A BLESSED 2009 EVERYONE!

Happy New Year po sa inyong lahat. I’m sure nagkukumahog na naman ang sambayanang Pilipino sa pagsalubong sa bagong taon. Kahit mahirap ang buhay, stick pa rin tayo sa mga tradisyon na nakagawian na natin pag ganitong araw.

Siguradong magdidilim na naman ang kalangitan ng Pinas dahil sa dami ng paputok na sisindihan. Sabi kasi ng mga intsik, kailangan daw magpaputok at mag-ingay to ward off evil spirits. Eh pano kung kamay mo ang naputukan, ibig bang sabihin non, binalik sa yo ng evil spirit yong paputok? So hindi umubra ang powers ng sinuturun ni hudas! Wakanga!

Di ba malaking pera din ang ginagastos natin in keeping with this tradition? Aba magkano na kahit trompilyo lang. Tapos wala pang isang minuto, kaput na. Pero ewan ko nga ba. Kahit ako, bumibili rin ng fountain at luses kasi mukha ka namang kawawa pag nagkakagulo na ang mga kapitbahay mo tapos ikaw nakatingin lang.

Biktima rin ako nong practice na naglalagay ng mga bilog na bagay sa bahay sa ganitong araw. Aside from the prutas, nagkakalat ako ng mga coins sa buong bahay. Sabi kasi nila, susuwertehin ka raw sa pera if you follow this practice. Pero again, saan ba galing itong practice na ito? Di ba sa mga intsik din natin nakuha ito? Aba, eh kung ganon dapat sa February na tayo mag-celebrate ng new year!

But come to think of it, kung maraming pera ang wish mo kaya ka naglalagay ng mga bilog na bagay sa bahay mo, what about health? Syempre hindi lang pera ang gusto mong matanggap in the new year. Good health din. So ano, magsasabit ba tayo dapat ng puso, atay o kidney sa bahay natin para good health tayo? Hmmm… baka mapagkamalan tayong Dayo nyan!

Another tradition na maaring sa mga Kano natin nakuha ay yong new year’s resolution. Bakit kamo? Sige nga, ano’ng tagalong sa new year’s resolution? May narinig ka na bang nagsabing ‘naku gagawa ako ng listahan ng pagbabago sa bagong taon’? Wala di ba.

Siguro for some, it works. Sa akin hindi. Medyo kulang ako sa will power na sundin kung anoman ang sinulat ko. Lalo at medyo malaking challenge. Walang iniwan sa parusang ginawa sa akin ng teacher ko when I was still in grade school. Pinasulat ako ng isang buong blackboard ng ‘I will not be talkative in class’. Nasunod ba? Obviously hindi kaya ayan may Dante Speaks! Hahaha!

One genuinely Pinoy tradition ay yong tatalon ka raw pagdating ng new year. Lalo na yong medyo vertically challenged (oh ha, politically correct term yan). Eh pano kung sa katatalon eh natapilok? Di lalong napahamak. Baka mabawasan pa ng ilang inches yong kabilang paa, hindi tumaas kungdi naging pilay!

Bakit hindi na lang natin gawing tradisyon na mag-observe ng minute of silence, may kasamang prayer pag ganitong araw. Yong tipong pipikit tayo at magdadasal ng taimtim. To thank God for the blessings na natanggap natin sa natapos na taon. Kahit mga problema, ipag-pasalamat na rin natin. Afterall may natutunan tayo sa mga problemang yon.

Then, tell Him all the things that you wish for. I think mas effective ang dasal kesa sa paputok if you want to keep evil spirits at bay. Mas effective din yon kesa sa pagkakalat ng coins sa bahay if you want more fortune. Samahan mo nga lang ng pagkilos at konting pagpapa-plano sa buhay. At siguradong mas effective ang prayer if you wish for better health.

As for your height, ipagdasal mo pa rin. Yon naman eh kung teenager ka pa. Pero kung matanda ka na, tantanan mo na. Afterall, pwede ka pa rin namang mag-artista. Eh bakit ba si Dagul, Mahal at Mura!

Whatever we do, kung ano mang tradisyon ang susundin natin, sana lang mag-enjoy tayo at huwag kalimutang magdasal. Lalo ngayon that we are looking at a grim year ahead. Crisis with a capital C. Pero malakas ang pang-laban natin dyan, CHRIST. Lahat capital yan!

no. 13: things i wanna do

As the year draws to a close, I asked myself kung ano ang nagawa ko this year that I have been wanting to do for the longest time. And I was happy to realize na natupad yong wish ko na maka-sakay sa isang long-haul train ride. Yon nga yong nagpunta ako ng Riyadh. Twice ko pang nagawa back in June and again in November.

Nakasakay na kasi ako ng cable car – one in Singapore and one in Tagaytay if you can call it cable car. Nakapag-horse back riding na rin ako once. Nakapag-snorkeling na rin ako.

But still I’ve got a lot of things I want to do sa buhay ko. Things that I want to do but never had the chance to. For one reason or another. Ke pera (the biggest reason), time or simply because of the lack of drive. But there are things that I really wish I’d be able to do in my life. Some will probably remain as dreams na lang but nevertheless, let me list them down:

- Go hang gliding. I’ve always wanted to be Superman who can fly whenever he wants to. But that’s fiction and hang gliding I think is the more realistic option. Parang hindi ko kasi kakayanin ang sky diving. Even bungee jumping. Both are too extreme for me.

- Watch any one of the four tennis grandslams. Mas maganda kung Wimbledon but Roland Garros, Australian or US Open will do. Basta dream kong makapanood nito coz I love tennis.

- Experience a hot air balloon ride. Again, it’s because of my love of heights. It would be nice if it will be a ride over the scenic landscape of an English or a French countryside. Now, this is more like a dream! Haha!

- Touch a dolphin. I know I should’ve visited Ocean Park when I was in Hongkong but I never did. That’s why I still haven’t touched one of these cute and lovable creatures.

- Play a grand piano. Of course, kailangan kong mag-aral muna which is gonna be a big challenge coz I’m a moron when it comes to reading musical notes. Pero gusto kong makatugtog ng piano. I’m not aiming for a Brahms or Rachmaninoff concerto. Kahit My Heart Will Go On lang pwede na.

- Go rapelling. Medyo extreme ito pero gusto kong ma-experience kahit sa isang mababang cliff lang. I wouldn’t dream of doing the Grand Canyon.

- Experience an opening or even the closing ceremony of an Olympic Games. Well, who doesn’t!

- Learn to swim. Yup, hindi po ako marunong lumangoy! I’ve been to so many beach resorts pero kakawag-kawag lang ako sa tabi. And when I’m in a pool, doon lang ako sa 3ft. O kaya sa pang-bata! Haha!

- Go to the ballet. I’ve always been fascinated by this dance form. But I just wanna watch Swan Lake, not doing the pirouette myself. Dancing for me is getting wild doing crazy stuff on a dance floor.

- Go on a camping trip. I want to sleep in a bag tucked under a tent and wake up to the chirping of a bird instead of my pesky alarm clock. It would be glorious to stretch and yawn while looking over endless greenery of a mountain range. Going back to nature is one trip I’ definitely want to do.

There you go. Ten things – some crazy, some definitely expensive things that I’d like to do in my lifetime, not including my ultimate dream of touring Europe. Well, maybe I can do one or two of these things next year. Or the year after. Bahala na. But one thing I’m sure off, crossing out the things in this list is gonna take a long, loooonggg time! Hahah!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

a merry christmas to all of you, dear dantespeaks visitors. i hope you have a good one no matter what. i wish you all health, wealth, happiness and everything a joyous and holy occassion like this can bring.

but most importantly, i hope that we all remember that this day is not about us and our selfish wishes. it's about the birth of Christ who brings with him more than material things we all normally whine and whimper for. let us give thanks just for the fact that he was born to give mankind the salvation it so needed.

so i will not just say merry christmas. i'd say Happy Birthday Jesus.

(in keeping with the occassion, we held a small party last night. i've posted quite a few pix in addicquotes so please take a peek on that one so you can see how we celebrated the birthday of all birthdays)

the continuing saga of the flying shoes

it's been a week since george w bush ducked for life when he was attacked by a shoe-throwing iraqi reporter but it looks like media hasn't gotten enough of it. not yet anyway. news channels are still running follow-up reports regarding the incident.

today, what's riding in the popularity of that rather awkwardly funny but definitely embarassing incident is the shoe-making factory in turkey who claims that the pair of shoes that flew bush's way was one of their products. and they are not just riding on it, they are cashing on it.

the manufacturer say they received orders for 370,000 of model 217. a quantity that is more than what they have produced for a good half of the 10 years that they are in the shoe-making business.

my first reaction is that it is understandable if the orders are coming from within the arab region who has the strongest sentiments against the american president. but if we will believe the manufacturer's statement, he was getting large orders not only from the arab region but all over the world, united states included.

if that is the case, it looks like it is not just the iraqis who sees bush as a villain. being unpopular is one thing. being hated is another. and being humiliated in front of the world is an entirely different story. what a sad way to exit a post that is supposedly the most powerful in the world.

the battle of the davids

Okay, before you say my article is soooo ancient, hear me out. Free channel lang po ang can afford ko and in this part of the world, sa Dubai One ko lang inaabangan ang American Idol. And I guess they (Dubai One) wouldn’t wanna pay what I could only imagine as an enormous broadcasting fee just to have it aired real time kaya, inumpisahan lang nilang i-air yong Season 7 a few weeks after it’s run ni Fox. Kaya ngayon ko pa lang napanood ang finale ng Season 7 which they aired last night.

But even if that episode’s tape was already museum-bound, at kahit alam kong si David Cook ang nanalo by some millions of votes, I still enjoyed watching it. Thoroughly.

To those who love AI and haven’t seen it, I’d say you’ve missed one hell of a finale. To me, this is the best finale ever. Pareho kasing magaling yong dalawang David. In fact, dapat hindi na pinatagal itong season 7 coz right from the start, outstanding talaga itong dalawang ito. They could’ve went straight to the finale kasi wala naman talagang competition from among the other 22 semi-finalists (aside from the Australian John Michaels na medyo nagustuhan ko rin ang singing style). And that includes Ramiel who is now trying her luck in the Philippine local entertainment scene.

But going back, since parehong dalawang guys ang contestants, ginawa nila itong parang boxing match kumpleto with a ring announcer with Cook in the red corner while Archuleta was in blue. They then sang 3 songs alternately.

In Round 1, nauna si Cook with his version of U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Archuleta’s first was Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me. I love both of these songs but I’d say mas favourite ko ang U2 kesa kay Elton. But song choice aside, who sang better? Archuleta for me. Simon Cowell agreed and gave Round 1 to the 17-year old.

Round 2 is where they sang two compositions from AI fans. Cook chose a rock pice which suited his voice and style perfectly. Archuleta chose another ballad that goes something like ‘you can’t take this moment away from me’. Hindi ko masyadong gusto yong song na parang One Moment in Time ni Whitney ang dating sa akin. May pagka-jologs ng konti. Masyado nga raw self-centered sabi ni Cowell. Pero kahit pa anong sabihin, it’s not about the song but about the singing. And I thought Archuleta sang better again. Simon thought so too and gave Round 2 to the innocent-looking boy again.

Round 3 and it’s their song choice now. I was delighted that Cook chose one of my super-fave from Collective Soul, The World I know. I was going 'yeahhhh'. Maning-mani talaga sa kanya. But Archuleta delivered the final blow with his angelic version of John Lennon’s Imagine. Simon gave Round 3 again to Archie and said he won by a knock-out. At kung hindi ko talaga alam na si Cook ang nanalo, I would totally agree with that knock-out verdict.

Iba ang clarity, pitch, volume at total quality ng boses ni little boy. But we all know by now that Cook is turning out songs that rock the Billboard charts. Both of them naman actually are doing great. Ang sa akin lang, kung hindi dinadaan sa popular vote ang winner, it would be very very difficult to separate these two. Parehong magaling. Parehong idol material. Sana ganito rin ang calibre ng season 8.
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(you can listen to the four songs from these two at the e-snips widget somewhere in the right panel of this blog. listen to them and, without prejudice, tell me whose singing you liked best.)

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gaya-gaya puto maya!

Sa kapapanood ko ng news, I saw this report last week tungkol sa mga nangyayaring rally sa Greece. There’s this girl na may hawak na flowers at isa-isang binibigyan ang mga naka-hanay na police. And I thought to myself “naku wala kayong originality, eh unang Edsa revolution pa ginawa sa Pinas yan noh”.

Ganon din ang naisip ko a couple of weeks ago sa ginawang people power revolt ng mga Thai. Which led to the toppling down of their Prime Minister. The second PM na nasibak since Thaksin Shinawatra. People power na ginaya din nila sa Pinas. O di ba ganon tayo ka-trend-setter.

But it doesn’t end there. May bago na namang ginagaya ang mga ulupong. Yong Cha-Cha ni Gloria! In case you haven’t heard, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is gathering signatures to support his intention na magtagal pa sa presidency beyond expiration of his term. Ang katwiran nya, kailangan pa raw sya ng kanyang bayan. The difference here is that mas vocal sya sa gusto nya. Hindi tulad sa atin na tahimik lang si Gloria and it’s her wards na nagpapasimuno ng lahat.

And not only Venezuela huh. Dahil pati ang Russia, gusto na ring sumayaw ng Cha-Cha. Medvedev wants to cling to his power too. Gusto ring baguhin ang kanilang batas para hindi sya mapatalsik pagtapos ng takdang oras nya. Kaya nag-aalburoto rin ang mga Ruso. Ay sus, mga gaya-gaya talaga! Polka ang isayaw nyo para mas orig noh!

What do we get out of this? Simple lang. It all comes down to greed. Hindi nakuntento sa kung ano ang binigay sa kanila. Ng Diyos at ng boto ng mga tao. They want more. Chance to serve the country? Hindi siguro. Personal motives? Mas malamang.

At any rate, ano naman kaya ang susunod na gagayahin nila na inumpisahan ng Pinas? Hmmm…

Ay meron pala. If you still remember, we made history again earlier this year because in the list of 10 most corrupt government leaders published during the UN anti-corruption conference in Indonesia (you can go back to my article entitled hall of shame under label I’m shouting here), naka-2 out of 10 tayo! No 2 si Marcos at No 10 si Estrada.

Yon, hindi pa nagagaya ng ibang bansa. They gotta work hard para ma-duplicate ang record na yon. Sino kaya ang makakagaya!

what a few words can do

i've spent a good part of today chatting with friends. i had four threads - 3 individuals at isang grupo where i was doing either counselling or consoling to the guys na kausap ko.

yong isa, tungkol sa lovelife ang topic. meron lang syang ilang maliliit na concerns about his labidabs. actually madaling sagutin for anybody like me who's not in the relationship. di ba ganon nga raw talaga, you can see better kaya madali mong makita ang sagot coz hindi ikaw ang involved and you're just expressing your opinion base sa mga sinasabi nya. i think nakatulong naman yong mga practical kong sagot/advise. he even thanked me for sharing some of my pragmatic views in in life. and love, most importantly.

two good friends are having situations sa trabaho. separately though.

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yong isa, may frustration kasi may inaantay syang improvement na hindi nangyari. and he was a bit depressed when things didn't turn out the way he was expecting. so i had to do some consoling to prop up his dampened moods.

yong isa naman is more of concern about his job security because of the economic crisis. and i understood his concern when he told me where the fear is coming from. i ended sharing one secret na ginagawa ko in handling my finances. i guess he got some encouragement based on his last mail na medyo upbeat na ang tono nya.

on the group naman ng mga kaibigan kong puro lokotoy, medyo personal at for adult ang usapan. pero kahit puro kalokohan ang inumpisahan, i was able to inject some sense sa mga pinag-uusapan. some practical analysis of life na kahit dinaan ko sa biro at kalokohan, pinilit ko pa ring lagyan ng sense so that they could reflect on the situation. i just hope that it helps them even one teeny-weeny bit pagdating sa intimate moments nila ng kanilang respective wives.

as the day ended, natawa ako sa nangyari maghapon. i got a sense of achievement na marami akong natulungan sa araw na ito. i'm not trying to be wiser than these guys. older pwede dahil medyo mas lamang ako ng 1 or 2 years sa age sa karamihan sa kanila. but wiser, no. these are intelligent people also na may kanya-kanyang experiences, prinsipyo at paniniwala.

but the fact that they listened to what i said and gave it a thought, malaking bagay na sa akin yon. it might be a few words na nai-share ko sa kanila. but if it helped them in any way, i would be very happy.

hmmm.... now i should consider taking up psychology. haha!

9 days

After 9 days na wala akong pasok nong nakaraang holiday, heto at balik na naman ako sa trabaho. And, just like everytime na galing ako sa bakasyon, ang hirap gumising ng maaga para pumasok after some quiet, alarm-clock-free mornings.

9 days of peace. Walang makukulit na tao sa paligid, walang maingay na office, walang teleponong ring ng ring, walang email na nakaka-high blood, walang meetings na nakaka-buryong, walang lunch sa cafeteria na pinagtya-tyagaan ko na lang araw-araw ang pagkain. And most of all, wala yong feeling na antay ako ng antay ng 4 o’clock para makauwi na!

9 days of laziness. Yong tipong kakain ako kahit anong oras na gusto ko. Or sa gabi na maligo dahil nakakatamad pag umaga. Malamig na kasi ang tubig. At kung hindi tulog, nakasalampak lang sa harap ng tv. Walang ginawa kungdi manood kahit paulit-ulit ang balita sa Euronews, Al-Jazeera, BBC at CNN. Patulan kahit rerun ng The Simpsons sa Fox Series. Paulit-ulit din ang pagchi-check sa Yahoo Mail, Hotmail at sa Dantespeaks kahit wala namang bagong comments, mail or posting. At laging updated sa mga balita from Abante, Abante-tonite at Philstar.

9 days of tulog. Lalo ngayon na ang sarap magbabad sa kama at mamaluktot under the warmth of my comforter. Ang lamig na kasi kahit walang aircon at bahagya lang ang awang ng bintana ko to let some fresh air in. At sa umaga, ang gumigising lang sa akin is either yong liwanag ng araw na dahil mataas na eh kayang-kayang tagusin ang makapal kong kurtina. Or, yong sikmura kong nagrereklamo dahil nalipasan na ng breakfast eh mukhang aabutin pa rin ng lunch na walang ginigiling na pagkain!

So what did I achieve out of the 9 days? Wala. Well, aside from the fact na nagkaroon ako ng time na mag-organize ng mga papel, resibo, warranty cards at kung ano-ano pang papel na basta ko na lang siniksik kung saan-saan at siguradong mahihirapan akong hanapin in case na kailanganin ko. Pati mga resibo ng Telemoney, na-sort ko and arranged chronologically. Now I’m ready to be disorganized again until the next holidays. Haha!

Aside from that, I just enjoyed the feeling of being irresponsible for some 9 days. Yong walang oras na hinahabol. Walang trabahong gagawin kahit ayaw gawin. Walang taong kakausapin kahit ayaw kausapin. Just some peaceful, quiet and blissful days na akin lang. Was I bored? Not a bit. Ibahin mo ang tanong. Something like – ‘ganon ka na ba katamad? Dyan, masasagot kita. Hahaha!

sticky fingers... again

Here are a few stories that grabbed the headlines the past few days. And here I go dipping my fingers on them once again.

Pacquiao wins by a TKO
So Manny won again. Ok, I was wrong and so are the three others who voted in my on-line poll here in Dantespeaks (thanks to the four people who voted – arrgghhh! Hahaha). But do you know why dela Hoya lost? He got distracted by that girl who sang the star-spangled banner. What the heck is she wearing? Was she told that it was a boxing match, not a stag party? And, she’s lucky she’s not singing the Philippine national anthem. Otherwise she’ll be violating the Philippine constitution. Not only with her attire but her murdering a patriotic song. I can’t imagine hearing Lupang Hinirang RnB version!

Honda pulls out of Formula 1 Racing
Honda blames it on the crisis. Other F1 teams are also mulling the same idea according to news reports. Thank heavens they’ve finally come to their senses. In fact, I’d say you don’t need a crisis like this to stop this snooty, elitist F1 racing. It’s one of the very first things these politicians should stop whenever they are talking about depletion of the fossil fuel, carbon emission, global warming, renewable energy and all that stuff. And while we’re at it, let’s include all other races like Moto GP, Powerboat races and anything that guzzles up precious gasoline for useless purposes. Stop the wasting and think about leaving the future generations with something. Race camels instead. Or go to the Philippines and try racing padyaks along the train rails.

The OJ Simpson sentencing
I saw it live on BBC. And I almost smashed the tv with the remote control when OJ started putting on a show – pleading his case with cracking voice and teary eyes and all – all for the benefit of the judge and everyone watching the telecast. But his acting sucks. If he was able to pull a fast one on the jury that tried him some 13 years ago, this time, his charm, luck or whatever ran out. With a sentence of up to 33 years, he will be ready for a retirement home if he ever gets out of jail. As Judge Glass put it, he’s both ignorant and arrogant. A dangerous combination that finally put him where he deserves to be.

Ploning to the Oscars
I do hope and pray that Judy Ann wins her battle to bring Ploning to the Oscars. She deserves it. Seeing her exert such effort to raise funds for Ploning’s campaign, I sincerely hope she makes it. It will be another source of pride for Pinoys aside from the already pompous Pacman. We should have made it to Oscars a long time ago with the Brocka and Bernal films. Though I think people behind those films didn’t have the drive and the dream that Juday is showing now. Good luck Ploning.

500,000 jobs lost in US in November alone
Reports say that in the past 11 months, 10 million lost their jobs in the US. Really alarming. I pray that our fellow Pinoys in that side of the world are not hit badly by this crisis. And, without sounding insensitive, I was glad I chose the barren deserts of Saudi Arabia over the fabled land of milk and honey. I’m lactose intolerant.

Poop for coffee, anyone?
Al-Jazeera featured a report by their Manila correspondent Marga Ortigas about coffee beans that are as expensive as gold. These are coffee beans picked from the droppings of civets (say sivuts... and in tagalog, alamid) in the mountains of Malarayat. According to Marga’s report, civets eat only the sweetest coffee beans although it looks like their digestive system cannot grind the beans itself. The beans were gathered from their poop and, whatever chemical process it goes through inside the civet’s intestines, becomes a much-sought coffee sold around the world. A 50-gram bottle costs as much as 300$ making the poop-gatherer rich! Well, if only the snooty socialites who drink this coffee saw where it came from. Haha!

paalam, nanay puring

through text message po ay binalita sa amin ng aming kaibigan na si raoul this morning na wala na si nanay puring. something that came as a bit of a shock kasi wala naman kaming naririnig na may sakit sya. and my heart goes out to our dear friend raoul na alam kong mahal na mahal ang kanyang butihing ina.
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nalungkot din po ako nang malaman ko yong balita. kahit hindi ko pa nakita personally si nanay puring, from the words sa kwento ni raoul, she was such a loving mother. kaya ramdam na ramdam ko yong feeling of loss ni raoul.

wala po akong ibang masabi kungdi ang aking heartfelt condolences to raoul and ricky. i pray na matanggap nila ito ng maluwag sa dibdib knowing that nanay puring has now ascended into a higher form of existence.

hindi na ako magko-quote ng bible verses in this situation dahil mas authority si raoul sa ganito. all i can say is that with the guidance of God above, and with the love naming mga kaibigan nya, we will pray for their family to overcome this very sad loss.

paalam po,

nanay puring

touch it!

as national economies crash left and right and recession is no longer a rumor but rather a reality, ewan ko ba naman kung bakit minsan lumalabas ang pagka-impulsive. ko. while some of my friends are now worrying about their job security dahil nag-o-offer na ng voluntary leave ang company nila which is shutting down for at least three months, it looks like hindi ko nai-internalize yong reality ng sitwasyon.

coz here i am again, in less than a month na bumili ako ng psp na ngayon ay naka-tambak na lang sa aking cabinet, i bough another gadget - the ipod touch!

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actually ipod naman talaga ang una kong naisip noon. but since hindi available sa jarir yong touch, i opted for psp nga. but just the other day, nasa jarir na naman kami and there it was! glistening and glimmering from the display cabinet. and boy, was i enamored by it's sleek and slim design. kaya ayan, nadagdagan na naman ang utang ko sa visa.

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i've always said i'm not a fan of gadgets. and i'd like to believe that aside from my laptop (na hindi rin top of the line, mind you), i've never indulged myself with unnecessary expenses on gadgets. pero pag naka-gusto naman ako, i really go for it. kaya ayan, dagdag gastos na naman in a time that i should be saving rather than spending unnecessarily. irresponsible? oo nga. stupid? medyo. hehehe.

but don't get me wrong. i'm not regretting this one. in fact, i'm enjoying it thoroughly. and i'm sure hindi ito matatambak sa cabinet ko. hmmm... which reminds me.... anyone interested to buy a slightly used blue psp madden edition? hahahaaaaa!

pacman fever again

in a few days manny pacquiao is at it again, slugging it out with the bigger and much heftier oscar de la hoya. something that made me raise my eyebrows as high as the eiffel tower the first time i heard of it. just thought to myself well, maybe manny's fame has gone into his head already. squaring it off with a taller opponent? with longer reach? he must have gone nuts.

not that i care. i never liked boxing so i never liked manny. though i always say i respect him for what he has done in his life. his story was one of cinderella and all that stuff.

anyways, let me see if you can predict the result of their match. be a madam auring just for once. cast your vote on that thing somewhere in the right panel of this blog. you only have until dec 5th. whoever gets the correct result will win something from me..... awww com'n, you know i'm just kiddin hehehe!

but really, me know what you think of that match. vote now!

one genuine talent

Sabi ng mga local entertainment press, isa raw si John Lloyd sa mga sensitive young actors of the current generation. Though I must admit I’ve never seen any of his films. Even his soaps, never kong pinanood. Hindi ako mahilig sa soap and if ever na manood man ako, I still wouldn’t watch him dahil hindi naman ako Kapamilya.

But then I was intrigued sa dami ng mga nabasa ko na yong pelikula raw nila ni Sarah ang biggest blockbuster of the year. Kaya pinanood ko yong film out of curiosity. To find out kung bakit hahamig ng milyones (as in 140million pesos nga ba?) sa takilya yong film.

Well, I wouldn’t blame the 1.4 or 1.7 million Pinoys na nanood nitong A Very Special Love. Be it 80 pesos o 100 pa ang binayad nila for the ticket, it was money well spent. In fact, barya lang yon compared to the entertainment value na nakuha nila sa film.

It was a teeny-bopper film alright. Pero maayos naman ang pagkakagawa. At magaling kumiliti yong director (Cathy Garcia-Molina) para pakiligin ang target audience nya. Kahit ako, may mga scenes na napa-LOL ako dahil genuinely funny yong mga eksena.

Fortunately, kahit pang-bagets yong film, matino naman sya. It was well-directed, well-acted and overall, a well crafted film. Simple ang story, walang complex plot, walang grandiyosong conflicts kaya hindi ka mai-stress habang nanonood. It was meant to be a feel-good, fall-in-love film and it delivered exactly just that.

It must have banked on the charms of John Lloyd dahil talagang mukhang inalagaan ang hitsura nya all throughout the film. Na kahit umiiyak sya hindi pinabayaang malukot yong kanyang mukha. Though same thing cannot be said kay Sarah who should have been given a better hair dresser para naman ma-accentuate yong gandang Pinay ng batang ito.

Pero kahit ganon at may mga eksena syang para syang Pokwang/Candy Pangilinan combined, her talent shines radiantly on screen. In fact, sya ang pinakamalaking selling point nong film. Dahil bukod sa captured market nya (from her singing), marami talagang pinabilib ang batang ito on her acting. Isa na ako.

And now I believe what the critics have been saying. She is, indeed, a natural. Ke magpatawa sya or umiyak, effortless. Agree ako. And that gave the movie a convincingly genuine feel na hindi siguro maa-achieve had the role been given to somebody else.

If Sarah will continue her strong showing sa acting department, she can easily be the next Sharon who successfully crossed over from singing to acting. And with that, lalo akong pinahanga nitong batang ito. Kaya isasama ko na rin sya sa collage ko ng favourite personalities. A very dark horse in third place right behind Lani and Leah.

atlantis rising

Antok na antok na ako last Thursday night and in fact nakahiga na ako nang biglang mag-flash sa screen ang opening daw ng Atlantis sa Dubai One tv. So inantay ko kung ano yon. Bad decision. Lalong hindi ako nakatulog ng maaga.

Nag-umpisa yong show where the façade of a big hotel became the backdrop of awesome laser images. Ilang minuto siguro yong laser show na yon na ang interpretation ko is that it talks about a land rising from the waters. Atlantis nga kasi. At yon pala yong nababasa kong super high end resort na nasa The Palm Dubai na alam naman nating reclaimed area from the sea.

Then may lumabas na mga muscle men clad in some Egyptian-inspired costume followed by a beautiful woman na naging hostess nong show. Hindi ko sya kilala although she looked like Diana (Miss India who became Miss Universe during the 90’s). And after a brief welcome to the royal highnesses and the distinguished guests (including Donald Trump, Denzel Washington, Robert DeNiro and Charlize Theron), nag-umpisa na ang fireworks.

At ito lang ang nasabi ko while watching the pyrotechnics: “tinalo ang Olympic games opening sa Beijing ah.” Turned out na tama ako. Dahil according to reports, 7 times daw nong ginamit sa Beijing ang ginamit na fireworks dito. If you haven’t seen it, imagine nyo na lang – yong buong Palm was literally lit up dahil sabay-sabay yong fireworks na tumagal ng halos 15 or 20minutes yata. 40km daw ang haba nong fireworks na nilatag.

Reports say that this ultra-fabulous launch cost as much as 20million dollars. Malaking pera pero siguro kailangan nila itong gawin to drum up business. Kasi, inabot pala ng 1.5billion dollar yong construction nitong Atlantis.

The marine-themed resport boasts of a 1,500++ room hotel of ultimate opulence. Tingnan nyo na lang ang mga pictures dito. And in case you’re planning to live in one of those rooms, mag-handa muna kayo ng dolyares. Specially if you want to try their 3bedroom + 3bathroom suite, magdala ka ng 25,000 dollars pambayad – one day lang yon huh.

Ang centrepiece nong hotel is a gigantic aquarium with 65,000 species of fish and 2 dolphins na binili pa and flown all the way from the Solomon Islands. In fact, in most of the rooms daw, you can have a piece of the gigantic aquarium right in your bedroom. So pwede kang matulog while whale shark watches over you.

Although sabi nga ng reports sa Al-Jazeera, mukhang wrong timing daw ito because of the global economic recession. And even CNN said na sana daw wag itong matulad sa mythical Atlantis na nalubog lang sa kawalan. And if the economic situation doesn’t get better, baka nga mapunta sa wala ang efforts nila. Who’d waste 25,000 dollars para lang sa isang hotel room? Not Warren Buffet I’m sure.

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(Ps. Kylie Minogue provided the entertainment during this party. She then had a concert last night, Friday, na eto at kakakita ko lang sa Dubai One News na disappointed daw ang mga nanood nong concert coz she was lip-synching! What a shame!).

The Palm in Dubai. Right at the tip is the Atlantis.

The ultra-lavish Atlantis hotel resort

Fireworks galore!

One of the intricately-decorated lobbies

Even the corridor spells luxury

Probably the simplest room in the entire hotel

while this one can be one of the most expensive space just to sleep ....

... and dine on!

pa-sa-pa

well i've always been a self-confessed geek when it comes to gadgets. hindi ako ganon ga-techie and i really don't go gaga over new mobile phones, i-pods or whatever. masaya na ako dati sa n70 kong stone age pa yata nang lumabas sa market. and now i have one of those 3120 classic na slim and cute and most importantly, nakakatawag ako at nakaka-text. afterall, that was the basic purpose of a mobile phone before it was marketed as one highly convoluted piece of gadget.
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but lately i decided to get one of those mp3 players (my second kung natuloy akong bumili. my first was a creative 512mb some two years back na hindi rin nagtagal sa akin and i just sold it off). medyo hindi na kasi kaya ng cp ko yong dami ng mp3 ko na naipon nang naipon.

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besides, kailangan ko na ring magpasak ng earphone in the mornings on my way to work lalo na pag hindi maganda ang gising ko at wala akong tiyagang makinig ng ingay na hindi ko gusto. some people kasi just don't know the words sensitivity, consideration at lalo na siguro yong respect. kaya makikinig na lang ako ng aking mga mp3s kesa ako pa ang bumatok sa kanya. don't want blood in my hands kaya i'd let other people do it na lang.

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so i thought of getting an i-pod. and since bibili din lang ako ng bago, kahit nga hindi ako techie, yong latest naman ang gusto ko para medyo matagal bago mapag-iwanan at ma-luma.

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but ricky and raoul put some sense into my head kaya sa psp ako napunta. multi-functional nga naman. at talagang in-escortan pa nila ako kahapon pagbili with matching free dinner sponsored by ega. kaya eto yong sinasabi ni raoul sa chatbox na bago kong baby blue.

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and of the three main functions it offers, i would rank my use as 1 - music player, 2 - video player and 3 - gaming. weird ba? sabi nga ni irwin "psp gagawin lang music player?" eh kasi po medyo tetris, super mario at queen bee lang ang alam kong laruin! hahahaha. don't worry irwin, kakaririn kong pag-alaran ang mga games. i just hope hindi ito matambak sa baul like some people i know! peeeaaaacceeee!!!

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when diplomacy runs out

saw this in the news last night. reminded me of the slapping incident in the philippine senate a few years ago. as well as the lady parliamentarian hitting her fellow politician with her shoes in taiwan also a few years back.

this time, it's in ukraine's parliament. only shows that guys in nice suits and expensive ties need anger management just like everybody else. or, maybe more than everybody else coz they're occupying public positions. and it's a lot more embarassing when international tv flash these kind of fits from public officials.

what's playin

i've said it before - my taste in music is as so varied you can never really tell what i'm listening to whenever i've got my earphones on. i love the chamber music of the gregorian chants as much as i love bruce springsteen's pop rockin. or eminem's white rap (wonder where is he now) to the operatic charm of josh groban.

this time, i'm goin dancin and wigglin so let me share three songs with you - two upbeat tunes that i wiggle my booty on even while i'm in the office, and one with a delightfully reggae beat.

Paid My Dues by Anastacia

i luv the fullness of her voice and the song speaks of what you get when you've been bad. a bit baddy but with some lesson woven into the danceable tune. nice.

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

he's a newbie in the music biz (started only in 2007 with his debut album The Beauty in Ugly) but he's already making waves. not a surprise coz this guy's definitely got the groove. and in this song, he successfully adopted the reggae beat into his genuinely american music. I'm Yours is one song that can lift your spirits on a cold, damp day.

Closer by Ne-yo

another hip and cool tune that never fails to make me do some funky moves. well, at least according to what i imagine. haha...

listen to these songs via the e-snips widgets below. hope you like them too....

meeting na namannnn???

In my current job, grabe ang mga meeting. Ito na yata ang kumpanyang nakita ko na kaliwa’t kanan ang meeting. There are days na halos wala akong magawa kungdi mag-attend lang ng meetings, one after the other.

Hate ko pa naman yan. I think it’s counter productive. Ang daming oras na nasasayang. But even if I don’t want to, wala akong magawa minsan kungdi mag-attend. And in all those countless sessions, may napansin ako. And that’s what I’m gonna share with you.

Napansin ba ninyo na ang mga nag-aattend ng meeting, iba-ibang klase ng tao? I mean, iba-ibang personalities. And if I’d put a tag on them, eto yon:

The Dictator – eto yong mga dino-dominate ang discussion all to himself. Halos walang makasingit at sya lang ang nagsasalita. Makes you wonder kung bakit ka pa nag-attend eh sya lang pala ang gustong makipag-meet sa sarili nya.

The Impressionist – ito yong mga taong gusto laging magpa-impress. Always trying to appear as the know-it-all guy kahit wala namang alam. Ang daming sinasabi pero wala ka namang mahagilap ng substance.

The Artist - you might see him busy scribbling on his notepad. Akala mo nagsusulat ng notes about the meeting. But look at his paper when the meeting is over. Most likely, naka-tapos na sya ng isang Mona Lisa kung mahaba-haba ang meeting nyo.

The Politician – pag may pinagtatalunan, hingan mo ng comment ang taong ito and most likely he’ll give you an answer na ikakataas ng kilay mo. He’d refuse taking sides para walang makagalit. Hindi mo maaasahan ang mga ganito pag may botohang mangyayari. Balimbing.

The VIP – he’d come late and burst into the meeting room, profusely apologizing at sasabihing marami syang ginawa o galing pa sya sa isang meeting kaya sya late. And long before your meeting is over, magpapa-alam na porke may naghihintay pang tao. Coz he’s very important at kayo ay hindi kaya kayo na lang ang magtuloy ng meeting nyo.

The Kitten – kung magsalita ang taong ito, akala mo kuting na ngumingiyaw. Sobrang hina ng boses and you have to strain your ears para maintindihan lang ang sinasabi. Either he’s so shy na magsalita o talagang ganon na ang speaking voice. Minsan gusto kong tapakan ang paa para mapa-aray at lumakas-lakas naman ang boka.

The Ghost – at least si kitten, maririnig mo. Pero etong Ghost, magugulat ka na lang and say ‘uy, nandyan ka pala’. Dahil after hours na naguusap kayo, hindi mo sya narinig magsalita. Either natutulog o ayaw magsalita dahil walang alam sabihin sa pinag-uusapan ninyo. Makikita mo na lang as you were leaving the conference room.

Well, I'm just trying to humor myself sa mga pinag-gagawa ko rito. But the truth is, minsan ako rin, dahil sobrang bored, uninterested at hate ang meeting, nagiging The Artist ako minsan. Kaya after the meeting, nakakagawa ako ng mga starts, flowers at kung ano-ano pa from repeated strokes of my pen. Hay naku, meeting na walang katapusan. We gotta use our time in a more productive manner.

condelences

gusto ko lang pong i-share ang king condolences with a very good friend, Cesar of Jeddah, who lost his dear father yesterday.

i've never met his father, and even his mother for that matter, pero halos kilala ko na sila dahil sa madalas naming kwentuhan about them. Cesar kasi was just like me whose love for his parents never takes a backseat. in whatever he does, it's his parents na priority nya sa buhay.

and i know exactly how it feels to lose someone so close to your heart. but, as i always say, the line 'they'll live on forever in our hearts' is not just a cliche. totoo yon. dahil buhay na buhay pa rin sa puso at isip ko ang tatay ko after 13 years na mawala sya sa buhay namin.

and i know Cesar will have the spirit and love of his dad in his heart just as long.

to you dear friend, my deepest sympathy. cry it out. let your heart bleed. but try to celebrate with your dad who is now freed from the hardships of a mortal existence. he went peacefully and that says a lot. and in the end, just remember that having his spirit guide you in all your days is something more magical. you'll see.

no. 12: raindrops and nostalgia

Umuulan na naman (yup, umuulan din po sa Saudi for those who doesn’t know). Magbabago na kasi ng season at yong dating init ng panahon ay mapapalitan na ng lamig. And in between these extreme seasons, laging may transition na nangyayari. Magsa-sandstorm muna saka bubuhos ang ulan. Then change weather na, either from summer to winter or vice versa.

Hindi ako madaling ma-homesick but whenever it rains, feeling ko nasa Pinas ako. And it brings back memories, fond or otherwise, ng mga experiences ko about rain. Let me share some of them with you.

Pitter-patter…
When I was still young, hindi ko natandaan na nakaranas akong maligo sa ulan. Sakitin kasi ako noon, madaling sipunin. Kaya while other kids na kapitbahay ko ay nagtatampisaw sa ulan, ako nakapanood lang sa kanila. Madalas nagpapa-anod lang ako ng bangkang papel sa kanal ng tubig na galing sa bubong namin. Or, paglalaruan ko ang pusa kong si Turnino, ihahagis ko sa ulan at tuwang-tuwa akong nagpi-pipitlag ang mga paa pagtakbo pabalik ng bahay. Pero kahit ginawin ako noon, enjoy na enjoy naman ako dahil malamig ang hangin. Ang sarap matulog at hindi na kailangan ng pamaypay o bentilador (na wala naman kami). Ang masarap pa, parang music yong patak ng ulan sa bubong naming yero. Minsan maglalagay pa ako ng empty na lata sa mismong pinapatakan ng tubig galing sa bubong. At yon ang ini-enjoy kong pakinggan hanggang makatulog ako. I still cherish those memories. Simpleng buhay. Simpleng enjoyment.

Hayyy… hirap ng buhay.
After High School yata yon and it was summer break bago ako pumunta ng Maynila para mag-college. Nagkataong tag-ani ng palay. Mabait naman akong anak (hehehe) kaya tumulong ako sa Tatay at Nanay ko na maki-ani ng palay sa kabilang baryo namin. Hapon na at pauwi na kami, pareho kami ng Tatay ko na may pasan na sako ng palay habang bitbit naman ng Nanay ko ang mga gamit namin. Saka naman biglang bumuhos ang malakas na ulan. Eh tatawid kami ng isang bundok. Nagkadulas-dulas ako lalo na nong pababa na kami. Kaya ang Tatay ko ang nag-buhat ng palay na dala ko. I was such a whimp. At ang Tatay ko, ganon kabait. Yan, na-miss ko na naman si Ka Lando.

Ulan sa Sentosa.
1995 nang mag-tour ako sa Singapore. All by myself dahil nag-back out ang kasabay kong magbakasyon na dapat kasama ko sa Singapore trip (it was a side trip on my way to Manila from KSA). Pero kahit mag-isa ako, tinuloy ko yong tour. It was my second day in Singapore nang sumama ako sa Sentosa tour. At the end of the trip, sumakay ako sa cable car from Sentosa papunta ng Mount Faber where our tour bus was waiting. At the start of the ride, marami akong kasabay, 7 or 8 yata kami sa isang car. Pero bumaba sila lahat doon sa terminal na nasa gitna nong dagat. And I was left all alone on the second segment papunta sa Mt Faber. Biglang-bigla naman, bumuhos ang ulan na may kasamang malakas na hangin. And the cable car was swaying mad! It was really scary. Pero kahit ganon ang experience ko, I’d do it again (cable car ride) pag napunta ako ulit don. Sana lang wag nang umulan ulit.

Barefoot on Buendia.
Back in 99 nong nagta-trabaho pa ako sa Makati, pauwi na ako isang hapon nang biglang bumuhos ang malakas na ulan. Buong Metro Manila yata ang inulan ng malakas and in just a couple of hours, baha na halos lahat ng kalsada. Even Ayala Avenue was not spared. Ang masakit nito, tumigil na ang ulan pero tigil din ang traffic. Bumper to bumper ang mga sasakyan at walang umuusad kahit isa. 5pm ako lumabas ng office, spent an hour na magpatila ng ulan and another hour trying to find any form of transpo para makauwi. Nong wala talaga akong masakyan, naglakad na lang ako since dela Rosa lang naman ako uuwi. Pwedeng lakarin. Kaso, baha nga lahat ng kalye. At nanghihinayang ako sa sapatos kong medyo mahal (medyo pa-sosyal kasi sa Citibank Towers ang office namin). No second thoughts, hinubad ko si sapatos at medyas at naglakad ako sa Buendia Ave – barefoot. Na-realize ko na lung gaano ako ka-stupid ng maka-uwi ako ng bahay. What if nakatapak ako ng bubog or pako? Stupid di ba? Anyways, pagdating ko ng bahay, nakita ko nga sa Tv ang mahabang traffic na hindi lang pala sa Ayala at Buendia, even the entire stretch of EDSA all the way from Baclaran to Cubao. Ganon pala ka-grabe yong sitwasyon.

Well, these are just a few of the experiences na naaalala ko pag umuulan. How about you, may mga memories din ba ang ulan sa yo?