the historical context of colonization within a person. And one would be right. I am a colonized Filipino.

The wife Michelle Bautista also pointed out that the splits between PAA and other subsequent organizations were more of a defining point for the existence of PAA than anything else. During the early 1990’s, the literary magazine {m}aganda became its own shining beacon to disaffected Filipinos at Cal who could not find a space for themselves within PAA. The maneuverings of the PAA officers were to state that {m}aganda did not file its own documentation and paperwork to become a campus organization. Therefore, {m}aganda was a sub-group of PAA.

It is fascinating to examine such events in PAA history to understand the politics of power. Those who have power such as PAA want to hold and to integrate power. Those who do not have power want to obtain and wield power. For the most part, many Filipinos who wanted their own organizations were able to create them.

Thinking about it now, the debates that were so important about PAA are the minutiae when compared to daily life. As a forty year old, who cares about issues such as organizational splits, funding from the ASUC, and the food that be served for PCN? But as a young adult, with hormones raging through everyone’s body, it is a miracle that anything was done at all. Of course, there was drama all over the place. PAA members were always pissed off about this group or that group leaving. Young women were crying all the time because someone was so mean. Young men were always plotting how to get X to date them. Twenty years later, it is easy to see it as the call of evolution to reproduce placed within the context of organization and group theory. But at the time, it was life, and it was a young adult’s life.

As the wife pointed out, one reason that the 40th anniversary was not as well attended was because many former members of PAA do not have such a high opinion of the group. Some Filipinos never felt comfortable within the spaces created within PAA and were never able to fit in. Some would much rather attend their own organizations reunion to celebrate their own triumphs and travails.

Pilipino Cultural Night
If there was drama to be had, drama was to be always found in PCN. One of the speakers last night mentioned that she was giving her all to PAA the organization. She was giving her time, her energy, her physical health and her grades to the organization. Such overwhelming dedication and sacrifice is one characteristic of the students who become “hard-core” PAA. Such display is understandable in the context that it is proably the first time that an adult has finally found something worthy of their sacrifice.

However, taken to an extreme, sacrifice and dedication can lead to a drop in grades. Maintaining the balance between extra-curricular activities and maintaining the ever-important grade point average (GPA) is key. Some students were unable to balance themselves. Some had to resign their position in PAA Core because their sacrifice and dedication were so extreme.

Nowhere is the sacrifice greater than in PCN. A whole semester is spent in preparation for one night of glory. As a student, I never understood how my fellow cohorts could sacrifice so much. Many of them were in the pre-medical track when they entered into Berkeley. The amount of time they spent practicing for PCN was a detriment to their educational goals. By the time a student had participated in two PCNs, they usually had to leave the pre-medical track.

Previously, I had mentioned that I was a colonized mind. It is interesting that my process of decolonization began with my questions about PCN. My good friend Paulette Villanueva became the 1989 PCN chair. I had met Paulette in my biology class and I had seen her sing at Pauley Pavilion in the 1988 PCN. I remember speaking to her at McDonald’s still amazed at the fact that she wanted to become PCN chair. It was a staggering undertaking. Not only was Paulette going to take on PCN, she revealed to me that she wanted to hold it at Zellerbach Hall.

I was astounded. For a decade or so, PCN had always been in Pauley Ballroom at the Martin Luther King building. Paulette wanted to hold PCN on the same floor where world-class performances were sung, danced and acted. My jaw dropped to the floor. How can a student-run organization like PAA compete with the likes of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Marcel Marceau, and Alvian Ailey dance company?

Such audacity, such nerve, such wonderful vision. Even now, twenty years later, tears well up in my eye when I truly understand what it took to move PCN from Pauley Ballroom to Zellerbach Hall. I am sitting here kicking myself for not participating. There are few regrets in my life. This is one of them.

I was in the audience when the very first PCN was performed at Zellerbach. I do not remember the script. I do not remember the dances. What I do remember was saying to myself “Paulette, you did it. We are on stage. Filipinos are on stage where the elite of American society perform. We are just as good as them.”

Here, I have to explain something. I don’t know if my cohorts understood the implication of performing at Zellerbach or not. Paulette revealed to me that she was doing it for the logistics of the performance. They needed space when setting up the ever grander theatrical productions. For me personally, it was one of the first times when I saw brown-skinned people on stage. Before that moment, the only people I saw on television, advertising, magazines were white people. To sit in Zellerbach Hall and watch PCN was one defining moment of my life because it allowed me to see what was possible through the vision of one person. If Filipinos could be on the same stage as the Alvin Ailey Dance company, then it is possible for Filipinos to be in other stages too.

In one extent, PAA’s greatest triumphs are the individual moments in a student’s life when they decide to take on something greater, much greater than they know they can handle. Each PCN chair who seeks the office knows this. There were the PCNs of the past… How can I make the current year’s PCN as good if not better than the last?

I still talk to my friend Paulette. Instead of asking for a bahay kubo for the night of the performance, she now tries to brainwash her elementary students to go to Berkeley. I know that each and every single day of her teaching career, she is using what she learned in running the PCN show.

Speeches
It is remarkable that PAA was formed in 1969 as an outshoot of the Third World Liberation Front from SF State. The keynote speakers last night were “some of the founders of PAA”. I say “some” because in the end, an organization such as PAA is made up not of its leadership but of its constituents. I say “some of the founders” because in order to lead, one must know how to follow.

One of my key pet peeves about PAA and about its organizations is the lack of formality and the lack of understanding of what a great opportunity public speaking is. Don’t get me wrong. Public speaking is one of the greatest fears of everyone, next to death and dying. But, every time a Filipino speaks on stage or as a keynote, or anywhere, the speaker has to be aware that they are representing every single Filipino out there. I do not tolerate sloppy public speaking. I don’t tolerate confessional public speaking. I despise unprepared speaking.

In the old days, I would recount and rebut all the mistakes and issues that I found about the speeches. The wife has trained me to be nice, and I have understood that some things need to be glossed over in order for the greater whole to remain a whole. So I won’t say much about the speeches last night.

The one thing that annoyed me to no end last night was this finger-snapping that certain alumni and students were doing. Initially, I thought it was insects buzzing about the room. Then, I realized that it was their way of showing approval. This topic occupied the next few hours in my mind as each time the fingersnapping happened, I wanted to take a hammer and smash a few digits. But I did NOT do it. Such self-control.

I was told that what the students were doing was to use the finger-snapping of the 1950’s instead of clapping. I googled it and found the following from the NY Times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BITTER END: Hanging Out at America's Nightclub
By Paul Colby with Martin Fitzpatrick
Cooper Square Press
($26.95, hardcover)

Bleecker Street was packed with people. There were the locals, and a lot of them were in gangs, and they hated all the straggly artist types. There were the straggly artists who were pouring in from all over the country, and there were throngs of tourists. Crowds overflowed from the shops and the cafes onto the streets because the pavements couldn't accommodate them. They all wanted to come to the Village and see the beatniks and hear their dirty poems. What they got instead was folk music.

This only increased the tension between the coffeehouse owners and the locals. This led to some funny accommodations. In some of the clubs, like the Gaslight, the heating system was so antiquated that all the open ducts ran from the cellar, where the club was, up the building and into the apartments above. And music just tended to be louder than a lone poet reciting his angst.

The sound of applause was louder still. It traveled right up into the apartments and drove the tenants crazy. It got so bad that after a certain hour the audience wasn't allowed to clap. They had to snap their fingers to show approval. The whole idea of finger-snapping beatniks became a joke and wound up in TV shows and movies. It was supposed to be the ultimate in laid-back, hip response. It was really because John Mitchell, who owned the Gaslight, was too lazy to plug up the holes in the basement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wife pointed out that fingersnapping is subversive because you don’t know where it is coming from. I agree. I despise the fingersnapping because culturally, for those who grew up in the Philippines, fingersnapping is something that you do when you order someone around. It is not used to get someone’s attention, it is not used to show approval. Finger snapping when done to another person is a form of animal mounting to show dominance. I understand that times change and it’s the in thing now to fingersnap. But for the love of God, please have some cool rhythm to the fingersnapping. There is nothing worse than unsyncopated, non-rhythmic fingersnapping.

Conclusions
Discussing PAA with the wife is interesting because so often she leads me to areas of exploration that I had never seen before. Analyzing the PAA reunion last night, I felt the very same fears of my college years. The fear of not fitting in, the fear of communicating, and the fear of forgetting people’s names. I always wondered about the people who became PAA Core. Were they that much different than me? How do they do lead? How do they accomplish their tasks?

Our conversation lead me to the observation that is quite ironic. PAA was formed as a form of revolution. Within the confines of PAA as a social organization, it has also become the status quo from which to revolt against. The main function of PAA is in one sense to show what is the status quo with respect to the Filipino community. The student seeking their own light is then supposed to assess whether or not they are comfortable with the status quo. If they are not, then they should create a new organization from which they can revolutionize the world.

You think America is Tough? Try the PHilippines

2009-02-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Two Supreme Court aspirants nail, fail grilling

By Purple S. Romero, abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak | 02/26/2009 12:55 AM

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In the first round of public interviews conducted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Supreme Court aspirant Roberto Abad was able to stand his ground on a new legislation, but went blank on watershed SC decisions.

He was later told to brush up on recent issues handled by the High Court, since, according to JBC member and Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez, “These matters should be studied carefully, especially by those who, by accident or otherwise, would be appointed to the Court.”

Raul asked Abad about the Right of Reply Bill, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, among others.

Abad, the dean of the University of Santo Tomas College of Law, nailed questions about the Right of Reply Bill. He opined that the legislation does not constitute prior restraint.

The Right of Reply Bill, which has just been approved by the Senate, sanctions editors and station managers who do not publish or air the response of personalities they reported on.

“It’s also fairness that people are made to reply. It is not a transgression of the freedom of the press,” Abad explained.

Gonzalez was deadpanned, however, when Abad twiddled in circles on his position on the VFA. Different sectors have assailed VFA’s constitutionality after US Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith was found guilty of raping a Filipina in 2006. The High Court recently upheld the VFA’s constitutionality in a 9-4 vote.

Abad jested instead that he “should just have taken his [Gonzalez’s] position.”

Abad slipped again when Gonzalez asked him about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under this convention, which the Philippines has signed, the country could be entitled to extended territories upon its delineation of its baseline.

“I’m not aware of it,” Abad said.

Surprised, Gonzalez reminded him that he should study these issues. “I think you should read on this more,” he said.

Independence

Abad stressed his independence, however, even if he has close ties with Estelito Mendoza, his former superior in the Office of the Solicitor General.

“I don’t work for him anymore,” Abad stressed, referring to Mendoza.

Abad worked for Mendoza from 1975-1986 in the OSG. Abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak earlier reported that Abad also recently served as Mendoza’s co-counsel in tax evasion cases involving business tycoon Lucio Tan.

Mendoza, reportedly the highest paid-lawyer in the country, represented a string of other controversial figures: alleged Marcos crony Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, former first lady Imelda Marcos, and deposed president Joseph Estrada in the impeachment proceedings against him in 2000.

Abad said that he saw no need to inhibit himself from cases handled by the former OSG if ever he gets appointed as SC justice.

He cited how Chief Justice Reynato Puno handled cases involving Mendoza.

He said Puno, who used to be a solicitor during the time of Mendoza, also did not inhibit himself from the latter’s cases when he was appointed to the SC.

Muslim and senior

On the other hand, Justice Hakim Abdulwahid, one of the two Muslim magistrates vying for a seat at the Highest Court of the Land, made a case of the representation provision in the 1996 peace agreement for his bid for a slot at the Supreme Court.

Abdulwahid stressed that the Philippine government vowed to have a Muslim SC justice in its 1996 peace agreement with the Muslim group Moro National Liberation Front.

He enjoys the backing of around 10 Muslim congressmen, majority of which hail from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

He also parried queries concerning his seniority at the Court of Appeals (CA). He is ranked 17th among 64 justices.

Puno raised that there should be stronger reason why Abdulwahid should be picked for the SC over 16 other senior CA justices.

Aside from him, CA Justices Amelita Tolen¬tino, Lucas Bersamin, Portia Hormachuelos, Martin Villarama, Andres Reyes, Remedios Salazar-Fernando, Juan Enriquez and fellow Muslim Japar Dimaampao are also in the race for the SC seat.

Puno said the provision in the above peace agreement is “not a decisive factor.”

Ret. Justice Regino Hermosisima also asked him pointedly if he would favor a Muslim over a Christian in cases possibly involving the two. Abdulwahid replied in the negative.

“Not necessarily. I would decide the case based on the merits,” he said.

Meanwhile, Puno joked about designating him as the head of his moral force when he said that he only has one wife. “You know that I’m looking for a chairman of my moral force. Perhaps you could qualify,” the chief magistrate teased.

Puno is referring to the moral force he aimed to establish to rid the country with corruption in the government.

2010 concerns

Two of the contentious issues which pundits believed would test the independence of the next members of the High Court were also presented to Abad and Abdulwahid.

In the face of possible charter change, Abad was asked what kind of government he would want the country to have.

Abad said that he favored the parliamentary form of government because laws could be created efficiently.

On the other hand, Abdulwahid was asked how he would interpret the Constitutional power given to the Congress to amend the charter: Should they vote separately or jointly?

Abdulwahid said that the Congress should vote separately. “The voting should be separate. In local legislation it is separate. More so in respect with charter change,” he said.

Some days, life stops

2009-01-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

There are some days in the world when you just don't care about anything or anyone except a special someone. This is one of those days.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is on heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Hail Mary, full of grace
the Lord is with you, Blessed are thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of god
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning and now and forever shall be. Amen

I believe in God
the Father/Mother Almighty
Creator of Heaven and earth.

Obama, Bush and Clinton

2009-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

I watched as Barack Obama took the oath of office as president of the United States.

And, I have hope.

It is the same hope that I had when William Jefferson Clinton took office in 1992. I was in graduate school then. My jubilation at finally seeing a Democrat take to the White House was overwhelming. I was flying.

I hope that what happened to Clinton does not happen to Obama.

I should put up a disclaimer right now that I am a Republican. I am one of those who want low taxes. But, I also grew up in Berkeley and am a student of history. I understand the need, the necessity for government regulation. I know that there needs to be a check and balance. I accept compromise.

I did not vote for Obama, but I hope the best for him.

Too often, I see my Republican party be petty and supercilious. It is a great disappointment to my heart and to my expectations that grown men in the party of Reagan would stoop down to the muck and revel in it. Yes, that would be Newt Gingrich and his ilk. Yes, that would be those who prosecuted and chased Clinton for his womanizing.

For if we were to place side by side the sins of Clinton and Walker Bush, the sins of the latter are far too damning to even have any disagreements.

I see that the future of the Republican Party must be where we include all the browns, the yellows and the gays and atheists. If the party is to survive, we must include all or we will become irrelevant.

I mourn for all the failings of George Walker Bush. The absolute stupidity of the logic used in approving torture is the lowest form of intellectual devolvement I have ever seen. The fact that it was done by an Asian Berkeley law professor galls me even more. The disastrous lies about weapons of mass destruction to Congress borders on the unforgivable. I expect more from my president.

I do not mind the war. It was a choice made by Bush and everyone else in the blood-rush of the September 11 attacks. The execution of power by the most powerful nation in the world is expected. The United States is not the first, nor will it be the last to exercise absolute power like that.

What I do mind is that wars must have plans. Wars must have an end goal. The goals must be specific and practical and this is where we as a society get into trouble.

The United States must learn from its experience of colonialism in the Philippines and the Vietnam War or we will be bound to commit one folly after another. We must as a nation, as politicians and as citizens be responsible for the planning of all of our actions and the creation of contingencies.

For just as we American craved for freedom from the British, so will be those that we liberate from tyranny be eager for freedom from our rule.

Rioting in Oakland

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rioting is what happens when poor people don't have anything to do.

The shooting in BArt was accidental. Anyone who can think for themself and analyze the video as a temporal event can figure that one out.

Anyone who says it was cold blooded murder is an IDIOT! Do you seriously think that the guy wanted to murder someone in front of witnesses? Are you just idiots or morons too? You are already poor, use your brains. At least when LA rioted, there was a reason.

Bring out the riot police. Time to get these hooligans off the street.

Figure this one out jack. Everyone dies. This death should not be used for riot behavior.

Election 2008

2008-11-05T07:15:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Barack Obama for having been elected president of the United States. I never thought I would see a black man become president.

I did not vote for him. I did not think that he had enough experience. I did not think that he understood politics enough.

I wanted McCain as I thought that the generation that fought Vietnam would know what to do with the country. I wanted Gore, I wanted Hillary. It was not to be.

I have the same trepidations with Obama as when George W got elected. And look where W got the US.

But, in the end, it is still a miracle that America once more has a transition of power and it is seemless.

On Weddings

2008-09-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

As time passes by, I find myself enjoying more and more the beauty and elegance of weddings. By attending weddings, I celebrate that which I was so lucky to find in 2005. I treat the wedding as a renewal of the vows that I made on that day. I relive all the fun, the glory and the silliness of that day.

Yesterday, a fried of ours from college married after 10 years of finding the one. Ten years is a long time to determine whether or not someone is for you. But with the state of affairs of life, ten years is a prudent measure the possibilities of life. Ten years is just enough to see whether that crumpled toothpaste container will set either partner off.

As the couple thanked their parents, tears flowed from my eyes. I never got to thank my father or mother during my wedding day. I wish I could have told them that I really appreciated their sacrifices. I wish I could have told them that I was OK. I wish I could have told them that they don’t have to worry. Just that.

The groom was styling in his suit. Beautiful gray cloth, cut just so to enhance the physique. The bride was radiant in her gown. Both a tribute to their calling to the arts and to the community. And the community supported them both on this day of celebration. It was a celebration of all the people who had ever mattered to the couple from childhood to now.

The best man was interesting in that like my wedding it turned out to be a woman. This time around, she was a Filipina immigrant who had met the groom while partying. Most of the readers know of Scarlet the feminine side of my personality. And so, I remarked to a gay friend of mine that the best woman was “Much more of a man than either of us, and much more of a woman than either of us.” She was fit to be immortalized in a sculpture, a painting or a song. A physical beauty within the parameters of an idealized body. A physique of power and self rather than of meekness. What a beauty!

And who can forget the sacrificial pig. Lechon! Lechon! Wherever Filipinos celebrate, there is Lechon! With the crackling skin and succulent meat, flavors abound in a pig on a spit.

Labor Day Weekend 2008

2008-09-02T08:07:00.001-07:00

The three day weekend could not have come to a better time. Work was silly with the irrational decisions of the politicians I work for. With the coming elections, even the politicos in private industry seem to be running for the presidency of the United States of America.

Michelle and I threw our summer wine party with invites going to our friends who have children and or are wine folks. But the Labor Day Weekend hampered attendance since everyone had made plans to go away. Not a problem though as my family came. With the brother and the sister’s family complete with three children, there was enough giggles, shouts of joy, fake tears and innocent questions to last a lifetime. The kids are old enough at three to begin asking “What is sh*t?” My continuous travel to the respectable arena has begun since I really don’t want to explain that to 3 year olds.

I cooked dinuguan, pinakbet and my version of bulalo for the party. The dinuguan was my second try at cooking. My mother-in-law did the final adjustment to the sour side by adding a second pack of sinigang mix. Dinuguan or blood stew is best served with putong puti. So off to Hayward the SO went to find putong puti.

There was a lot of food as my Pin@y gene kicked in and asked the wife to get a platter of pansit. It turns out that a platter of pansit can feed 40-50 people. There were only 14 who came. Hahaha. More food for me.

The wine tasting for the party was fantastic. We decided to open a 1991 George Latour Beaulei Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The wife looked it up online and found the cost to be $150. I asked her if our guests were worth it. And we decided YES! So off the cork went as everyone tasted the wine. The taste was not like any of what I am used to with respect to red wine. Usually, I favor the biting peppery explosion. The George Latour was mild, hints of cherry and very pleasant. There were bits and pieces of sediment in the bottle. We figured, as the bottle ages, sediment appears. It’s probably what makes the bottle milder. That was our star wine bottle opening for the day.

The rest of the weekend was a blur. On Sunday, it was money group. The lesson there was that the real estate market’s souring affects everyone. Apparently, now, when selling your 3rd or 2nd home, you need to determine how long you lived in those to take advantage of the tax laws. My teacher called it real estate investing as the middle class’ single best advantage to become rich.

Monday, the sister’s family visited for some schwimming. That’s how the kids pronounce it. Even I had to go into the pool! It was some very good times. Reminded me of my own childhood in a pool.

My Hero Su Li-Wen

2008-08-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

The wife showed me this.

Obama....

McCain...

Clinton...

They have nothing on this woman.

http://formosaneijia.com/2008/08/25/my-hero-su-li-wen/

Alterac Valley Strategy

2008-08-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

After reaching level 70, I thought that it was going to be easy to get all my PVP gear. After all, playing the Horde in the level 51-60 bracket was such a cakewalk that I figured, the Horde dominated in the 61-70 bracket. Boy, was I wrong.

To get my epic chest and legplates, I had to withstand a barrage of losses of staggering proportions. In the level 60 bracket, I probably lost 10-20 out of hundreds of games. AT one time, I had 60 straight wins. Granted, most of those were grind it out festivals. But, the key was that the Horde won.

At the level 70 bracket, as of patch 2.4, the Alliance can win so quickly, it amazed my brain. Well, after much frustration, I began asking players during the battles what was the philosophy for the Horde. They mentioned the plan which is as follows:

/bg Greetings. The plan is no defense.
/bg Grp 1 & 2 take Aid Station; the gy northwest.
/bg Grp 3 & 4 Balinda and recap IB and TP towers. Need to recap bec no defense.
/bg Grp 5 SHB
/bg Grp 6 IWB
/bg Grp 7 North Bunker
/bg Grp 8 South Bunker

Now, before the plan above, the only way I knew that the Horde can win was a grindout festival with TURTLE. This means 30-40 minutes of killing and healing. But this required a strong defense at the Frostwolf village. That translated to 10-20 players playing defense. Inevitably, this numbers requirement made the offense weak. The offense would not be able to take bunkers at all.

The other disadvantage of the turtle game is that once the Horde loses the graveyards, all is lost.

The first time I saw the plan above, it was when I began to do battlegrounds as an alliance player. What I saw did not work because the alliance could never keep the middle field graveyards. So, the alliance always got stuck at the stormpike first aid hut. The result was a turtle.

The advantage of the plan above is speed. No defense. Everyone attacks and defends bunkers until the bunkers burn. This has a positive of giving honor to the Horde.

The disadvantage of the plan above is that Groups 3 and 4 need to recap or retake the Horde towers towerpoint and icewing bunker. This is needed so that the alliance have to take Drek with one remaining support.

How can the plan above fail? If the alliance manage to take and use the stormpike graveyard, they will be able to disrupt the attack on vandar. Horde must control the stormpike graveyard after thee bunkers have been taken.

Note that the above plan does not require everyone to follow it. So long as the Horde can spread out evenly and capture bunkers, we can be competitive. The idea of the game is speed.

How do you get to the northern bunkers quickly? Right after thee Icewing bunker, there is a path to the left of the main road that will lead to the bottom of the bridge. It is called Icewing Pass. Take this pass and get to the northern area quickly. Assemble at the bottom of the bridge and go up as a group.

The players will pull the guard from the stormpike graveyard. If this happens, take the flag at stormpike.

How about the graveyards in the middle of the field? Horde should not take snowfall graveyard. If the Horde takes the snowfall graveyard, the alliance will begin resurrecting at the relief hut or the stormpike graveyard. You will get a turtle game.

The Horde should try to recap the two Horde middle field bunkers after thee alliance have taken it. These are the key points.

An additional note is that players should not run outside when vandar is about to kill you. If you must, die. Vandar will reset if he goes outside and follows you. This means his life will be full again.

Some players believe that turtling is the only way to win. That is okay. With time, they can see the light. All they have to see is that we can take on Vandar even with one marshall present. I have been enlightened. I hope you are too. Spread the word. Create a macro in your character. Beat the alliance!

World of Warcraft, WOW, wow, alterac valley, strategy for alterac valley, alterac, valley, Horde, plans for Alterac, strategy, battlegrounds,

Don't Negotiate With Terrorists

2008-07-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/16/international/i003956D16.DTL

I don't know what the hell Israel is thinking when they negotiated to release 4 terrorists for 2 of their soldiers.

Frankly, when the 2006 war started, I did not know what Israel was thinking. They started a war because of 2 soldiers.

Soldiers are human. But theey are also soldiers who die. You don't start a war because 2 are kidnapped. But you also don't swap terrorists for 2 DEAD soldiers.

Makes Israel look like a bunch of idiots.

Can someone please give Israel their balls back?

Oh, wait, they might bomb the living hell out of Lebanon and Iran. Wait, let me reconsider this.

Hmmm.... what will god ever do with Israel? I know it's supposed to be god's country, but it seems like God has left the country.

Aquino Supporters

2008-07-07T08:05:00.001-07:00

For all the Aquino supporters out there. No, not the dead hero. The one who became president. I guess in politics, bad deeds do come to light eventually.

http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F3/48/48.F3d.1227.93-70584.html

Thank you Florante!

Another Weekend, J

2008-06-30T07:27:00.001-07:00

Last week, had my 3-month dental appointment. I’m trying to take better care of my teeth. Unfortunately, some of the gums have retreated and I have some work to do what with pockets of infection. That was one amazing thing I learned about teeth. They get rotten because of microbes. I ended up switching to Sonicare toothbrush just to get a better cleaning.

On Friday, I went home and played some Wow. I was nearing Level 67. Thee last six months, the drive has been to get to Level 70. Three more levels to go.

The wife wanted to visit a friend in Union City. I was extremely tired. But off to Union City we go. And it is amazing the choices that people make in their lives. I can’t say that I would make better choices if I had not met the wife. But, I would like to think that I would have. Maybe it would have taken me longer, but I would have.

On Saturday, off to money group we go. In it, we discuss the hero archetype and the victim archetype per Joseph Campbell. Can’t say that I ever read his stories but, it was interesting. I always typed cast myself as a hero. But there were some instances in life that I realize, I became a victim.

Over time, as I grew older, I changed myself from a liberal to a conservative. Mostly on financial matters. Deficit etc. Thee social issues, I’m quite liberal. When it comes to money, I want to be a hero. I want to say that I worked hard for my money. I went to school for nearly 2 decades. Heck, I deserve to make money. I chose to go into a profession that would allow me to be comfortable. I chose to save money to save in stocks and funds. I let go of making the world better by saving the world myself. I guess you can say I have the old pattern of making it rich then saving the world through a foundation.

I see poor people on the streets and I don’t wonder why they are on the streets. They made a decision a long time ago that put them there. There is free schooling in America. Anyone can become educated. Anyone can have a good life and a good work. That is why all the poor people of the world are coming here. There is no excuse not to make it in America.

A long time ago, I studied the issues of slavery and racial laws. I observed the patterns of how ghettos were created. I noticed the separation of black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods. And I wondered…. How can someone get out of there?

There are no easy answers. You have to get to school. You can not take drugs. You can not be lured by the easy money of drugs. You have to be stronger than everyone else. You have to overcome the problems. There is no problem that a human being can not overcome once you have decided to overcome the problem.

It is not the government’s job to help everyone. Life is not fair. Some people will have more money than others. And that is okay because it is legal in America to do so.

All of those ideas from Tubig, the money group Already Rich.

I sometimes bring my lunch. I have a lunch allowance, but to save money, I bring lunch. That is how you get rich. By small cents, by one dollar a day.

Saturday was time for tubig. Sunday was a dinner with the in-laws because the brother-in-law was in town. I heard that there were 12 guests in the parents-in-law’s house. It was for a wedding. I can’t even imagine that. That’s a lot of people.

And Sunday was for Wow. I reached Level 67. Oh wait, we also watched WallE on Saturday evening.

Yoga and Bowling

2008-06-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

The SO got the WiiFit several months ago. It is a fun game in which a balance board is the principal mechanism of playing. The board allows you to see whether or not what you feel is balanced or centered.

The SO suggested one day that I try the Wiifit and I obliged her. This is what marriage is all about. Wouldn’t you know it, it was a lot of fun.

An so I found myself doing yoga in the mornings from time to time. Interestingly enough, doing yoga has allowed me to determine how my body feels if I am relaxed and centered. This helps tremendously in bowling in which your body has to be relaxed to throw a 13 pound ball.

Last night, the results were unmistakable: 192, 119, 168. Easily one of my better performances in quite a while.

What also helped was that I was using one of my made in the phillipines work pants which had the inner lining. I guess the lining allowed me to be freeer when moving. I used to use jeans which was stiff and hindered my kneeling.

Hillary Clinton’s Debt

2008-06-26T07:05:00.003-07:00

I might have been a Hillary supporter, but I don’t get her debt issue. Since she financed her run with her own money, she should pay for it. I don’t see where Obama has to ask his supporters to help her pay off her debts.

Basic accounting says don’t spend what you don’t have. If you ran your campaign on a deficit, guess what… you are stuck with the deficit. It’s no one else’s problem except your own.

Hillary Clinton’s Debt

2008-06-26T07:05:00.001-07:00

Doctor Julius Erving

2008-06-25T07:26:00.001-07:00

While listening to the radio, I chanced upon an interview with Dr. J, who won an NBA championship in 1983.

He was asked who was the greatest basketball player ever. Interestingly enough, his answer was that for pure consistency, he would have picked Kareeem Abdul-Jabbar.

Wow. I almost had been swayed by everyone else on Michael Jordan’s performance. But Dr. J said he would start building at center.

Parking wars

2008-06-24T07:44:00.001-07:00

One of the applications in Facebook is called parking wars. You park your car on your friend’s street and they ticket you. AS you park, you earn more money with time. As you reach certain milestones, you get cars.

It is amazing what one can learn on this game. Eventually, you figure out that just ticketing everyone else will not give you anything in return. If you let some people park on your street without ticketing them, they will return the favor next time.

I play with the wife and I tell her to park in my street and I won’t ticket her. Just like in real life, we are a team. Pretty good deal.

Week of June 20, 2008

2008-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

We began the weekend with plans of going to Costco to replenish the household inventory. By Friday evening, we were both tired and hungry. Looking for a new restaurant, we ended up in Solano where we found an old friend. Bui is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant. The owner chef was the same guy we knew from Saigon City in Telegraph Avenue at Berkeley.

I ordered the shrimp noodles while the wife ordered the shaken beef. My food was pretty good, but the wife’s Shaken Beef was sumptuous. It was so good, I had to tell the waitress that I know there is a god because Bui was cooking the shaken beef. Truly awesome.

Saturday morning, we trekked all the way to a bowling alley in Clayton Valley Bowling. A true classic bowling center, this location has beautiful wooden lanes full of character and history. I loved how I could slide and kneel with the ball. While I bowled decently with some 150, 140 and 180, my father-in-law managed to break the 200 barrier on the third game.

To celebrate, we ended up going to Benihana in Concord. This was my first time going there and I think I will bring more people there. Thee presentation was pretty good and amusing. I specially like the volcanon.

Sunday, the sister’s family dropped by to swim in thee pool. Really funny to see the twins speak and ask us to go swimming. Those 2 love the pool. I don’t remember liking the pool that much when I was younger, but I probably did.

Then Sunday afternoon was off to a baptism for the wife’s father’s side. Great food that had the highlight of ampalaya with onions.

Another awesome weekend. I am truly lucky. Thank you for your support.

Keith Olbermann and MSNBC

2008-06-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

So I finally figured out where all the crap came from during the primary run. At one Obama speech, I heard on the news some reporters go beyond giddy and into ecstatic paroxysms. From the New Yorker article on Keith Olbermann, it was one of the MSNBC contributing news reporters who said something like I have a tingling coming up my leg.

This is all great news since I have always wanted a liberal counterpart to the Bill O’Reilly show. O’Reilly is an idiot and he does not represent all of us Republicans with more than half a brain. And let me not even get into that other druggie of a quack Rush Limbaugh.

I saw Olbermann in LA while I was in high school, and I could not figure out what the hell he was smoking. But it’s good that he found his niche. I certainly enjoyed his rant on the president Bush when he asked him to “Shut the hell up.” Bwahahahha

And for those wondering, nope, I don’t like President Bush that much. But he did hire the best handlers considering he won the 2000 election. I believed at the time that Gore could not lose the election, but obviously, his handlers did not even know that he was going to lose Tennessee his home state. Ridiculous Democrats!

Brings me round about to Hillary. I love Hillary. She sends all the Republicans into the streets gnashing their teeth and hitting their chest. I LOVE her. I hope she stays away from Obama so she can run again next time.

At any rate, people are predicting that Obama’s “AUDACITY OF HOPE” will triumph. After going back on his word by not taking public funds and then saying that the system is broken, I can only conclude that Obama is just another politician. He will say what is advantageous to him. He will lie. And he won’t pay his fucking parking tickets unless he is running for president!

Give me John McCain. A Vietnam veteran hero. A hero, not a liar.

Once a Liar, Always a Liar

2008-06-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

From the SF Chronicle for June 19,2008:

“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday he'll bypass the federal public financing system in the general election, abandoning an earlier commitment to take the money if his Republican rival did as well.”

So, while a lawyer and senator, Obama could not remember to pay off his parking tickets in Boston stemming from his law school days.

Now, he backs off on taking public money.

Once a liar, always a liar.

I’m okay though since he would create a triumvirate.

Clinton = sex addict

Bush = cocaine addict

Obama = lying addict

Let’s see, any other choices out there? I think JOHN McCAIN is the choice!

Wake up! Wake up Democrats! You are being hornswaggled by another Chicago politician. I tell you one thing to make you feeel good, I’ll do another once you forget.

Tell it like it is! Vote for John McCain. I CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH.

Celtics win

2008-06-18T07:54:00.001-07:00

Well, I did say that whoever gets Kevin Garnett will win the championship. Yup, the Celtics won it last night.

It was not so much a failure of Kobe as the rest of his group did not really support him. He needs some other people besides Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. Basically, the European imports did not cut it. They hit the iron way too many times. Derek Fisher could not help enough. Odom and Gasol were ordinary.

Yup, I’m still a Kobe fan. See you next year. Next time Kupchak, go get Jason Kidd.

Weddings in California

2008-06-17T07:18:00.001-07:00

Weddings in California

On June 16, 2008, after 5:01 PM, weddings bells for gay and lesbian couples began to be performed in the state of California. For many couples, it has been a long wait.

Outside some of the city governments where the weddings were held, some protestors held up some signs reminiscent of the 1960’s. “Gays equal perverts” was one of the signs I saw in the SF Chronicle.

I for one am glad that this has finally happened. I always thought that denying gays and lesbians the ability to marry was tantamount to giving them second class citizenship. In the US, the ability to marry has certain tax advantages which you just don’t get when single.

But, of course, we have the uptight religious folks going on a crusade for a constitutional amendment to ban marriages. May God give them a gift of a gay child. Frankly, I don’t know what their objection is. If marriage is a sanctity between man and woman, then we should not have a divorce. That fact that we do however tells me that it is not really as sanctimonious as everyone else says it is.

The whole premise of the argument for denying marriage to gays and lesbians is flawed.

At any rate, to all those folks getting married, congratulations.

Politics

2008-06-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

Politics

Now that Obama is the presidential candidate for the Democrats, we can all go ahead and begin digesting the future.

For my part, I prefer McCain because he has done more in his life than Obama. Just on the part of Vietnam veteran, he blows away Obama already. Let’s see, there’s the McCain Finegold law, which has been gutted somewhat by the Supreme Court. But boy, that gave problems to everyone. 20+ years in the Senate?

Someone tell me something that Obama has done. 6 years in the Senate. Any memorable laws? None. Give America hope? Yes, that will last until a recession has descended upon the United States. How about paying for your parking tickets as a law student at Harvard? Anyone? Anyone? Can you come up with any money? Bwahahahah. Yeah, I already have a president who was snorting cocaine. I don’t need one who does not pay his parking tickets.

I would have preferred Hillary Clinton. Anyone who stuck with Bill Clinton deserves to be in the White House. And, heck, she’s been a senator now for ten years.

I hope Hillary does not run as the VP. She would be damaged by the loss. I can see all those small states turning blue to red.

Happenings

2008-06-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happenings

Just had an urge to write today.

Most of my time has been spent leveling my paladin in the World of Warcraft. It’s my obsessive compulsive side. I just want one to level to 70.

At work, with the political season marching on, one of my senior managers left the campaign. It’s too bad as he was one of the few who actually saw the work that I did in the campaign. When he left, he mentioned to me that he hoped that I get the recognition that I deserved for serving.

For those who don’t know, my crazy fictional career is centered around politics of the state of Georgia. Yes, while I am in California, I run state elections in Georgia. That is called fiction, nothing else.

I visited my old site karinderia.blogspot.com. Many of the folks on the sidebar are gone now. Muted by responsibilities, time, job, and other things. I understand their liabilities.

I bought a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. For the last 3 years or so, I wanted one. Last night, we fired up the oven and cooked Beef Bourginon, from beef and oxtails. Amazing how expensive oxtails are now. It is $3.59 per pound. I remember it being $2 per pound.

The SO and I have been going to some nice eateries. We went to Le Liaisons in Berkeley one Wednesday evening. She had the seared ahi tuna, fried soft-shell crab and I had the beef bourginon. I remember when it was early 2000’s, I said, how can anyone sit outside of that restaurant and eat? You are next to the gas fumes of the streets.

Well, that was the poverty-stricken me who was speaking. I could not afford the $30 or $20 plates so I had to rationalize away that I could not afford it. But thank God for the many opportunities of America. If you work hard, are educated and make the right choices, you to can be comfortable and enjoy life!

Thanks Tuhan for showing me the way to prosperity.

We’ve also gone to the Drunken Boat, again in Berkeley. For some reason, it reminds me of Vietnam, even though it is a French restaurant. For brunch, we had some nice pork chops and eggs. The pork chop was humongous, fried and smoked. Very lovely though with much salt.

The wife has dragged me to facebook where I now play parking wars. Come join us if you know our names.

The SF Gate Chronicle has an article how a woman making more money than a man has had relationship problems. Thank God I was born intelligent. The SO currently makes more money than I do. More power to her and to us! I have offered to stay at home if she wants me to. No ego here! Get prosperity however you want to get it.

I was amazed by the SO’s capacity to make money as soon as I get a raise. Hehehe. It’s great because I can plan on buying more gas stocks. Oh, yeah, gas is nearing $5 a gallon. Wow, that is high.