pweety snow

i have lately begun experiencing the aftershock of being exposed to the unforgiving cold winter weather. burning sensation in both my ears (who would've thought these organs could actually feel?) and nose. nails turning a nice, but alarming, blue color. head feeling tight all the time.

on the other hand, sight-seeing has been simply delightful. normal houses become charming homes, leafless trees achieve a softer look. its the whiteness of it all that turns the ordinary landscape into a magical realm of serene beauty. sigh.

griping on politics

good grief! (teka, i just realized that sounded really ironic? how can grief be good? anyhooo....) even though i'm far away from my home, i try to keep myself updated with the latest news, chika. and i'm severely dismayed to hear that the VAT increase to 12% was approved by the House of Representatives.

--- at this point, the writer apologizes for the words that will follow. please excuse her and allow her to vent her frustrations on an incompetent government ---
what gives, u stupid politicians? you're making pinoys suffer more! isn't it enough that prices on oil, rice, and other commodities have increased already? without even a raise in wage salaries of the common tao? you think that raising taxes is the answer to our increasing budget deficit? you all just want more money to go in your pockets! you sick corrupted selfish gluttonous pigs, lusting for more money! hypocrites, you're purposedly blind yourselves from your own evil, while looking at the "lesser" evil of others (indecency, piracy, etc). d na kayo nahiya! GMA, you ass! its just you're way of coming up with funds for all the presidential campaign expenses that you made!!!! i sincerely hope that one day, revenge is gonna bite you back, REALLY FREAKIN' HARD! aaargh! as much as i love the Philippines, i HATE the government who runs it!

--- thank you for listening to writer's rant ---

amazing how dirty politics is and could be. but i think it boils down to the abuse of power for the lust of money and the lifestyle of the flesh.

have these people no thought on mortality? money may be a way of survival or convenience in
this (sadly) consumeristic world, but what good is money anyway, you can't bring it with you to the afterlife. "do not store your treasures on earth... but in heaven".

and do they have selective consciences? apparently, they are too involved with themselves to even think about the people they are screwing with.

of course, it can be pointed out that money can be used to benefit the loved ones that are left behind. point taken. except when the money is stained, like, by way of corruption. then the means doesn't justify the end (acck! highschool catholicism memories running in my head!). should it be a case of damning your soul for the sake of others? its a sick philosophy.

for the children, should they be held blameless? "the sins of the father are not the sins of the son". but should they remain ignorant or impassive? when there is the chance to undo or correct the past, shouldn't they do it?

---

at this point, i see myself being strangely self-righteous. or maybe its just that i'm still too angry. i had better stop. still can't help but rant tho.

conversations

while staying recently at a relative's house, i was momentarily given charge of my 6 yr old cousin, who had asked me to help him after he made his poo-poo (riiight. moving on).

what followed was an interesting set of dialogues, which were in its entirety full of innocence (from the boy's perspective, of course). nevertheless, it had me doing my best to supress expressing even the slightest hint of amusement and laughter, less i make an immature impression.

boy: (casually dropping his pants again) hey ate, look at my titi!
me: aaah. yes. wow, you have one!
boy: mine is small. my dad has one too. but his is big! (uses both his hands to emphasize the size)
me: wow, uh, that's big.
boy: ate, whose titi is bigger, my dad or your dad?
me: uh, i don't know. i haven't seen both of them. (trying to stifle a laugh) *cough!*
boy: hey ate, look at this. what is this called?
me: umm, i think they're called testicles.
boy: i like them. they're big.
me: yes they are. (okaaaay...)
boy: i like touching them, too. (proceeds to touch them)
me: uh... um... don't touch them all the time, though.
boy: why?
me: (suddenly speechless with words.. it was all getting too much for me.. must.. smile...)
boy: why? because it will spread germs?
me: YES. because it will spread germs. what a smart boy you are. (big sigh of relief)

defining libel

allow me to rant. please.

libel is defined as a malicious defamation of character or individual, with the result of destroying that individual's reputation. consider these two cases then.
(1) kris aquino complaining because some columnist makes some comments on her life and affairs;
(2) gma7 complaining because of abs-cbn's remarks on news programs over stealing of intellectual property rights

the courts are kinder to kris' case than the networks. why? because she is a person? may i remind the courts that a company, by its legal terms, is ALSO A PERSON. kris is angry how the article "implied" her slutiness and deserving punishment of a disease (in a column/email written by a gma executive. now, pls compare the media value of a column, or email, to tv). gma7 was "portrayed" as a thief. may i point out, that there was never any mention of any kind in that article? whereas gma7 was repeatedly bashed (on live tv! by respectable reporters! who are well-known media! which influences the public!), using direct words such as magnanakaw. heck, that network even made a news brouhaha over it! and a commercial! AND THE COURTS FAVOR KRIS' CASE MORE?!?

so? is kris gonna be mad at me for this? and will abs-cbn have a possible case with me? hello, i'm talking about the stupidity of the judicial system here. and to the phil. government, i say, I AM PRACTICING MY RIGHT OF FREE SPEECH HERE! this article, in no way, destroys the security, integrity, and peace and order of this nation. why? because its the government that's doing a good job at those!!!!!!!!! the government is its own libel-maker!!

apparently, i'm also in psycho freaky mad mode right now.

dealing with the dilemmas of daily programming

i've been surviving life away from home by updating myself with updates from my favorite Mulawin series (check the network's violet channel, too!). a group of reliable bloggers had the good idea of posting the episode summaries for fans like me outside the country. (and later some screenshots to alleviate "visual-impairments"). it was a treasure of sorts (for a tv junkie), but the greater discovery were the bloggers themselves, whom i have had, only recently, conversed with through comments and opinions ranging from witty, thoughtful, interesting... all about the show, of course. but the interaction was always engaging, and what pleased me more was the knowledge that they chose to be, well, intelligent viewers.

my definition of intelligent viewers are those that have opted to patronize shows that offer more than the usual heartwrenching grips of soap operatic formulas. Philippine television, believe me, is bombarded with the latter, offering little choice on alternatives. me, i'm nearing the point of saturation with these soaps and their constant rehash of themes. i've been through it all - the shameful rags-to-riches story, the "shocking" family connections (most common plot: the main rich contrabida and the perpetually-abused poor victim are mother and daughter), true loves long sought but eventually, ultimately end up together, the endless blackmails and tarayans (bitchiness), sampalan (slapping) scenes, the works!!!... HAAAAY! (but, i'll admit it really IS guilty television)

discussing with fellow mulawin fans has lead to several interesting insights. recently, a good topic was raised, that of the pinoy's short attention span. like fashion trends, pinoys only go for what's hot (well, i'm partly guilty of this too). the cellphone industry is one perfect example.

sadly, short attention span may be the ultimate cause for the non-surgence of seasonal shows (something i've long yearned for). it boils down to viewers wanting everything in excess, more action scenes, more controversies, more iyakan (crying), more sampalan!

likewise, this also results in a disappointing conclusion for aspiring writers, who feel obligated to stick to these formulas to generate high ratings and using "bankable" or "It" actors and actresses who are then not being challenged enough, given their less-than-average (read: non-quality!) roles (if they are challenged, its only to pick the show that offers the most monetary reward). the domino effect doesn't stop there. sticking with the SAME talents over and over again also doesn't give opportunities for other better suited (and probably more talented) actors/actresses. (the filipino entertainment industry probably doesn't even believe in auditions anymore... but that's another story).

deteriorated programming is an education of the different type, forced, repetitive, abusive, and destructive. this same treatment, repeated over the years (and years to come), makes everybody suffer (except networks).

its a sad, sad cycle -- viewer's short span started it, viewers get crap in the end. its really the viewers.

thus it was to the relief and joy of all when mulawin showed up. but however exaggerated that may sound (after all, it has its faults. by no means is mulawin perfect, as it shares even some measures of what i discussed above), it must be told that it IS a notch higher than the rest. restless viewers have finally stood up and made the good decision. and networks are finally taking notice. its a step forward, so to speak. and a step forward is always good.

here's hoping for better times for tv.
---
on another level, US programming is dominated by reality shows lately, which explains the successes of scripted shows like Lost (very very good! plugging!) and Desperate Housewives (kinda dark comedy.. not a fan though). sooooo, maybe reality shows in US are the soap opera equivalent of Philippines? i guess, to each country its own. sigh.

for those not familiar with mulawin, its a fantaserye (think fantasy and drama) currently shown in the Philippines. grabe ang plugging ko no? gma7, u had better pay me on this one!

grief: on the other side of the fence - part 2

i don't mean to be look all excited about having a blog but i just had to write this one. the death toll had reached an escalating number of 150,000, a heartwrenching reminder of the degree of destruction inflicted by the tsunami. reports say the number will go up, especially if the outbreak of epidemic is not prevented. my uncle asks - why do these nations, poor as they are, have to suffer this? and why did God let this happen?

it's an age-old cry, one that begs to be really contemplated. how could we justify keeping the faith with the amount of suffering and calamities happening?

shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?
the story of Job is a tale that can be related to during these troubled times. Job was a good man, but he too suffered indescrible amounts of pain and suffering. his 14 children were killed, his wealth and possessions plundered, servants massacred, and even his own body was afflicted with diseases that branded him an outcast.

while it is only understandable that we cry out to God for help, we cannot declare ourselves innocent of punishment. that is tantamount to accusing God as unjust, and even borders on suggesting we know or understand better than He.

why do we only call out to Him when we are beset by trouble? should we forget all the good that the Lord has done? the Bible advises to build a "trust" fund, an accummulated amount of trust in God during our more comfortable times. reminding ourselves that God makes good on his promises to help us time and again, should help ease or survive the times of hardship.

i cannot afford to explain more on this matter, because i do not want to appear self-righteous (and no, this is not modest pride either). but i myself want to be remember and be comforted. with that, please allow me to write down a few more notes i got from my Bible*
believe me, i didn't come up with these on my own; my Bible has anecdotes, case studies, etc):
1. Some suffering is cased by Satan.
2. God is all powerful and good.
3. Suffering doesn't always come as a result of sin.
4. God will reward and punish fairly in a final judgement after death.
5. God doesn't condemn doubt and despair.
6. No one person has all the facts about suffering (ouch).
7. God is never totally silent.
8. Well-intentioned advice can sometimes do more harm than good (ouch ouch).
9. God asks for faith.
10. Suffering can be used for a higher good.

and God will bless him all the days of his life
"God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (romans 8:28) is often misquoted to refer only to good things. blessings actually can be in any form, good or bad, so long as they lead to His purpose and destiny for you. we are called to be steadfast, trusting in Him always and taking these problems as ways to improve ourselves, to regard them as stepping stones to character and Christlikeness.

another verse (i don't remember which) explains how God knows a person's limits, implying He gives only until to the measure which a person can handle. it is another reminder that God is in control, and these things shall pass.

at the end of this, God does reward Job. so shall He reward those who keep faith.
----
may i say that i am not this perfect Christian, but am a working progress.

----
on another note: in response to the first of this series, UN has asked nations responding with their donations (through hyped media announcements) to sign pledges and to send them asap. turns out, some of them don't make good on their promises in past disasters.

but, why convert them to cash? some of these aid that were sent to these countries in the forms of relief goods and clothes. i may be naive, maybe cash is better. but i'm just worried that it would lead to a mishandling of funds, going into the pockets of politicians rather than the victims.

----
on yet another note, they say that the earthquake was a conspired plot by some organizations, to what purpose i don't know. much as i want to research on them, i may be afraid that by pointing to suspects, i am forgetting the victims.

tagalog, movies and other matters

being a movie fanatic, i'm always up to the challenge of watching movies (especially those with good reviews, kahit poor box-office turnouts). so with The Big Fish (Ewan McGregor) showing at HBO, i gamely sat in front of the tv to watch it. the movie was very good (tim burton, u da best!), but one scene in particular really made me bolt up straight in my seat.

familiar words suddenly floated in my head as mcgregor's character floated down on a parachute from an airplane. the movie cuts to a korean(?) show for soldiers (it was a war setting), but the ventriloquist on stage was speaking tagalog! and not just one line, a whole lotta lines! i was so mesmerized for a moment (grabe, ang babaw), i forgot to call my relatives to watch the movie with me (see the actual words here).

i brought this up with a family friend, who mentioned that Return of the Jedi (!!) had some ewoks talking in tagalog, too! so began a rabid search in the internet for the actual lines, but all i got were "puno daw to!" at "maganda!".

while the star wars search had a subpar gratification, i was extremely delighted to read that the movie Life Aquatic (Bill Murray) features pinoy pirates! apparently, indonesians were originally intended for the roles, but when the main cast and crew went to rome, they found too few indonesians. guess who got the parts? :) it amazes me how well-scattered pinoys are.

---
btw, m counting Big Fish as one of my fave movies na. i still have yet to see Finding Neverland (Johnny Depp) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Jim Carrey), both were very good daw. also A Series of Unfortunate Events. hmm... come to think of it, they all have something in common ata. imaginative screenplays?

but darn. i STILL haven't seen Ocean's Twelve!

---
speaking of Ocean's Twelve, the opening for this film had a funny interesting intro -- 12 is the new 11! ordinarily, this really should bear no significance for discussion, if it hadn't been for me noticing some fashion magazines a few weeks ago. there's always that need to catch the viewer's attention. got my attention it did when it said, purple is the new black! not to be outdone, i saw another magazine saying, dark green is the new brown! (huh?)

the perplexing thing with what i discussed above, mathematically and logically, they shouldn't make sense. 12 = 11. purple = black. dark green = brown. what IS strange, though, is i can understand them!

i still can't decide if this is a recession or development of the english language. cool, for example, has undergone variations. swell. hot. tight. there is also that subtle pressure to keep track which are the It words (what is It and who the heck started it??), otherwise, you won't be trendy by society standards.

conclusion? english vocabulary and phrases get sillier. and i along with it.

grief: on the other side of the fence

australia has just announced its relief amount pegged at $765M (?) for the victims of tsunami, making the Land Down Under the largest donor to date. this moves japan to second ($500M) and US, third ($365M). this might have been a reaction to recent criticisms that rich nations don't give enough (US in particular, since it's been rumored that it spends $35M everyday for the Iraq war).

i hope that this doesn't become a race on who is the highest "bidder", because just listening to the news makes me feel like they're like, well, boasting. but then again, maybe i'm just too narrow-minded (may donations na nga, nagrereklamo pa. yung mga ibang bansa nga dyan e.. a, o nga). its not really about the money, but the victims, the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in that tsunami and the millions more that are still suffering from it.

a normal case of obsession

a few days before new year, i happened to chance upon an interesting cover of a new manga, tsubasa reservoir chronicles. it said clamp on it and featured syaoran and sakura (of card captor sakura fame) in an alternate universe. but despite the clamp mark, i was still skeptical. could this be really clamp? or some other fan fiction using clamp characters? the art was impressive though. so with that alone as a factor, i figured to myself, what the heck, i'll buy it.

i was hooked. and if this wasn't clamp, i'd still be hooked. and as with all the first editions, there came that tiny spark of obsession that persistently told me, you have to see how the story goes, the WHOLE story. to the very end! so it was in the case of inuyasha (by rumiko takahashi). i was given the first chapter as a gift, and 370 something chapters after, i'm still reading it. another would be mulawin (but this is a show, and as such, is episode-based).

in case you were wondering, no, i didn't buy each chapter nor the volume. i just happened to search for it at the website and tried to locate that which offered the most comprehensive translations (i'm that obsessed). if i'm lucky enough, the site owner would add some scans. other than that, i just read the pages like a script and use my imagination to come up how the art would look like.

a little too extreme, no? masochistic, perhaps? but that's how it is with me. it does get frustrating sometimes. because i really prefer the hard copy to look at, and those chapters, they can't seem to be updated fast enough (or in some cases, not all). tiring as well, because the sequences can be so slow or veering away from the main plot. ultimately though, it is gratifying. because a good story is always something to look forward to.

o my! my first blog!

celebrating new year has always been a strange feeling for me. amidst all the celebration, i always find myself wistful, always reflective. i look back at the year that was, and contemplate on how i even got by and how i am now.

cynically hopeful. an ironic phrase that i thought fitting to my description. let's see. come new year, i've gone past the supertitious beliefs of being taller (no more jumping up and down for me), of being wealthier (polkadots? puh-leeez. and coins in my pocket? bills na lang! hehe). and my love life...? well, nuff said. kaya nga cynically hopeful e. i've turned a quarter of a century old (gasp!) and i can say, i've only recently tapped into my geeky side (read: tech-obsession). but being a severe self-critic, i know my faults and flaws. i've retreated more than i could've lead. my hair has been the same since i could remember and i still haven't made progress in the weight category. certainly none of that pizzazz(?) or bold changes that would make me stand out.

but crap. wasn't that a little too sad to start the new year? so i remind myself not to be so melodramatic. i've certainly traveled a lot and have been to some amazing places. i have a supportive family, loyal friends, and a wonderful adorable little dog. lots of sappy sappy love, folks. and i may not be able to sing well, play sports, but i can damn well draw! there's the rest of my life to look forward to!

happy new year!