Events to go this weekend

Don't know where to go again this coming weekend? I have some event you may want to visit. 

1. 21st Transport Show at SM Megamall: I'm sure I'll be here tomorrow as I filed my leave for this. Though I'll be gambling to go there on a Friday, I could check if I would enjoy the view of the cars (and models) as well. I would go solo here (just like for the past few carshows) but I may bump into some of my photographer friends as well XD.

Taken from Google

2. E-Domination 6 at World Trade Center: I've been there only once and I wanted to go back. I'm not sure if I could go there but there's no harm in trying perhaps. This would be for games, anime lovers and enthusiasts like me to check it out.

Taken from Google

So there, two events to choose from over the weekend. Maybe you have another event that you could suggest to me to perhaps visit. ^_^

The Problem With Invisible Children's "Kony 2012"

With almost every netizen is concerned on how to capture Joseph Kony and unseat him from power, there are some who thinks this may cause some bad stigma to the society. 

After posting earlier about Kony 2012, I got to read a post about the realization about it. Anyway, here is the full text on The Problem With Invisible Children's "Kony 2012" written by Michael Deibert

Recently, a new video produced by the American NGO Invisible Children focusing on Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been making the rounds. Having just returned from the Acholi region of Northern Uganda myself, where the LRA was born, I thought I might share some of my thoughts on the subject, for what it's worth.


I think it is easy for Invisible Children and other self-aggrandizing foreigners to make the entire story of the last 30 years of Northern Uganda about Joseph Kony, but there is a history of the relationship between the Acholi people from whom the LRA emerged and the central government in Kampala that is a little more complicated than that.

Kony is a grotesque war criminal, to be sure, but the Ugandan government currently in power also came to power through the use of kadogo (child soldiers) and fought alongside militias employing child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, something that Invisible Children seem wilfully ignorant of.

The conflict in Acholi -- the ancestral homeland of the ethnic group who stretch across northern Uganda and southern Sudan -- has its roots in Uganda's history of dictatorship and political turmoil. A large number of soldiers serving in the government of dictator Milton Obote (who ruled Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and then again from 1980 to 1985) came from across northern Uganda, with the Acholis being particularly well represented, even though Obote himself hailed from the Lango ethnic group. When Obote was overthrown by his own military commanders, an ethnic Acholi, General Tito Okello, became president for six chaotic months until Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army took over. Museveni became president, and has since remained so, via elections -- some legitimate, some deeply flawed.

Upon taking power, the Museveni government launched a brutal search and destroy mission against former government soldiers throughout the north, which swept up many ordinary Acholi in its wake. Some Acholi began mobilizing to defend themselves, first under the banner of the Uganda People's Democratic Army (largely made up of former soldiers) and then the Holy Spirit Movement.

This movement, directed by Alice Auma, an Acholi who claimed to be acting on guidance from the spirit Lakwena, brought a mystical belief in their own invincibility that the soldiers of the Kampala-based government at first found terrifying: Holy Spirit Movement devotees walked headlong into blazing gunfire singing songs and holding stones they believed would turn into grenades. The movement succeeded in reaching Jinja, just 80 km from the capital Kampala, before being decimated by Museveni's forces.

Out of this slaughter was born the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, a distant relative of Alice Auma. Kony added an additional element of targeting civilian Acholi to his schismatic blend of Christianity, frequently kidnapping children and adolescents to serve in his rebel movement. The Museveni government responded by viewing all Acholi as potential collaborators, rounding them up into camps euphemistically called "protected villages", where they were vulnerable to disease and social ills, and had few ways to carry on their traditional farming.

The LRA's policy of targeting civilians (though not the Museveni government's draconian measures) eventually drew international condemnation and in 2005 the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Joseph Kony and several other seniors LRA commanders for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Ironically, one of those commanders, Dominic Ongwen, was himself kidnapped by the LRA while still a small boy.

After peace talks between the LRA and the Ugandan government collapsed in 2007, the group decamped from its bases in southern Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Following the end of negotiations, the Museveni government launched its Peace Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP), an effort to stabilize northern Uganda after years of war. Since then, according to the United Nations, 98 percent of internally displaced persons have moved on from the camps that once sheltered hundreds of thousands of frightened people.

Despite criticisms from the Acholi that the government's program has been insufficient, local initiatives and the work of some foreign organizations have helped restore a sense of normality and gradual progress to the region, with people returned to their homes and travel between once off-limits parts of the region now facilitated with relative ease.

Now a thousand miles from the cradle of their insurgency, the LRA would appear to have little hope of returning to Uganda, though their potential to wreak havoc on civilians remains little diminished. In Congo's Haut-Uele province, between December 2009 and January 2010, the LRA massacred 620 civilians and abducted more than 120 children.

In October 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that he was sending 100 Special Forces soldiers to help the Ugandans hunt down Kony. By the end of the year, the Ugandan army confirmed that the troops had moved along with the Ugandan army to Obo in the Central African Republic and Nzara in South Sudan.

The problem with Invisible Children's whitewashing of the role of the government of Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni in the violence of Central Africa is that it gives Museveni and company a free pass, and added ammunition with which to bludgeon virtually any domestic opposition, such as Kizza Besigye and the Forum for Democratic Change.

By blindly supporting Uganda's current government and its military adventures beyond its borders, as Invisible Children suggests that people do, Invisible Children is in fact guaranteeing that there will be more violence, not less, in Central Africa.

I have seen the well-meaning foreigners do plenty of damage before, so that is why people understanding the context and the history of the region is important before they blunder blindly forward to "help" a people they don't understand.

U.S. President Bill Clinton professed that he was "helping" in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s and his help ended up with over 6 million people losing their lives.

The same mistake should not be repeated today.

Swabeng Thoughts: Whenever we read something, just keep an open mind and always check both sides for us to learn the truth behind each and every cause. 

KONY 2012: WITW is that?

Taken from Google

I've been seeing this throughout the clouds (internet) and I was kinda curious what they are talking about or what are they fighting for. Anyway, I searched for local blogs about this KONY 2012 and what its fighting for.

Anyway, here is the video that has been spreading like wildfire. If you won't be able to watch it here. you could watch it on youtube. This video is done by Jason Russel to raise and support awareness for the arrest of LRA (Lord Resistance Army) leader Joseph Kony.





Tomorrow, make him famous by posting on your page (facebook, twitter, any social media application applicable) and let the whole world know what he has done to innocent people.

You may check some more information here and here (I won't bore you much with information here).

Lets hope that he would be arrested before December 31, 2012. Make him famous so we could unseat him from power.

The week that was (April 8 - 14)

Sunday: Got up as early as I could since we will be going to the beach. Yes, the beach after more than 2 years of not being able to take a dip there. I recall the last time I did that was during our honeymoon in Bohol and Cebu and boy I really missed those days. Me and the boys got there first as I had to take some pictures of the beach. The girls and kids came after and we enjoyed probably 3 hours of basking under the sun and let my body hit by the waves. I took some family pictures that my in-laws would definitely keep for a long long time. Then we went back to rinse ourselves and I felt so tired I fell asleep for at least three hours. I got up at 2:30pm and had my late lunch. Migmig was already sleeping when I checked on her. Late in the afternoon, we went to my wife's other relative to attend a graduation party given to one of them. Unfortunately, it rained so hard, we barely enjoyed our stay there. When we got back home, we waited for Gandang Gabi Vice before going to bed early.

Monday: I got up again for the last time that I don't have to get up early. I got to take some more pictures as I went to the middle of the farm field and take some more pictures. Then we went to San Fernando in La Union to buy some pasalubong. Initially, we planned to go there early to take pictures but it didn't materialize as most of them took a bath first. After buying some pasalubong, we had lunch at a restaurant as most of us were already hungry before going back to pack our bags and wait for our van to pick us up. Instead of being picked-up by 2:00pm, we waited for another two more hours before we got our ride. But before that, I took some family portraits of them again as a souvenir. As we were on our way back home, I felt like I wanted to go back not because of its quiet and laidback life there, but I felt I missed a lot of opportunities to take photos. We got home at past 10:00pm after several pit-stops. After unpacking our bags upstairs, all of us went to sleep right away but not without greeting my wife first.

Tuesday: I got up early again and took Migmig out for some fun in the sun but I wasn't able to take her walker out. We had breakfast at Mc Donalds before spending more time back home as her aunt won't be in Manila until the end of April. I left home at 12:30pm knowing I would still be able to get to the office ahead of time. Unfortunately, there was a delay at Cubao station where our ride had to wait for 20 minutes due to some technical difficulties. It also happened on the next 2 stations which I got late at work by 9 minutes even if I left home earlier. Since there were only two of us (excluding our boss) at work, we just maximized what we had. By dinner, I went to Park Square 1 as I know there is a Digiprint branch there as I had to print some pictures of Migmig. Unfortunately to my dismay, its branch doesn't exists anymore so I just had dinner at Yoshinoya and grab their to-share dinner. For some reason I had cravings for a cheese steak sandwich and I know its because of the video I've been watching from Man vs Food XD. I know The Cheese Steak Shop was just nearby so even after dinner, I looked for it until I found it XD. I got myself a 10-inch classic cheese steak and garlic fries to go and had it on my desk. It was sinfully good I had set my standard for the best cheesesteak sandwiches in Manila. After my shift, I took a cab home and got home early but not without grabbing a Magnum Ice Cream Bar at 7-11 near our place. My wife was still awake when I got home, I kissed her goodnight before going to bed.

Wednesday: Got up early again and took Migmig out for some fun in the sun. I left home at past 1:00pm as I went online and do other things. I took the bus to Digiprint at Times Plaza in UN Ave to have my baby's invites printed. Somehow, I liked the print so I left to go to work. For whatever reason, I stopped by Archer's Nook to try a burger at Zark's. When I got in, I had a Jaw Breaker which was really good and filling at the same time. Then I hurried off and took the next 2 buses to work which I got there at past 4:00pm (2 hours late XD). Good thing I got company which helped me somehow plus the food I ate at Zark's earlier kept me full for the entire shift. At the end of my shift, that's the time I had dinner but I'm not hungry at that point XD. When I got home, I felt so tired I slept through right away.

Thursday: Got up at almost 7:00am with a left foot that I could barely walk. Migmig and I went down and put her on the walker as she walks to and from our living room. My mom arrived a few minutes later looking forward to seeing her apo once more. She stayed for a few minutes which I was able to do other things quickly despite being unable to walk straight again. By the time she left, Migmig and I went to Mc Donald's to have breakfast for the nth time. Then we went back home and her mom was already awake and prepared our baby's bath. After giving her bath, I put her to bed and I fell asleep as well. When I got up, I had a feeling that I'm too lazy to report for work but not until my colleague texted me that I'll be alone in my shift today XD. With that predicament, I had to get ready. First, I went back to Digiprint to have my invites printed again. Then I had my late lunch at Rack's and I got their Blue Plate again. By 4:00pm, I'm at the office ready for work. But I'm all alone with my boss so it made my shift pretty much interesting. By dinner, I went to Cheesesteak Burger and Drinks to try their cheese steak sandwich. It tasted good but not as good as The Cheese Steak Shop's version (now I'm beginning to get more biased) XD. After shift, I went straight home again to get that much needed rest. XD

Friday: Got up at 6:45am still feeling a bit sleepy. Migmig's mommy has been cleaning poo that spilled from her diaper (I wonder why?) that made me get up and took our daughter down after changing her clothes and diapers. We went out for some fun in the sun and got back home after a couple of minutes. Then we went to my wife's sisters's room so Migmig could play. Little did I know she fell asleep and so am I at 8:00am. By 10:00am, both of us were awake (wrong move for me). My wife gave her a bath and we went back to our room this time to kill time. by 11:30am, both of us felt asleep again. My wife tried waking me up to get ready for work but I am too sleepy to get-up. I didn't notice the time and we got up at 1:30pm. We slept for 4 hours and I haven't even been to work. I quickly got ready for work and left home by 2:00pm. I had a quick lunch at Food Extreme before taking the LRT2-MRT and reaching the office a few minutes before 4:00pm. For the 4th day, I got to work late, and I tied an old record in the same office XD. I got to work some tickets right away before I got a call that needs to be escalated. By 7:50pm, I went out to have dinner at Chicboy and guess what I had for dinner? XD. Then I just killed some time and answered some queries through chat and email. All of a sudden, I felt dizzy that probably my sisig dinner was the culprit, but anyway, I enjoyed it still. XD. By the end of my shift, I took a cab home and got to bed a little bit early. 

Saturday: Got up early again to do some extra daddy work (taking Migmig out for some sun before having breakfast at Mc Donalds). Then after she took her bath, I got myself ready not for work but to go to Quirino Grandstand to attend the 10th Aliwan Fiesta 2012 (I'll create a post for this). By the time I got there, the weather was hot but still I have my spirits high to outdo my last Aliwan attendance. I ended shooting at past 6:00pm and head off to Makati to have dinner there.Unfortunately, food choices was jam-packed so I head out elsewhere. But the problem was I'm having difficulty walking because of jock-itch again (ouch!). I ended up at The Cheese Steak Shop and grab my 10-inch sandwich. Then I went to the office to upload some of my shots. I think I could do a teaser album as I had to do some editing before posting my official sets. By 11:30pm, I took a cab heading home.

Sorry for posting this late as my mind has been clouded with a lot of things lately. XD

Voting Season Begins.

And this is not for the National Elections =P. 

From fhm.com.ph

Though it has already started a few weeks back, FHM has already started its voting for the 100 Sexiest Women for 2012. I have yet to pick my top 10 for 2012.

There are more than a hundred lovely and sexy FHM ladies to choose from to cast your vote on. And you have until June 5, 2012 to cast your vote.

So make sure to pick your favorite FHM babe and make her #1. ^_^