hotnothot 24

Hotnot: Two sea tragedies in less than a week. Una yong banggaan ng isang passenger ferry at isang fishing boat somewhere off the coast of Cavite. Then this tragedy between Calapan and Batangas port. Nakaka-relate ako kasi taga-Mindoro nga ako and I grew up crossing that treacherous part of waters. Ang mahirap lang kasi, sunod-sunod na nga ang ganitong trahedya pero mukhang walang nangyayari sa pagre-review ng seaworthiness ng mga barko sa atin. Ngakngak lang ng ngakngak pag may lumulubog. Kinabukasan wala na, nakalimutan na ang dapat gawin. Bakit hindi magkaroon ng matinong inspection sa mga pampasaherong barko para ma-prevent ang mga ganitong aksidente? Ilang barko pa ang lulubog dahil lang sa kapabayaan ng mga dapat gumawa ng trabaho nila? At sa mga negosyante, makonsensya sana kayo. Pakapitan na lang nyo ng talaba ang mga barko ninyo kung hindi na talaga pwedeng ibyahe. Wag nang mandamay ng mga inosenteng buhay!

Hothot: Super bullet train. China has just launched the fastest train in the world. It says the train’s top speed is 350kmph which is a lot faster than Europe’s 277 and Japan’s 243. In fact, travel time between the cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou, a 1,069km journey which used to be 10.5 hours (reports didn’t say if it was by car or a normal train), is now down to only 3 hours. I hope one day I can experience this ride. Although I surmise I won’t be enjoying the scenery. It will probably be a blur when you’re traveling that fast.

Hotnot: Pacman – People’s champ – or not? Sabi nila dati ang masa daw ang pinaka-blind when it comes to worshipping idols. Not anymore. Look at Pacman. Bidang-bida sa boxing pero nangangamote ang Wapacman sa on-going MMFF. Umaani pa ng kaliwa’t-kanang pintas. Hindi man sya ang director at hindi man sya ang dapat sisihin sa kapangitan daw ng film, he should realize by now na hindi porke starring sya ay papasukin na ng tao ang pelikula kahit pangit. His magic and magnet isn’t working pagdating sa ganyan. Di ba’t may 1 or 2 films na sya before na super flop din? Which means ayaw ng taong makita syang umaarte sa big screen. Sa Tv siguro pinapalagpas lang ng tao (don’t even know if his shows are rating). Money and fame in boxing does not necessarily translate to leading man status. So Manny, heed the call of the masses. Gusto nila hanggang boxing ka lang. Be content with that. Wag mo nang ambisyonin na kalabanin si Richard Gutierrez. Not because he’s guwapo but hey, the poor guy can’t box. And oh by the way, May 2010 will be interesting. May isang sampal at dagok na naman kayang ipapatikim ang matatalinong masa kay Pacman? Let’s wait and see!

Hotnot: The Italian assault. Pope Benedict was assaulted by a mentally unstable woman in his Christmas eve mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The woman jumped a security cordon and brought down the Pope with her when she was tackled by the security men. Just a week before, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was also attacked by a deranged man in Milan. His attack was more violent as the PM lost two teeth and a broken lip that was bleeding profusely as his stunned security men herded him to the hospital where he stayed for a few days. Both suffered the audacity of people who doesn’t distinguish between who’s holy and who’s not. Well, they say they’re both loonies. Are they, really?

Hothot: Brilliant Brillante Mendoza. Because Pinoys might still be reeling from the horror of the Maguindanao massacre and the juicy gossips of Krista-Manny tryst, I guess only a few people have heard of Mendoza’s recent win. His film “Lola” was awarded as the best picture at the Asia-Africa section of the recently concluded Dubai Film Festival in the UAE. Mendoza’s win in Dubai is just another feather in his cap which is already heavily decorated with his Cannes win. Good for Brillante and good for the Pinoy film industry. It’s just a pity that we’re now churning out international winners when they say the local film industry is in it’s death bed. Hope it won’t breathe it’s last anytime soon.

have a real christmas

our company hasn't announced our bonus until now so huge question marks are hanging above our heads at the moment. will management be generous enough to give out bonus despite the global recession and stuff that went on for the bigger part of the year? hope so.

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but bonus or not, christmas is here and we should not forget that this season is not about the dollars going ka-ching in our bank accounts. whether we were able to buy that blackberry or that 52-inch bravia we've always been drooling for. we shouldn't get caught on it. coz we all know that these are just trappings that trivialize the real meaning of christmas. so no big deal if we're still stuck with the old and worn-out tv or celphone we've been using. it's not what real christmas is all about anyways.

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it's about being grateful for Jesus' coming into the world. so that we can be redeemed and stay in our sometimes ungrateful existence in this world. and it's about family staying strong, healthy and happy. it's about being one with the people we love and care for most.

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and with that, i'm really very happy coz i got the best christmas gift - my mom's cheerful voice when i called her this morning. despite the weariness brought about by old age and sickness hitting her every now and then, her hanging on for yet again another year gives me the warmest feeling which is the best thing in the world for me right now. thank you God for letting her stay with us for another christmas and very positively, another new year.

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so let me greet you all a merry christmas with a fervent hope that we all would remember what real christmas is about. it's about the people we love. and there's no dollar sign attached to it!

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friends from suhaimi

i should have done this before but late as it maybe, let me feature my suhaimi friends led by no less than jonas, a long-time friend dating as far back as tamimi days.

i'm not familiar with the others but there's bro (noel, 3rd from left), nel (middle) and henry (in striped shirts) right beside jonas.

taken outside their project site office in the fanateer area.

a simple dinner to say goodbye to bro, jonas' mabait housemate who was transferred to yanbu a couple of weeks back. we definitely miss housemates as easy as bro!

henry and jonas just outside my favorite eastern resto in khobar...

here's henry and nel with the mouthwatering appetizers (crab anti-pasto and butterfly shrimps)... yummm!!! starters pa lang yan!

i guess i've featured this resto many times over the background is already as familiar as the real taj mahal itself!

the race is on

the start of official campaign period is still a couple of months away but now that comelec has issued the final list of candidates, particularly the presidential/vp bets, i'm sure things will heat up in no time. andyan na ang premature campaigning. eh di ba dati nga ginagamit nang strategy ang mga infomercial kuno as a lame excuse to generate awareness among the masses.

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kaya start na rin tayo ng ating poll na tatagal hanggang end of february, just as the campaign is about to start. para kung maligaw man ang mga kandidato dito sa DS eh alam nila kung ano ang pulso ng masa (hehehe).

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i've included all 8 pres candidates as per comelec announcement including Jamby and JC na mabuti naman at hindi dineklara ng comelec na nuisance candidate. i've said it before na dapat iuntog si Jamby sa pader para magising. mukhang walang naglakas ang loob na gumawa kaya hayan at tuloy pa rin ang kanyang panaginip. well, it's still a free country so she can do what she wants. ang pumatol nga lang sa kanya eh di kasing-ilusyunada nya!

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at yong JC delos Reyes? di ko sya kilala kaya no comment. pero alam naman natin na sa ating mahal na bayan pag hindi kilala, walang chance to win a public office, much more the highest office in the land. kaya nga maraming nag-aartista muna saka sasabak sa politics di ba.

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eniweys, pls cast you vote and let's see kung tama ang ginagawang survey ng sws, pulse asia and other survey machines na hindi natin alam kung talagang fair o baka may bias. at least dito totoo ang results. and we'll see kung saan na naman papunta ang mahal nating pilipinas matapos ang isang pangulong hindi maganda ang iiwanang legacy sa philippine history.

tumawa na lang tayo

Only Eugene Domingo can make hatak me out of my katamaran to make nood a movie… ehe. Kimmy ikaw ba yan? Hehehe… sinipag na rin akong panoorin ang sabi eh naka-grade A pa raw sa CEB na pelikulang directed by ni Joce Bernal at produced in part by Piolo. Makatawa na nga lang kasi wala naming matinong palabas sa tv.

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Ano naman kako ang ka-grade A grade A sa isang comedy film. Normally slambang, slapstick at puro kakornihan lang ang nakikita natin sa mga ganyan. Well, hindi naman pala. Simple at maigsi lang pero kahit paano matino ang istorya. At ang importante, natawa ako without being insulted.

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Though at times medyo OA yong ibang eksena like the action scene sa rooftop ng isang building. Nag-ala-matrix pa kasi. O sige na nga, comedy naman. But for the most part of the film, maayos naman.

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In fact, kung tutuusin, may pagka-seryoso ang story line. It’s about the relationship between siblings na yong isa matalino at yong isa slow. The film could have unwittingly fallen into serious scenes buti na nga lang at malinaw sa mga gumagawa nong pelikuka na comedy yon, hindi drama.

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The comedy comes from the switching between the two personalities – kimmy and dora. Siguro ilang libong beses na itong nagawa in previous films but this one was given a fresh approach by the director. Ginawang contemporary and very in yong sitwasyon. Kaya the film was successful to provide an entertainment without any pretensions.

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Nahagalpak din ako ng tawa in a couple of scenes. Particularly don sa eksenang I’ll look into it, I’ll get back to you on that, I’ll give you an update. Bwahahaaaa!!!!

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Eugene did very well. Walang hirap ang ginawa nyang pag-portray ng dalawang extreme characters. For a brilliant comedienne like her, hindi naman mahirap yon lalo na’t na-supervise mabuti ng director ang mga eksena.

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Naawa lang ako kay Miriam Quiambao kasi ginawa lang syang punching bag ni Kimmy. But Dingdong was believable as a nerdy hunk na pinag-agawan ng magkapatid. Bakit kaya hindi na lang si Piolo ang gumanap tutal sya naman ang producer? At bakit naman sa dami ng umekstra si Mark Bautista pa ang na-assign na maging doktor. Hindi naman credible kahit katiting! Dahil lang ba sa... ay teka lang baka kung ano masabi ko!! Hahaha!

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Kaya nang magdala ng pelikula ni Eugene. A welcome addition to lead comedy actresses para hindi naman puro AiAi, Pokwang and the likes ang nakikita natin. And I do hope na marami pang malinis, matino at nakakatawang pelikulang ganito. Tumawa na lang tayo kesa mamroblema kay Gloria!

the best years...

one thing i always do during holidays is to organize my files - be it hardcopy of telemoney remittances or electronic copies of personal stuff. as i was rummaging through old disks from yesteryears, i found these pix from my 2-yr stint in makati.

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working in saudi arabia maybe financially rewarding. but my two years with this company was, without a doubt, the best years of my career. not only professionally but personally as well. work was very challenging and highly demanding. but friends like these people in the pix made it a lot bearable.

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i miss these guys. and i'm sure they'll get a laugh when they see these pix... and oh yes, this is how i look like ten years ago! hehehe

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it all started with des (donson, ethelston and simms). and this is the first bunch of sap academy '98 survivors - mark (sd module), petite (hr), pam (abap) and our basis consultant (sorry i forgot the name! hehehe) so proud of our sap certificates.

ma (maria asuncion, sd) who snubbed the camera while having a chat with ferdie (fi) and ed (mm) at the first des headquarters in antel towers

attorney lee clowning around in the new offices at the citibank towers

here's ma in her office with a breathtaking view of ayala

and here's my corner where i can take a break from pressure just looking out to makati ave and ayala (recognize the pen and the shang?)

but it's not all work.

we also get to bond in fun activities like attending the cebu sinulog 2000.

behind me is hes (who happens to be from cebu and was gracious enough to accommodate us in his house thus saving a bunch from hotel bills!). pam brought along her sister. then there's madeline and petite. at the back are sweethearts precious and peter.

the face paint can't deny they're a lovely couple.

getting a pic just before the parade started

if i remember it right, this is the shrine where the famous magellan's cross is located

of course the gang can't pass up the trip without experiencing one of mactan islands' luxury beaches. this one is in maribago bluewater resort.

then it's christmas time. company party was held in an irish pub somewhere in salcedo village area.

that's our cool ceo bill donson posing for posterity with his hadeed proteges - me, norman and vic

then there's the group pic... i never thought we'd grow fast and big from our humble beginnings at the basement of bill's house in dasma village.

but the party ended a bit early so we trooped to io ktv...

where we just went crazy and had fun

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hhhaaayyyy.......how can you not miss those days!

that spark of divine

I just finished watching the Nobel prize awards ceremony shown in Al-Jazeera where Barack received his recognition as this year’s Nobel Peace laureate. He started his acceptance speech addressing the controversy generated by his win. Marami kasing nagsasabi that he doesn’t deserve the award. But if only for one line of his speech, payag na ako na sya ang pinanalo ng Nobel committee.

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Somewhere towards the end of his 20-minute or so rhetoric, may isang linya syang binitawan that illicited an applause from the audience. Sabi nya, sa mga nangyayaring kaguluhan ngayon, war, terrorism and senseless killing, dapat daw we should ‘look into the spark of divine still within us’.

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I so get that line totally. Dahil naniniwala pa rin ako na lahat tayo, there is still that innate goodness in every individual no matter how harsh this world has become. Amidst all these violence, aggression and hatred, we do not have to turn ourselves to being ruthless savages. All we have to do is to pause one minute, look into ourselves and find that one thing that separates us from the predatory animals that has no choice but to kill in order to survive.

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Conscience is one. Respect for others too.

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Barely two minutes after the awarding ceremony, eto na ang balita. Headline na naman ang Mindanao. 57 school children and teachers hostaged in Agusan del Sur. Sabi ng report, it is linked to another war of clans or tribal conflict.

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Bakit pati mga inosenteng bata nadamay na naman? Wala naman silang kaalam-alam sa kung ano man ang conflict na yan. And what will happen to these innocent souls? Tatakutin? Ito-torture? Papatayin like the senseless killing na ginawa sa Maguindanao massacre?

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Why don’t these kidnappers and killers look into themselves and find that spark of divine that Obama has just mentioned. And I’m not just talking about the Maguindano massacre but to all the violence and senseless killings na nangyari. Isama na natin ang pag-semento sa bangkay ng isang babae sa kaso ng sister ni Rochelle. Or ang batang pinatay at inilagay sa maleta at itinapon sa dagat. Even that Ivler who shot the son of a Malacanang official dahil lang sa traffic. Isama na rin natin yong mga nababasa natin sa dyaryo na mga tambay sa kanto na basta na lang sinasaksak ang mga nakukursunadahan.

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All these despicable and horrendous violation of the basic right for life, dapat sa mga taong ito ay pumikit saglit. And remind themselves na mga tao pa rin sila. A creature whose genetic build-up includes intelligence, reasoning and the more important conscience. Dahil sigurado naman akong may konsensya pa rin ang mga ito. Alam pa rin nila na wala kahit sino sa kanila ang may karapatang pumatay ng kapwa. Be it senseless killing or not, wala kahit sino ang may karapatan na pumatay ng tao.

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Life is not one of our possessions. Hindi ito atin. You can not equate it to your mansions or luxury cars na pwede mong itapon, sirain, sunugin, ihulog sa bangin or ilibing sa hukay whenever you want to. Ang pagpatay ay hindi ginagawa kung gusto tulad ng gusto mong kumain, matulog o mag-CR.

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Life is something borrowed from the heavens. And if you believe that God exists, kahit ano pa ang pangalan na tinatawag mo kapag nagdadasal ka, you should understand that HE is the one who gave you and everybody the right to breathe, move and live in this world. At SYA lang ang may karapatang kumuha ng buhay na yan.

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But if you lose sight, dahil nalasing ka sa power, nalunod ka sa sobrang kayamanan at akala mo ay Diyos ka na rin who can snuff life off anybody at your whim, think again. Dig deep into your soul. Meron ka nyan. At makikita mo, your conscience will remind you that you are just one insignificant part of this huge, grand scheme of life.

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At siguradong makikita mo na ang pag-torture ng tao ay hindi gawain ng matinong utak. Ang pagbaril sa mukha, pag-mutilate ng ari, pangre-rape and in the end, ang pag-patay na akala mo ay manok o baboy ang pinapatay mo, hindi ito gawain ng taong may konsensya. Hindi ito gawain ng taong may kinikilalang Diyos. Trabaho ito ng taong sumanib na sa dark forces ni Taning.

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Do not miss that spark of divine. You’ll find it in your heart. Then surely, life and respect for it will bring new meaning to you.

hotnothot 23

Hothot: Tiger unleashed! Malaking balita sa US ang nabunyag na extra-marital affairs ni Tiger Woods. Lumalabas na tatlo ang kulasisi nya. Isang taga-new York, isang cocktail waitress at isang marketing executive sa Vegas. Meron pa akong nabasa na may 2 pa raw na babaeng posibleng mag-surface at mag-claim na naka-relasyon din nila ang Tiger. Lima! Whew! Walang sinabi si Pacman! Kung ano pala ang kinabait-bait at mild-mannered nya, he lives up to his name pala talaga. At kung kasama sa criteria ng pilian ng US Male Athlete of The Year ang paramihan ng chicks, talo na ang Pambansang Kamao natin. Teka, what’s hot about it nga ba. Distorted na yata ang values ko to celebrate something like this ah!

Hothot: Avoid meat, save the earth. Isa sa mga recommendation ng mga experts kung gusto raw nating matigil ang patuloy na global warming is for us to change our eating habits. We have to avoid meat and meat products daw coz this is the worst offender when it comes to green house gases. Sabi nila, food production, particularly meat products, ang pinakamalaking source ng problema. Even bigger than industrial emissions. Cool. Ngayon, hindi lang cost-cutting ang reason ko when shying away from Applebees and Sizzlers. Pati global warming na rin. Noble and heroic pa ang dating di ba!

Hotnot: Obama sending more troops to Afghanistan. Idol ko si Barack baby but his latest decision of sending 35,000 more troops into that beleaguered country is a dud. Bakit, ang dami ba ng pwersa ang dahilan kung bakit 48 years na yang giyera na yan eh hindi pa matapos-tapos? Kawawa naman ang mga kaibigan nating Kano (some ay mga kamag-anak pa natin) na kayod to death na pero eto at tataasan na naman daw ng tax para lang may pang-gastos sa mga sundalong ipapadala sa Kabul at Kendahar. Ay naku bakit nga ba ako nakikialam hindi naman ako ang tataasan ng tax. Kaya lang kakainis na eh. Manong bitawan nyo na yan, pabayaan yang mga pasaway na Afghan na yan at sila-sila na lang ang mag-patayan.

Hotnot: Andy Murray dumped over PS3. Da hu si Andy Murray? British tennis player po sya and currently ranked No. 4 in the world. Lately hiniwalayan sya ng hothot at sexy nyang girlfriend Kim Sears. At isa sa mga tinuturong culprit of the break-up? Andy’s excessive playing of PS3! Hindi na yata naaasikaso ang girlfriend nya coz Andy is reported to spend as much as 7 hours glued to his video games. Nakaka-relate ako dyan dahil last week na bakasyon, inaabot din ako ng magdamag kakalaro ng mga games na binibili ko pa sa yahoo. I’d better shape up dahil nakakasira pala ng buhay ang video games!

Hotnot: Actually you have a choice: Gloria running for Congress or her declaring Martial Law in Maguindanao? Pareho yata. Parehong nakakapag-init ng tenga! Abuso na talaga sa powers itong si Madam. Bakit kailangang mag-deklara ng Martial Law eh isang pamilya lang ang pasaway? Dahil takot sya sa mga Ampatuan? Eh sa panlilibak at panglalait sa kanya dahil sa pagtakbo nya sa Congress, hindi sya takot? Sayang talaga ang pinag-rally ko sa Edsa noon ito rin lang pala ang gagawin nya sa Malacanang!

doomsday.... again

A lot of talks have been going on lately about the end of the world. It was pretty much the same as the chismis at pananakot na nangyari noong end of 1999 going into the year 2000. Porke end of the world na raw. Never believed it then. In fact, habang labas ang litid ni Regine sa pagkanta sa tuktok ng water falls sa Manila Pen, I was just a few blocks away na natutulog sa rented flat ko sa Dela Rosa. Dahil sabi ko , if it’s the end, then there’s nothing much I can do really.

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Fortunately, tama ako. I woke up to a brand new day people of past and future generations wouldn’t have the chance to see in a million years. 01 01 01. Cool. I was right not to believe the rumor. Coz it was just that – rumor.

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Pero wala yatang magawa ang mga tuktok na may sayad. This time, ginagawan naman ng kwento ang 12 Dec 2012. Porke da end na raw ng mundo. Sabi daw ni Nostradamus. Sabi daw ng Mayan astronomers. Sabi din daw ng mga scientists dahil ang mundo raw will be totally in line with the center of the milky way galaxy, the sun and all the other heavenly bodies. Hohum!

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O sige na nga. Pagbigyan si Roland Emmerich at ang Columbia Pictures and watch their latest ‘blockbuster’ daw na pelikula. Maybe I can find something to convince me and rethink about my skepticism.

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Fortunately, natapos ang 2hrs and 22 minutes or so na pelikula, wala ako kahit katiting na pinaniwalaan. In fact, natapos ang pelikula na napamura lang ako. Incredulous. Infuriating. Stupid. Those are the words I shouted into the screen. Buti na lang hindi nakakapag-salita ang computer ko or else it will probably throw me back some expletives.

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Nabanggit na ng friend Ega ko dati na imposible daw yong mga eksena na yong bida ay laging nakakatakas from danger. Totoo nga. Di bale sana kung sya si Superman. But he’s just one pathetic ordinary guy, a loser just like you and me and yet, hinding-hindi sya mamatay sa mga pinag-daanan nya. Too incredible.

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Ang napansin ko lang, bukod sa gustong-gustong story line ni Roland Emmerich ang pagkagunaw ng mundo, hindi naman nabago ang istorya nya. Look at his works – The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day. And now this 2012. All of which he directed and write (or co-write).

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Pareho lang naman ang mga eksena. The world plunged into chaos with massive earthquakes, fires, tsunami. Walang pinagbago. Puro heavily dependent on CGI. May kaunting touches of drama pero most of the film puro takbuhan, sabog, sunog, hulog… nakakatulo lang ng uhog!

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Ang masama pa nito, wala nang bagong idea sa characters.

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Independence Day: Jeff Goldblum was the estranged husband of the White House staff Margaret Collin. 2012: John Cusack separated from his wife with two kids. Puro separated ang mga bida na laging nagkaka-sundo sa ending?! Parang soap opera huh!

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And not only that. Sa Independence Day isang drunkard bum si Randy Quaid who says he was abducted by the aliens but nobody believed him. Dito sa 2012, it’s Woody Harrelson who’s the loony who believed and and died, just like Randy, seeing the truth with his very own eyes. Na naman?

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There are many other details na napatawa ako sa pagka-irita.

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Like yong si Danny Glover ang gumanap na US President. Talagang sinasabing very in and now ang movie. Ang sama naman kung si Barack na talaga ang first black and very last president ng US of A! And what about that heavily accented governor of California? Si Arnold the Terminator!

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Then there was the Queen of England na sasakay na lang ng ship towards salvation eh dala-dala pa ang kanyang mga aso. And so is the Arabian Sheikh na sobrang laki daw ng pamilya nya para magbayad ng 1billion Euro each ticket for the ship. At yong Russian billionaire na mahaba-haba ang role na naisip ko baka si Abramovich ang peg ng character.

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Overall, it’s a fiction film na panoorin mo kung wala kang magawa. Pero wag na wag kang magtatanong sa akin kung paanong nagugunaw na ang mundo, nalusaw na ang core of the earth na center of gravity, eh nakakalipad pa rin ang mga eroplano from one Cessna plane to the Airforce One. Fiction nga lang kasi yon.

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And oh by the way, will somebody strip this Emmerich guy and inspect him. Baka may mga chips at signal devices na nakatanim sa katawan nya. Coz I'm pretty sure he's a Martian. I bet he's on an inter-galactic mission to destroy the earth.