Neko

1998 - Hai Shuet Yeung single-handedly painted the world’s longest painting, measuring 201.5 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. Painted on a single unbroken roll of water-colour paper between 3rd March and 6th November 1998. It depicts 5,339 carps.

Her site claimed to be the only place where you can see it in one full image, with zoom details. I think my browser needed plug ins for it to show. Maybe you could see it. Visit Yeung’s artstudio.

Nov, 2004 - About a dozen Chinese painters have began working on a 206-meter-long oil painting. The painting portrays a historical period of 206 years, depicting the entire history of the Mongolian people. Read details here.

Note that, it’s only 4.5 metres in difference. hmmm… I am not sure if they have finished it. Now for the latest…

March, 2005 - A painting which measured 2,978.4 m (nearly 3-km) was created by over 3,000 students from various educational establishments in the United Arab Emirates.

But, who’s up for a challange?

Well if you live in/near Quezon City, or willing to fly from anywhere across the globe (ehem), have the passion for painting.. (being a pro is not a requirement ok) and want to have your names immortalized together with other fellow artists..

Then hold your breaths for a second or two before jumping (or falling) off your seats, Cancel all your schedules on April 22 til May 20. (or any day in between) for we are gonna break that World Record! And make it to The Guinness!

On The Spot Artists Association, Inc. (OTSAA), together with local government organizations will be hosting this historical event on April 22 to May 20,2006 (targetted schedule, note that it might extend depending on the number of participants) at Rotary Park, Zabarte Subd., Barangay Kaligayahan, Quezon City.

For details, visit OTSAA or contact artxperience(at)yahoo(dot)com

Some Reminders:

- The Target: 5 Kilometers or 5,000 meters - longest painted canvas on acrylic paint madium.

- The theme: “Fishes of the Ocean” This is a symbolic image representing the people and the ocean as our world (Mother Earth) in peace and harmony. This painting will act as the Great Message for Humanity for World Peace and concern for the Environment.

- The canvas is divided every meter per participant.

- Each meter is Equivalent to the corresponding amount of PHP 1,000 (or about 19.50 USD)

- Local or Foreign tourists may register thru their contact travelling agent authorized by the Department of Tourism, Quezon City, Philippines

Read the full list of RULES

So hmm… am I up to it? How about you?

So.. see you there! (?)

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photo credit: worth1000.com

“An estimated 30,000 of people had gone to the stadium to watch the anniversary presentation of Wowowee, a popular TV gameshow in the Philippines. The crowd, all trying to get into the 13,000-seat stadium, most of which waited in line for days, tried their luck to get a chance to win 1m peso ($19,250), which was said to be given to each of 2 lucky winners.

The stampede, considered the worst in the country so far, broke out as fans rushed toward the gates of the Philsports Arena (formerly ULTRA), at close to 7 a.m. which resulted to 88 deaths and 350 injured.”

I came home at around 6:30 am and went to sleep. I heard of the news soon as I woke up, and news said that 70 people died. The toll rose per hour, and as of the latest news, there are 88 deaths and 350 injured.

the undisciplined crowd,

“The people from behind, not the people in front, kept on pushing and shoving the people in front of them. Eventually this gate gave way. That’s when the people right in front of the crowd stumbled, and then they piled up.” - Rene Luspo, spokesman for the network

The shoving started when someone from the crowd shouted that the show’s staff were distributing free tickets that give the holders a chance to win a house and lot, a taxi, a passenger jeepney, or P10,000. And denied that the mayhem erupted when someone shouted “May bomba! (There’s a bomb!).” - Raul Medina, Police Superintendent

the organizers,

“If you predict that there’s going to be a huge crowd, you should be ready with ambulances and communications, you should plan for the worst. We have a lot of people who wanted to help but could not get in immediately.” - AP quotes Gordon.

“For a huge organization such as ABS-CBN not to have anticipated such a tragety is gross negligience. What do we learn from these tragedies? absolutely nothing. When everything fails, we blame the Filipino mentality instead of the real culprits, who were the producers, directors, and staff of the program. Those people were there because of their promotions. They were there because they were anticipating some rewards as advertized. Now the tragedy strikes, it is now the victims’ fault.” - malafunkshun

even the host, Willie Revillame,

“I really do not know if their purpose is to help people, but I have seen this guy have a nasty streak. He seems to trivialize the pain of people for the sake of a few laughs. Case in point, in one of his shows, a young child passed gas and rather than calm an already nervous child, he would make fun of him to the point of making him cry. To add insult to injury, he bribes him and makes him dance like a trained monkey for a few measely pennies. That is complete arrogance at its worst.” - viewer named Pepe

But should we start pointing on our fingers now?

Indeed, we should learn from this tragedy. Whether there is someone to blame or not, the question now is.. are we really gonna learn from this?

—
credits:
*Pictures | BBC News | CNN News
*Wowowee: what went wrong? |ABS-CBN

ok, I confess..

I’m not into sports, what more into boxing.. I always find it a waste of time. I’d rather read a book..

BUT

When it comes to another International Victory for us Filipinos, adding being in a hotel suite full of 15 relatives watching it, I couldn’t resist but join in the noisy fun. lol..

So blow by blow we watched. Round by round the tension grows.. until finally, ROUND 10, a knockout. And its a TKO.

Yes, Manny “Pacman” Paquiao won the fight against Eric “El Terrible” Morales of Mexico.

It was their second encounter and this time, no cheating (as for the former there were rumors of an obvious scoring bias) Oh well, as my aunties scream.. “Cge! Lumuhod ka ngayon, Morales!” (Yes! Go down on your knees this time, Morales!)

Yeah and as a simultaneous scream.. it felt like the whole building cheered! even the whole country did too!

And if thats not enough for one Glorious Victory, listen.. as news came that Jimrex Raca won on the First Round against the boxing champ of Dominican Republic!

Go Pinoy!

It only shows how us, Filipinos, can withstand the hardest challenge with confidence and determination. We don’t rely on luck.. we make Luck work for us!

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noteworthy: for those interested, visit Manny’s Official Site at Pacland!

i should have added this to my post weirdest habits:

…6. I eat balut.
   For people in the Ph tho, they dont find this weird. But the rest of the world does.

Balut is an egg of a duck steamed after being incubated to artificial heat or the actual heat of a mother duck for some days. The way to open it is crack and make a small opening at the wider edge of the egg. When opening it, the first thing to do is sip the soup. njam! And it goes best with salt. After, you gradually remove/ peel off the egg shell while exposing the chick inside for the bite!

Balut is believed to have aphrodisiac effects. It is a saying here that if one is weak, balut is the thing to make your bones strong! Indeed, this tale has scientific possibilities for balut is rich in calcium! hehe… move over osteoperosis!

For the weak hearted, there is another kind of balut, a “Penoy”. the insides looked like an ordinary chicken egg when boiled. Both tastes exquisite! And for first timers, i recommend eating it with closed eyes.

Hmm.. wait a minute, duck egg? or was it goose egg?

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note: dont worry! there is no reported Bird Flu here!

I was wandering off a mall when it struct me! We didnt place a parol up this year! Then after seeing that Nickelodeon-Spongebob Giant Christmastree on the parking lot, i remembered back in 2002(?) when the Philippines conquered another record in the Guinness Book of World Records.

By making the biggest Parol (Christmas Lantern) Mammoth size! The Grand-Mommy of all Grand Mommies! A whooping 60-foot lantern that was estimated to cost P5 million! Geesh…

Well thanks to Disney for sponsoring most of the dues. In condition that, it involves shaping a steel frame based on the overall design of the head of Mickey Mouse! Computerized in aesthetic design, in kaleidoscopic play of colors and light…

And since the organizer, Robert David, a Pampanga board member, has been making colossal lanterns since the 90’s. It guarantees a great display of Pinoy ingenuity!

In 1998, he made the “Millennium Parol,” which adorned the Rizal Park in Manila. In 1989, he built the first fiberglass lantern which was installed at the Bren Guiao Convention Center. And in 1990, he designed a fiberglass lantern which is actually the roof of the Paskuhan (Christmas) Village, the first in Asia and the third in the world.

Boem!
Back to the present time..
too bad tho i wasnt able to take a shot of that Giant tree! it was raining..

hope it was snow tho..

brr.. now i hear my neighbor playing loud Christmas Carols.. on his 10-watts radio! pff! BRB.. (after christmas, that is!) ho-ho-ho…

So Happy Holidays Everyone! Don’t drink too much!
And save me some doobie!
*sighs*

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last note:
for those who wanna see how a Pinoy Parol is made, check out how to Make a Star Lantern

This is a follow-up to the previous post about a pinay, who embodies both beauty and brains; who topppled over the rest of the world’s most gorgeuous; who won Miss International 2005..

“Mabuhay! Representing the democratic and freedom loving people of the pearl of the orient, I am PRECIOUS LARA QUIGAMAN, from the beautiful country Of THE PHILIPPINES”

Q: “What do you say to the people of the world who have typecasted Filipinos as nannies?”

A: “I take no offence on being typecasted as a nanny. But I do take offence that the educated people of the world have somehow degenerated the true sense and meaning of what a nanny is. Let me tell you what she is. She is someone who gives more than she takes. She is someone you trust to look after the very people most precious to you - your child, the elderly, yourself. She is the one who has made a living out of caring and loving other people. So to those who have typecasted us as nannies, thank you. It is a testament to the loving and caring culture of the Filipino people. And for that, I am forever proud and grateful of my roots and culture.”

And so am I! so am I…

Btw, they even passed a bill to make October 10 a local holiday in her hometown of Taguig. Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman Day Some may say its kinda O.A. but once again we made history! hehe…

LOL.. hope nobody takes that statement seriously.. on second thought tho, here’s some people we should seriously take note of as once again, the Filipino is making history: (not that the first one is something to be proud of.. )

>> spyboy in the whitemen’s house

>> the hand that feeds a top nation’s head

>> The Pinoy power of fists with a heart

>> Pinays cheat death in Pakistan earthquake

>> 2005 Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman

And do you know that the Philippines is the country with the most number of Miss International Beauty Queens? (erm, ok tied with Venezuela.. pff!)

1964 - Gemma Teresa Guerrero Cruz
1970 - Aurora McKenny Pijuan
1979 - Melanie Laurel Marquez
2005 - Precious Lara Quigaman

And we are not far from the beauties at Miss Universe either..

1969 - Gloria Maria Diaz
1973 - Maria Margarita Moran

And do you know how many of us are gradually setting up bases, taking root to household (strategies of some) and invading worldwide? See the Official Stat. And how many percent of them are Nurses?!!

In UK alone, OFWs there rose to 18,347 last year compared to only 198 in 1996.

In Ireland, there were only 12 documented OFWs in 1996, and 5,439 of the first semester of 2005, another 3,696 have been hired/rehired.

About seven million Filipinos work abroad, remitting an estimated $8 billion to their relatives here every year, and the country is sending an average of 2,600 Filipino workers abroad each day. Nothing compared to 16,767 visitors from Europe (country of residence that is) as of June 2005 huh?

Yeah, pie chart is a 1999 stat, cant find a present one on google. i have to ask permission from my work if i could post online the one they have tho lol. But see here some Quickstats - August 2005 updated.

Yeah, unemployment rate dropped from 13.7% from 1994 to 8.3% April 2005. underemployment from 18.5% (1994) to 26.1% this year. Is that an improvement? hmm… now here’s an improvement: A Population that constantly grows from 76.5 Billion (2000) to a growth of 85.2 Billion in only 5 years! And, in ten years we are a whooping 102.8 Billion!!! That is like .. (ok, help me here, please correct my computations if im wrong, this is only based on a scrappy fast calcu)..

That means too that 2 out of 339 newborns are destined to work abroad! Ok, we have to consider the mortality rate (which at this point im starting to get lazy to search for). Now how many of that can be footsoldiers huh! And if there are army of babies…

So, if all Filipino workers abroad will hold a strike, the world as we know it, will stop. hihihi… ngngngng..

Oh, and another thing, tech-wise, since electronics is the main import and export product of the Philippines… do you know that Intel is manufactured in Laguna? A mere 2 hours away from Manila hehe! So there, piss us off and no more technology for you world!

Hmm.. well.. we have China to consider tho.. boing..

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notable sources (aside from the direct links above):

Wikipedia
DOLE - Top destinations of OFWs
Philippine Census
ofw.balita.ph

OK, that’s a wrap.. now let me get back to my boring desk work and think about other strategies for world domination later. bwahhaha!

Tssk! Lingering lines since this morning…coffee maker is broke.. coffee maker is broke.. .. lack of coffee at work makes me act normal. well that is what they say. hehehe…