News junkie

I'm a big fan of news programs. I absorb news like a sponge. When I'm cooking, the TV is always tuned to either a local news channel or CNN.

But as much as I like watching the news, there are times I notice some glaring mistakes.  Misspelled names of people, places and events. Unverified reports all issued for the sake of exclusivity. Different angles of one incident reported by rival news networks, all of them dishing out different information. You cannot tell who is reporting accurately.  

But my pet peeve is when reporters themselves get the facts wrong.  For me, a good news reporter must be familiar with all the facts before s/he reports on air. You can absolutely tell if a reporter is merely speculating or reporting truthfully.  In this day and age when citizens can go online to check the authenticity of facts, it is imperative we are fed the real figures by the very agencies that are tasked with providing the news.

For instance, a radio reporter was asked if the late DILG Secretary Robredo's parents were still alive. She answered 'Yung lang po nanay niya, ang buhay pa rin".  That is not accurate as both his parents are still around albeit in frail health. 

Another thing that gets me all riled up is the manner certain persons (not just reporters) introduce the President. They refer to him as President BeNign0 S. Aquino III but the correct way is President BeNign0 C. Aquino III.    Everybody knows the middle initial is the surname of one's mother, so why would they use his 2nd name, Simeon as his middle initial??? 

It isn't just the local news networks that make mistakes, this also goes for the international news agencies.  But in fairness to them, they immediately issue an erratum notice to correct their errors.  But here it is seldom done. 

Lately, one of my must watch TV shows is The Newsroom on HBO.  It stars Jeff Daniels as a TV news anchor. The show presents the behind the scenes travails of a news program.  Yes, it veers towards the liberal Neorealism side of the US political spectrum and it deals with issues that are not relevant in this side of the globe.  Yet the brainstorming sessions, the gathering of facts and the appropriate resource persons, the writing of the stories to the actual TV show as it airs live - they are all  fascinating to absorb for me, the news junkie.

The Newsroom airs @  9pm every Wednesdays on HBO. 

Weekend edit

I had to wear my 'editor' cap, this weekend. 

My sister emailed some articles for me to peruse for any grammatical and syntax errors. As well as offer my opinion on the coherence of the write ups. I was also consulted by D to edit several paragraphs he wrote for a school project. 

And to think that my sister is *the* editor of a trade publication while D is a history professor.

Surely I don't mind helping them but it can be mentally taxing for my rusty brain cells.  But their heartfelt praises of gratitude is enough reward for my efforts. 

Perhaps, next time I should charge them for my services. :D

 

Good for the environment

Starting tomorrow, the 1st of September, Quezon City will be implementing a plastic free ordinance. This means groceries, supermarkets as well as restaurants will be using paper bags instead of issuing plastic bags. Now if you still want to use plastic bags, you'd have to pay 2 pesos per bag.

Sure, I'm in agreement with this ordinance. I always bring an extra tote bag with me so now it will serve its purpose. I'd probably have to bring two, one for canned good and the other for perishables.  

This brings me to our trip in Hong Kong, last year. It took me some time to get used to the fact that they don't issue plastic bags there.  I felt like a fool when I went to a pharmacy to buy contact lens solution and I was just standing there waiting for the sales staff to bag my purchase. Until I realized I could just take the item and leave.  No wonder, I'd see men walking around with a bottle of oil or a bar of soap.  Isn't it just like guys not to bring tote bags?

My only fear is that once this ordinance is in place,  there might be accusations of shoplifting. Although it is relatively safe in Hong Kong to assume that most items you carry have been properly paid for, I'm not sure it is quite the same here.  But let's just give each other the benefit of the doubt.

I believe it is time we do our fair share for the protection of the environment. Every time it rains you see tons of trash floating and clogging the drainage system. Not to mention the tons of garbage which washed ashore near the Manila Bay area.  It was really a sight for sore eyes. But then I noticed during relief operations in flooded areas, NGOs would put canned goods, instant noodles and rice in the ubiquitous plastic bag.

Now isn't that contradictory?  Tsk!

Customer Service

One of my pet peeves is bad service. We all pay exorbitant fees every month yet when the service provided is not up to par, we suffer the consequences.
First you have to deal with their customer service hotline. Most of the time, you are on hold for several minutes before a call agent will process your repair request. When you ask them when the technician would show up, they give you the standard line of within 24 hours. Now that could mean anytime from 8 am to 5pm even on weekends. So you are left with the notion of staying at home waiting waiting and waiting some more for them to show up. Of course, I'm always at home but it doesn't mean I can just put everything on hold. Last month, I was taking a shower when the darn technician showed up. He was about to leave when he thought there was nobody home. I had to rush out to unlock the gate in my semi-washed state with wet hair.

Sometimes, they DON'T show up within 24 hours. There was an instance when they didn't come after 3 days of constant waiting. I got so frustrated I tweeted them at their official site. I thought I could rattle them to act by bombarding them with tweets. But I learned the hard way that I wasn't important enough for them to notice my plea. Unlike some celebrities who merely tweet their complaints and before you can say TWEET their requests are attended to within hours. That's not fair! How about the ordinary clientele who have to endure bad service?

In times like these, I wish I lived in a place where one phone call can fix your concerns. For several years, my sister was based in the Lion City. She told me that every service provider company is computerized with a centralized hotline, so you simply call them and your problems are solved within the hour. No need for a technician to come over. How efficient is that? So convenient, and very hassle free. They value your time so they make things very easy.

I wonder when that sort of service will be readily available in our beloved nation. Probably never, sadly.

Priorities

I usually set goals for myself in quarterly installments. This is entirely based on our finances which earn very measly interests every 3 months. Even though I diligently save every month, it is still very difficult to budget accordingly for us to live comfortably.

For the last quarter of this year, I was hoping I could gift myself with a laptop for my birthday. Then it was decided, we'll be spending the Yuletide holidays in HK ergo my birthday wish just went up in flames. You see, Harriet has been very moody these past days, she won't switch on even though I've tried numerous times. But on the other hand, I'm thankful I have D's old reliable computer which I can use every time Harriet throws a tantrum.

I would just have to postpone my 'desire' for next year. Much to my chagrin, there seems to be a lot of postponing going on, lately. But I am a firm believer in prioritizing so for now I will switch my mind towards dreaming about dimsum, Star Ferry and pleasant cool climate. After all, family bonding time is priceless!

Natal day

My father turned 76 yesterday. I'm very grateful he is considerably still in good health, still witty as ever and remains young at heart. A simple family man whose main passion is watching movies. Yes, I inherited that passion from him.

So I knew exactly what to get him for his birthday. His eyes lighted up when he opened his gift. Since he isn't tech savvy, he has missed a lot of films which aren't shown in local cinemas. So I trooped to the nearest video shop (yes thankfully they still exist!) and purchased 5 DVDs for his viewing pleasure.

Then it was lunch at our fave resto for birthday treats - Mr Choi at Robinsons's Galleria.

Printouts

My very first printer was a freebie that came with the desktop I bought in the mid 1990s. I used to print out pages and pages of the episodes of a soap opera drama so my mother could read them. Back then, ink cartridges were these chunky pieces that were as big as my arm.

When we relocated back here, I traded in that old printer with a new one. This in turn was mainly used by my sister when she took her masters in International Relations. She would print out volumes of reference materials which were needed for her night classes.

When I got married, I inherited a small handy printer which now sits permanently beside my monitor. Its main purpose is to print out e-tickets, class records for D as well as any articles I find interesting online that I wish to share with my parents as they are not computer savvy. I try to minimize using it as ink cartridges although smaller in size are still a bit pricey. An added expense into our savings that isn't welcomed by cheapstake me!

Book Review: 50 Shades of Grey

Being a non conformist, I stay away from current raves and trends. I would be the first one to run in the opposite direction. But strangely enough, I was really curious about this erotic novel aka Mommy Porn. What that entails, I wouldn't know, I'm not a mom.

Last month, I finally got the courage to purchase it but it was out of stock at the nearest book store. I say courage because strange as it sounds, I felt embarrassed to be seen buying this novel. In the same manner, one feels when one buys a pregnancy test kit. Regardless of the fact that I am a married woman in her 40s, I still felt uneasy. One day all 3 novels of the trilogy found its way to my inbox c/o a generous blogger named Duds whom I have thanked profusely!

I had to get used to the fact that I had to read it on my desktop and not in the comforts of my bed. I'm not complaining because it had its advantages. One, I didn't fall asleep as I read it while seated. Two, I could click it off whenever I noticed I kept rolling my eyes from despair. A gesture that the erstwhile Mr GreY won't take too lightly.

The storyline itself is quite preposterous. A young virgin is swooned off her feet by a wealthy handsome control freak with a very dark personality. But he isn't a DOM type, he is only 27 years old! At 22, AnastaSia StEelE is quite innocent in every sense of the word. Yet once she becomes a willing victim to his perverted ways (even though she never did sign the contract), she turns into a nymphomaniac that can climax several times in one day. Geez. Now that's something else, right there.

Despite the poor writing style, the two main characters progress well. We are able to see some growth as there is a constant struggle between them to compromise. But in the process, they still retain their personalities however foolish (Ana) and convoluted (GreY) they may be.

I was pretty ambivalent about the rampant and quite graphic sex parts. It didn't get me all flushed (like Ana) nor evoke any arousal. Honestly, I've read more provocative books. But hey I don't make it a habit of including erotica among my reading list. let's just get that clear. I didn't think the sex was too much. In fact it just permeated how sickening the male character was. My main issue is the number of times she was able to climax. Alright, yes she is only in her early twenties and at that stage, we all know hormones are raging like wildfires but still it is way too unrealistic.

By using simple and basic words to narrate the story, the author has targeted the young adults market. A demographic that I feel would be too immature to handle such a seriously dark theme. It might give them the idea that it is perfectly fine to be a damsel in distress submissive type just because the guy is rich, attractive with a magnetic effect over you. It is never OK to be in an abusive relationship, period.

I end by stating that girls/women may think and even firmly believe that they can change a guy by manipulation BUT take it from me, it is best you give it a rest because it is quite impossible. You have to accept a person for who he is, warts, private playroom et al, and once you got that in the bag, it can be smooth sailing from hence forth. But in the process, you must also be responsibly mature enough to know it won't always be a smooth ride, there will be quite a number of challenges that will float your way. It is how you handle these obstacles that will ultimately define who you are.

P.S
I don't really love the book nor do I loathe it with a passion. I just read it with an open mind. I am reminded of the adage "One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist". So in this case, I'd have to say "One person's chick lit is another person's trashy novel".