Olympics Torch Down Under (UPDATED)

The Olympics Torch is set to arrive in Canberra this Thursday. The torch is set to arrive in Australia on 23 April and will appear for about five hours the following day. The Australian Olympic Committee said in its website that “the route will include major cultural icons of Canberra including Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the Civic Centre and will be rowed across Lake Burley Griffin.”

The route, however, might change at the last minute if protests similar to the London, Paris and India leg will be repeated. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, however, declared that Chinese security officials would not be allowed to exercise any authority in securing the torch unless in cases of terrorist attack.

Activists found the best way of sending China their message to improve its recognition of human rights and call for its withdrawal from Tibet through the disruption of the Olympics Torch Relay.

UPDATE (24 April): There’s some confusion during the torch relay in Canberra today as despite Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s declaration that the Chinese security escorts the Chinese ‘blue guards’ tried to interfere with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in securing the torch. This made the AFP scuffling not only with Pro-Tibetan protesters but also with the Chinese escorts.

Some Australians did not welcome the action of the Chinese security escorts as Beijing Organizers insisted that the blue guards had a security role to play. Excerpt from news.com.au report are as follows:

But the blue tracksuited guards were seen by Australian relay organisers as a deliberate act of provocation by the Chinese, who have been told for months that they would not be allowed to have a security role.

Australia remembers

As the Philippines remembered its Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) last April 9, this week Australia remembers a parallel event known as Australian New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day. ANZAC Day is celebrated every April 25 when both armies landed on Gallipoli, Turkey during World War I.

From 20-20 to Top 20

A man has been charged over the weekend as a result of a police drama last Friday. The man threatened staff at the Australian Government Solicitor’s Office after an unfavorable court proceeding result. Police believed that he will return with a gun and the vicinity of the building was locked down for hours with hundreds evacuated. No gun was found.

In another news, a tragic accident literally arrived at the doorstep of a mother and her baby sending the baby flying meters away. The baby died on the spot and the man was apprehended by witnesses after trying to flee the scene. The mother received treatment for minor injuries.

Excuses, excuses, excuses

Well even with a well managed time (or so I believe), it was quite hard chasing time, deadlines and fighting writer’s block. 🙂

As some of you know, I’m a student and at this stage, I’m currently preparing for my first fieldwork in Southeast Asia. It’s scary, sometimes discouraging but most of the time challenging but that’s not a discussion for this post–it’s just my way of saying my sincerest apologies for the long hiatus (again?).

Well, there are lots of us getting the slack on the keyboard (well, blogging, i.e.). Massa P. for one was kind enough to heed her sister’s call to blog again for the reason that she’s got lots of fans out there (well, at blogosphere at least!? well, I might jump if I see her in person sometime, somewhere–a similar feeling when you find a fellow Pinoy in a foreign land–kabayan! in this case, uyy blogger yan!—at nasa blogroll ko pa! [fellow blogger and in my blogroll, too!]). Shari was also taking some time off writing but she’s slowly getting into it again and she’s also got a new theme!  Chuck, Jun and Alma are also taking it a bit slow but slowly are getting back again.

Well, blogging is hobby to most of us while some of us are getting paid, we still have a life to live and it’s just how some of us are able to tame time and feel that it’s always on our side. 🙂

Body to develop, preserve RP’s other languages

Last year, Inquirer.net reported that the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) was rethinking its purpose and was aiming to preserve RP’s other languages. This is a welcome news since we are slowly losing our identity as our culture is slowly swallowed by the different colonizers that came to ‘teach’ us the proper way. The alibata is almost extinct while there are some dialect that are slowly becoming a dialect only spoken among the senior generation. So, the move by the KWF is welcome news. Personally, I believe if we know our language well, then we have a chance for development and better understanding of other languages. Filipino is based on the Tagalog dialect, strictly speaking if we follow a pure Filipino language not everybody will be able to understand it. My Filipino teacher back in High School pointed out that in Tagalog, month and moon are spelled the same–buwan, so, how do you differentiate month from the moon? In Filipino, (if my memory serves me right), month is buwan and moon is bulan. Some of my Bicolano readers might say–ei that rings a bell. Well indeed it does because the Filipino language, ideally, is a mixture of all the dialect of the Philippines.

Are Filipinos being deceived?

I remember vividly how my ‘political awakening’ came into being. Ninoy Aquino’s arrival was on national TV. I was Grade 3 then, and then the gun shots. I could not believe my eyes that it was really happening but I remember my Dad trembling in anger of what they’ve done and pointing to a certain general speaking on TV looking so tense and shaking while explaining to the press that the former senator was assassinated and showing them the gun that was used.

When the cat is away the mouse will play

As the saying goes and so what also legislators at the Australian Parliament did today as reported by news.com.au. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spent his Friday on an official visit to an indigenous community in New South Wales that the opposition went on “berserk” to “protest against his ‘rostered day off’.”

Two Filipinos make it to Top 20 of “Dance Idol” Contest Down Under

Two Filipino-Australian made it to the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. J. D. Carteret and Demi Sorono hope to wow Australian viewers of the dance reality show. One might consider the show as a counterpart of the “Idol” show.

Plain blackmail

A report over the Inquirer.net caught my eye and I felt disgusted at how blatant some people in “forcing surrender to another party over a hovering threat to their money’s lifeline. ” The report quoted Makati Business Club Chairman Ramon Del Rosario, Jr. talking about a board member of the club who received a text message from a government official threatening to “set loose the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) on the MBC.” The threat is plain blackmail and the MBC shrugged it off welcoming any inquiry from the BIR. As expected there were denials from the government side and while throwing praises to the MBC as an advocate in tax collection, this showed that the BIR, or any other government office for this matter,could and will be used against any group or personality if they become a threat to the state (read: threat to their money’s lifeline).

The Word that Made People Happy

Sorry

It was a word that most indigenous Australians have been waiting for more than four decades and it came at a right time. It came as a surprise that the opposition has supported the apology when it was implying weeks before that it will not agree to such moves. The nation was ecstatic and everyone was unanimous that this is the start of the healing process and Australia can now move forward. This came at a very good time when the economy of Australia is bullish and it has a new leadership with commitment.