the mungo conspiracy

The trick used to be to price items 5 centavos less than the actual selling price. 999.95 pesos instead of 1,000 pesos. The idea is to soften the sticker shock somewhat. And it worked until people realized that the cashier is never going to give you your 5 centavos back. Not voluntarily anyway. Of course, if the cashier is cute enough, I am that guy who insists I get my 5 centavos -- if only so I can chat her up longer. Today, I go to the grocery store and I see items being sold per half kilo. What's going on here? Since when did 1/2 become a unit? Pricier items like tiger prawns are in fact being sold per 1/4 kilo. Are these people serious? Surely this is by design. They are lying to us via fractions. They figure it's harder for Juan to complain if  he is tasked to do mental fractions. I am just crossing my fingers that the Big Three oil companies do not resort to this tactic and start selling diesel per half liter. Or Meralco, per half a kilowatt hour. But you know what?...

Let me explain something to you. Perhaps, you are a little confused, but "tapang ng apog" is not the same as bravery. Apparently, you have inherited the same "tapang" from your mother. It takes nothing less than that same "tapang" to continue to sit as representative of a congressional district carved out of nothing to benefit you. Knowing that you are nothing but a manicurista appointed to the board.

I am not lying. This is all true. While the media attention was focused at the St. Luke's hospital for the serving of the arrest warrant on ex-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, ex-president Joseph "Erap" Estrada slipped out of the country and flew to the city-state of Singapore. You gotta love this guy. All that for a joke, I am almost sure. And hey, please tell me. I am not really that familiar with police arrest protocol. But is it standard operating procedure to cuff suspects on the neck?

If you have an hour twenty minutes to spare, this is one documentary you should definitely watch. Trust me. Even if you do not like video games this is one movie worth watching till the end credits. See for yourself if by mid-movie you still have not started caring who owns the world record in Donkey Kong. 

I am aware of my own bias. Yes, I want our own Manny Pacquiao to win the fight. But because of this awareness, know that I am making a conscious effort to not let this bias taint my opinion. That said, I honestly believe that Pacquiao clearly won that fight against the game challenger Juan Manuel Marquez. 1. CompuBox scoring had Manny Pacquiao ahead.  Here is the link.  Juan Manuel Marquez was ahead slightly in the first half of the fight. But Manny clearly scored more power punches in the latter rounds. Marquez was wailing wildly and missing badly near the end of the fight. Watch the video again. 2. For rounds too close to call, judges usually reward and give the round to the aggressor and not the counter-puncher. There are at least 4 rounds that may be deemed "too close to call". And who was the aggressor in the fight? Who was constantly pushing forward? 3. Manny Pacquiao was the defending champion. Champions only need to defend their crowns. Challengers need to take...

So yeah, part of me feels sorry for little Yoda. But wait, I get the feeling that this is all carefully staged and part of a sinister plan. "Sorry" is exactly how I am supposed to feel. Question. Why can't she file a final intenerary for that proposed medical trip? Could it be that she is going elsewhere? Rendezvouz to another location that she can not now reveal? Look a little closer at the picture. "Escape" is the least of our problems. As a citizen of this planet, I feel it is my duty to remind the Supreme Court of the Philippines that this Jedi has gone over to the dark side. Honorable Justices, I beseech you, the possibility is very real. She may be trying to link up to the mothership for the final installment on her armor --  and come back as Darth Vader.

Why am I not moved? Why do I feel no empathy for these people now trying to gain public sympathy? On one side there is that mother of 9 bastards, at least two of which are suspected to have participated in the murder of their kuya so they can afford themselves a bigger slice of that 1M php monthly allowance pie. Then there is the former fake president who've recently released photos of herself, clearly designed to generate public sympathy. I wish she would read the public's reaction on the inquirer.net so she can see for herself how well that went. No. No. No. Making yourself look pathetic in photos and/or press releases is not enough to gain public sympathy. Not in this day and age. Not when everytime one goes out anywhere in Metro Manila, one is constantly confronted by street kids begging for coins. We are all constantly bombarded by images and smells much more pathetic than your lame attempts. And if by these constant bombardments our hearts have grown cold and unsympa...

Senator Tito Sotto of "Eat Bulaga" fame was quoted this morning on the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the 7 billionth baby should not be made the poster child of the RH bill. Actually, he is right. Actually, the poster boy of the RH bill should be one Ramon Bautista, aka Kapitan Inggo, aka Former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. Actually, if that story wasn't so tragic this might be funny. When actually it is not. But actually, this being such a boring day, I've decided to actually overuse the word "actually" like some semi-literate lunatic. It is actually quite annoying. I know -- actually.