Book Review: Orosa-Nakpil Malate

Title: Orosa-Nakpil Malate
Author: Louie Mar A. Gangcuangco
Price: P 225.00 (Powerbooks and National Bookstore)

It was Junnace who first mentioned this book to me. She was interested and I wasn’t until she convinced me that it was worth reading. And luckily, my cousin knew the author and I got a whopping discount off the cover price than those sold in Powerbooks or National Book Store. I just hit the jackpot. It came with a personal message from the author.

I just can’t believe my luck. Yesterday, I was just musing on whether it was a good read and the next thing I knew I was hooked up to it. And my CPA review materials were left to wallow in the filth of dust and grime (exag…) of the ‘baul’ for a few hours. I really felt guilty for choosing to read the book rather than date VALIX or DAYAG or DE LEON for that fact. I told myself I have to finish the book in a day or less or else everything will suffer. I was distraught for not focusing on matters of imperative concern but at the same time the book captivated me.

In a nutshell, the book OROSA-NAKPIL MALATE talks about the perils of unsafe sex and the biggest obstacle most promiscuous people face today – HIV/AIDS. Though it is not always true that one can only get AIDS with unsafe sex but also through blood transfusion. If it’s your fate to get infected then we can no longer anything about it than lessen or slow down its effects.

But the title of the book suggests more than AIDS or HIV infections but it also talks about the life in MALATE specifically in the streets of OROSA and NAKPIL. But what is MALATE? Wikipedia defines it as follows….

Malate is one of the districts of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It lies on the southern end of the city, east of Manila Bay. Together with the district of Ermita up north, Malate is a popular tourist spot and a known center of bohemian night life in the city and in the metropolis. (emphasis mine)

Malate is home to many educational institutions like De La Salle University-Manila and St. Scholastica's College. The area is also dotted with numerous hotels. Other notable locations include the Manila Zoo, the Ospital ng Maynila (Hospital of Manila), the consulate of the People's Republic of China, the Manila Yacht Club, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, and the Central Bank of the Philippines. Malate is also known as the gay capital of the Philippines with an active gay community living in the area surrounding the intersection of Maria Orosa and Julio Nakpil streets, near the Remedios Circle. (emphasis mine)

Perhaps by now, you now know why it was named OROSA-NAKPIL. The stigma is very obvious. The place was even labeled as GAY VILLAGE by the same online encyclopedia. This may sound unfair but life is really unfair. Back to the main issue – the book: put simply it talks about how MALATE changed the outlook and life of gay medical student. The story is intertwined with colorful twists and steamy scenes.

But the book has more to offer. The author has ingeniously intertwined the issues of safe sex, facts and fallacies of AIDS, and how to live and survive in a judging and prying society.

Despite the sensitivity, the book received numerous praises from the medical professional community for the author’s brilliance of producing a compelling narrative which discusses and exposes one of the most controversial issues in our society today. Bold and daring the book predisposes the reader to be open-minded and face the reality that the no one is immune to AIDS. We are not immune to AIDS. You are not immune to AIDS. I am not immune to AIDS. Worse, there is no cure or vaccine available for the virus.

I finished reading the book after an accumulated time of 4 hours. And that’s it. Every page is worth reading. Hats off to Louie Mar Gangcuangco.

As for me, I have to be back to my LIFE. Accounting is my LIFE. I still have to finish tickling my calculator and comprehend the essence of PSA’s.

Pray for me guys. No. 1 is it! (Naks, mukhang malabo ‘to.)

CPA Licensure Examinations

originally written: MAY 12, 2006 12:03 p.m.

I woke up to a very rainy and windy day. The blustering wind were accompanied by horrendous amount of rain almost flooding the submerged part of our garden. But I welcome the RAIN and I love the weather now. It is so refreshing especially that we have been experiencing heat of up to 36^o - 38^o Celsius. The rain has totally disrupted my plan for the entire day but nonetheless it was worth everything. I will just have to do the errands tomorrow or maybe, next week. (I will miss eating the burrito though *sigh*)

i couln't help myself but post another entry here. Kahapon pa sana. But I have to hold down my blogger-slash-journal itch for a while. I wouldn't want to regret that fact that I may look like an overly-excited jerk who could not help but post everyday during the early part of the journal but come a few weeks after and you can't barely see me at all. That would be too embarrassing on my part. Well, not exactly.... On to serious things

I'm suppose to start reviewing for my CPA Licensure Examinations due this October 2006. But I can't muster enough enthusiasm for the moment. I have already started reviewing my notes but there are many things bothering me still. INcluding some of the requirements needed, things I need to pack, and the thought of leaving my FAVORITE CITY >>>> ILOILO. Ruminating on what lies ahead is very tasking and stressful. Not to mention all the jitters and fears you are trying to fight. But all of this is but NORMAL. Well, I hope I can cope with everything that I might encounter along the way. Basta a, NUMBER 1 gid ya ah!

In case you haven't got any idea as to how difficult our exams are like and how difficult it is to pass an Accountancy Course, just read on the primer provided by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) available at http://www.prc.gov.ph.

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CPA Licensure Examination

ion Requirements for Examinations. No person shall be admitted to the examination unless he is:

• a citizen of the Philippines;
• of good moral character;
• is a holder of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy conferred by a school, college, academy or institute duly recognized and/or accredited by the CHED or other authorized government offices; and
• has not been convicted of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude.

Educational Qualification / Training / Experience:

• B.S. in Accountancy or its equivalent.
  BSC, BBA, BSBA graduates as of Dec. 1994 with certificate of units earned.

Scope of Examination. The examinations shall be in writing and shall cover the following subjects with the corresponding weight in units unless otherwise modified by the Board upon approval of the Professional Regulation Commission.

Subjects Theory of Accounts Business Law and Taxation Management Services Auditing Theory Auditing Problems Practical Accounting Problems I Practical Accounting Problems II TOTAL

Weight in Units 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14

Minimum Hours 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 21

The contents and coverage of these subjects shall be in accordance with the outline or syllabus prepared and issued by the Board of Accountancy containing the following:

Theory of Accounts - Accounting terminology, accounting principles and procedures, classification of accounts, valuation of assets and liabilities, income determination, developments in the science of accountancy, etc.

Business Law and Taxation - One-half on the subject of business law covering obligation and contracts, partnerships and corporations, negotiable instruments and other phases of the legal framework of business, and the other half on taxation dealing on income tax, business taxes, transfer taxes, and other taxes affecting accounting practice.

Management Services - Principles and procedures, methods, and techniques involved in management consulting services that may be rendered by Certified Public Accountants in areas such as managerial accounting, planning and control operations, design and appraisal of accounting systems, and financial -management related services.

Auditing Theory - Auditing concepts, auditing standards, internal control, auditing procedures and techniques, and the short-form audit report.

Auditing Problems - Problems on the application of auditing standards, techniques and procedures, preparation of working papers, completion of the audit, and preparation of audit report.

Practical Accounting I - Problems concerning financial statements and accounting for assets, liabilities and stockholder’s equity.

Practical Accounting II - Problems pertaining to partnership, joint ventures, fire insurance on the insured’s books, consignments, installment sales, agencies and branches, business combinations, cost accounting, financial analysis, and government accounting.

Examination Rating. - A candidate for the examination obtaining a general weighted average of seventy-five percent and above shall be entitled to registration as certified public accountant and as such shall receive a certificate of registration from the Board of Accountancy; Provided, That in no case should the rating on any subject be less than sixty-five percent. In the event a candidate obtains the rating of seventy-five percent and above in at least four (4) subjects having a combined weight of eight (8) units as provided for in this Act, he shall receive a conditional credit for the subjects passed; Provided, However, That such candidates shall take an examination in the remaining subjects within two years from the preceding examination; Provided further, That if the candidate fails to obtain at least a general weighted average of seventy-five percent and a rating of at least sixty-five percent in each of the subjects reexamined, he shall be considered as failed in the entire examination.

Failing candidates to take refresher course. Any candidate who fails in two complete Certified Public Accountant board examinations shall be disqualified from taking another set of examination unless he submits evidence to the satisfaction of the Board of Accountancy that he has enrolled in and completed at least twenty-four units of subjects given in Certified Public Accountant Examinations.

For purposes of this Law, the examinations in which the candidate was conditioned together with the removal examination on the subject in which he failed shall be counted as one complete examination.

Limitations on the Practice of Public Accountancy. Single practitioners and partnerships for the practice of public accountancy shall be registered certified public accountants in the Philippines: Provided, That from the effectivity of this Act, a certificate of accreditation shall be issued to certified public accountants in public practice only upon showing, in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Board and approved by the Commission, that such registrant has acquired a minimum of three (3) years meaningful experience in any of the areas of public practice including taxation: Provided, further, That this requirement shall not apply to those already granted a certificate of accreditation prior to the effectivity of this Act. The Securities and Exchange Commission shall not register any corporation organized for the practice of public accountancy.

________________________________

So there you have it. I hope you got to know my EXAM a little better. Wish me luck and PRAY for me guys.

Go for the GOLD! No. 1 is IT!

with a warm hug over a hot mug,

vinz

half musings of a psychotic

It has been raining outside since this morning. After meeting up for an important lunch I felt the urge to go online and just go online. I don't know but it seems that I really feel so tired and wasted today that I can't seem to muster the strength to go around and finish my pending tasks. Actually, my prioritites are already queing to be done not to mention that I'm quite broke. I have been feasting my money on lavish food trips. Apparently, I still don't feel guilty despite the fact that my body hates my waistline. To hell with what other people think. The best thing is that I enjoy and love what I do. I do not need affirmations from people nor do I need to conform with society. I am a non-conformist. Perhaps, this is the reason why sometimes I don't get the positions or things that I wanted. As my best buddy would put it in words --- I am a rebel with breeding. And I think you would see the more repulsive side of me in these pages. Words of clashing ideologies and simply nothing would continually flood the banks of this electronic river constantly innundating it with half musings. Nonsense. Crap. Bullshit. Pychotic. Me.