Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk.

A few days ago I said (in my Multiply blog) that I was getting my mojo back, I didn't know that aside from having it, I am it. Why? Because, it turns out, as I've read from Tim Yap's Supremo column that mojo can actually refer to people.

"...mojos (that's mobile journalists like you and me)..."

Anyway, as a recently-self-realized mojo, I bring you this week's Saturday Soliloquy, hot off the.. er, Madarang residence's narra table (Note: that's where I read the Saturday paper).

1. What would actually happen if I texted/called the number, 0908-893-3333? Yes, that's the number on billboards, print ads and TV ads that begs AXE men to call her, or it? I don't quite get what the logic behind this whole campaign is. Is it just a scam to get people..uh, no, scratch that, AXE men texting and calling that number? Because at the bottom of the ad, it says: *Standard telecom rates apply ...and so on and so forth. Tsk, tsk.

2. CamSur, the new tourist destination spot? "Boo ya, Boracay" is what Camarines Sur, or more fab-ly called 'CamSur', seems to say to that place that is becoming to be a thing of the past. CamSur, aside from hosting six Survivor series (French, Israeli, Bulgarian etc versions), "may soon be the Ironman capital of the Philippines" said writer, Tanya T. Lara. I'm not into triathlons but I think this is a good thing. Promoting the place as more than a tourist destination is certainly a refreshing idea (a la Batanes' brand of tourism).

3. I've heard of, and seen the effects of different types, kinds and classes of racial discriminations--from Burma to Africa to America--but I haven't heard of gypsy discrimination until today.

"Roma, or gypsies, are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent. They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions."

Thanks to Madonna (who condemned widespread discrimination against Roma at her concert in Bucharest) I learned of such prejudice against gypsies that is continuing to exist across Eastern Europe. The Associated Press article further said:

"...Roma probably suffer more humiliation and endure more discrimination than any other people group in the continent. Sometimes it can be deadly..."

Radu Montoc, an official with the Soros Foundation Romania, said, "There is generally widespread resentment against gypsies in Eastern Europe. They have historically been an underdog." Hmm, smells like a historical-Oscar-winning film plot. If a film brings the issue out into the open, to enlighten more minds about this gypsy prejudice, why not? I'm sure the Roma will appreciate all the help and support they can get considering Eastern Europe is not actually small.

4. A girl going to school (or maybe, going home from school) gets abducted, vanishes for years--sometimes decades--resurfaces as a grown woman with kids--usually with the abductor as the father, and claims to live a perfectly normal life. If you've read Alice Sebold's wonderfully-crafted, and heart-warming novel, Lovely Bones, you're familiar with this plot. But, truth be told, this "plot" actually happens in real life--in the US mostly.

Recently, Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted 18 years ago when she was 11 by Phillip Garrido (now 58) on her way to school in South Lake Tahoe California, was reunited with her family--her mother, her sister and another relative. Garrido was said to have kept Dugard and their two kids (she became a mother at the tender age of 14) in tents in the backyars of this Antioch (also ni California) home.

Bakit uso ang kinikidnap sa US? Kidnappings in the US differ from those that happen here in the Philippines in terms of motive. Kidnappers in the Philippines aim for the ransom while kidnappers in the US aim for.. uh, the sexual gratification. Tsk, tsk. I hate to say this but.. maybe my professor was right when he said "malilibog ang mga Amerikano." Yes, sir, I'm starting to think you're right.

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Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must Sees

Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must-Sees

News Flash--if you, dear reader, don't know it yet--one of the reasons I love Saturdays is because I get to read the paper (The Philippine Star, to be exact) without any disturbances, unless I allow myself to be disturbed.

So in relation to that, and in reaction to this Saturday's paper (22 August 2009), here's the first edition (hehe) of Saturday Soliloquies :)

Saturday Soliloquy 1: Must-Sees

Paolo Lorenzana, my second- or third- best column writer wrote in his article "The Geek Gods": There's enough evidence to point out that the freaks and geeks are getting a lot more action...

I say, it's true. Mr Lorenzana gives many examples like Seth Rogen (who I think started it all with him knocking up a hottie in Katherine Heigl, albeit not in real life), Michael Cera, rising geek god Christopher Mintz-Plasse and emerging "louche dork" James Franco. My own example, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki). He's a geek and sometimes a freak--but I think of all the Big Bang Theory guys, he's the normalest--and yet he still gets the girl (Penny, who lives across the hall). Well, they're not in a literal relationship but hey, Penny hasn't dated anyone permanently. ;-) Another one, Dr. Stu Price (Ed Helms) marries a hottie/hippie Jade (Heather Graham) after a forgettable (pun intended) night in Vegas in the barkada movie of the year, Hangover. Last example, Roger (Jon Heder) who was too much of a dork that he needed to take an Un-Dork-Yourself class just to get the girl (again, she lives across the hall) Amanda (Jacinta Barrett).


Because of Makati mayor Jejomar Binay's insistence that Cinemanila (different from Cinemalaya) be changed to Cine Makati if the festival wants to continue being held in Makati and supported by the city government. Cinemanila founder Tikoy Aguiluz VI firmly stood his ground, and refused. Quoting Maridol Rañoa-Bismark's article, "So four years after its love affair with Makati, Cinemanila decided to cut and cut clean. It has found a new partner in Taguig City, where an initially incedulous Freddie Tinga welcomed the 11-day (Oct 15 to 25) festival with open arms." Open arms meaning Tinga didn't imposed on changing the festival's name to Cine Taguig. Add to this good news, Mexican actor Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Milk) will grace the event along with Paul Schrader, writer of Raging Bull and Taxi.



The world-famous dance group from the reality/talent show America's Best Dance Crew, Jabbawockeez will be in Manila from September 4 to 6, 2009. September 4-TriNoMa, Friday, 7pm, Activity Center; September 5-Alabang Town Center, Saturday, 6pm, Activity Center; September 6-Glorietta, Sunday, 6pm, Glorietta 5 Atrium. For tickets call: 901-3000 (TriNoMa), 842-2782/772-1860 (ATC), and 752-7272 (Glorietta). Free plug! :)



Speaking of reality shows, this whole.. er, genre... has gone where I think it wouldn't go: the world of horseracing. I was thinking, how could Jerry Bruckheimer and his buds reality-ze that kind of setting? Make horses talk? I guess not. But. Animal Planet beat them to it by launching a documentary series aptly-titled Jockeys where "competitors get rich or die trying." Jockeys started airing on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet last August 10 at 11pm. Encores will be aired on Tuesdays at 4am, Friday at 2pm and 8pm, Saturday at 1pm and Monday at 5pm. (Another free plug!)


Asia's Titanic, as National Geographic calls its documentary on the fate of the sunken MV Doña Paz that fateful night of 20 December 1987, airs on Aug 25 2009, 8pm on National Geographic Channel. This documentary re-enacts that fateful night when the overloaded Doña Paz--with a capacity of 1,018 but was carrying over 4,000 souls--sailed and later on collided with MT Vector--an oil tanker carrying 8,000 barrels of gasoline and kerosene--with the help of tales and even portrayals by actual survivors of the tragedy. Quoting Scott Garceau, "Asia's Titanic revisits the details and the resulting investigation, shedding new light on what went wrong, and why the disaster could have been avoided--even with the overcrowded conditions of Doña Paz and incomplete crew aboard the Vector." (and the plugging never ends, Ha ha)


:))

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Saturday Soliloquy 2: Tsk, tsk, tsk

Where an E.coli wants to live

I was answering this one silly Facebook quiz (What species of pathogenic bacteria are you?) when I had a hard time answering or figuring out what my final answer was to the question:

What kind of environment do you like to live in?

The choices were:

A. Someplace with a ot of history

B. Someplace exotic and tropical

C. Someplace airy, with lots of space.

D. A bustling city.

E. It doesn't matter much, I'll just adapt my environment to suit me.

F. I can thrive just about anywhere.

I know this is very much obviously-related (haha, adjective mix-up?) to what kind of bacteria I'm going to be (or what I am actually) but I did had a hard time figuring what I wanted between choice C (Someplace airy with lots of space) or choice D (A bustling city).

One of the things why I love Saturdays is because of The Philippine Star's Saturday spread. Every Saturdays they have the Supreme fold which I think gathers the best witty and relatable (in other words, madaling maka-relate to) writers in town. Tara FT Sering, Paolo Lorenzana, Gino de la Paz, Pepe Diokno, Tim Yap, J Vincent Sarabia Ong (whose name btw sounds like a lawyer or even a law firm) and so on... But one of the plus factor of the Saturday ish of the Star is that it also features Home & Lifestyle. Yes, I do go over that article on some fabulous person's (or a couple's) house.

I look at the designs, the paint, the artworks, the staircases, the sofas (which I realized are my obsession, haha, I have more than three chairs/sofas in my now-inexistent Yoville apartment O_o), the wall pieces, and I even notice the vases (if the house has one), and I conceptualize... yes, this may sound dramatic, but please bear with me... my house. I want an spacious one with big windows, and blinds with modern furniture, Cobonpue chairs, a modern kitchen (although I don't cook except for breakfast, hehe).. everything. I imagine everything. Even the lawn. And lanai.

But--and this is a bit "but"--I want to live in the city. Oh, wait scratch that. Now I know. (Note: Wow, blogging is amazing. It makes you realize the things you were thinking all along.) I want to live somewhere close to the city but not in the city. Like Laguna, pershaps? Yes, I know I'm biased. I see the place where I grew up in very ideal. :D

So there, thanks to a Facebook quiz (which was entirely about something else) and this blog post, I realized, and conceptualized the first details of my dream house. Well, the location that is. :)



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Oh if you're wondering what kind of pathogenic bacteria I was, the answer: Escherichia coli. That's E.coli, dear reader. Hahaha.

Escherichia coli

Dependable, calm, helpful...you are E. coli! Ok, so you're not really that pathogenic...most of the time. But given the right circumstances, say some poorly cooked meat or just a really bad day, you can really knock some heads. Or bowels. You're very patient with people and we've learned a lot from you about how bacteria work.

Wednesday is my new Saturday?

In all the years I have stayed in UP (nearly four) I had only three semesters when I had Wednesday classes. First was the LRC classes I took for Math and Physics and Chem. Second was NSTP 2 under Sir Ong--which rarely met so parang wala rin. And last was History 116 under Prof. M. D. Jose. Oh. I also had my Badminton and Advance Badminton classes on Wednesdays, different semesters.

Well, anyway, last semester I rarely spent my Wednesdays here in Laguna because I was working kuno as a Student Assistant at the CAS Library. But this semester (hopefully my second to the last) since I quit my SA gig for the OrgASM presidency (HAHA, akala sosyal) I spend all my Wednesdays (or at least I try to) at Laguna. No, not because walang gagawin for OrgASM but because AS 132 (Seminar on Philippine Urban Issues) is so demanding in terms of requirements that I had to go to Binyan weekly.

Anyway. I was supposed to go to the Municipal Hall today but the bum in me prevailed (as it always does whenever I'm in Laguna) and I just called the offices.:) Talk about working the phones. Instead of going, I watched DVDs, as always.

Well, The Hangover starring Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper of Failure to Launch, and some other unknown dudes (Haha, ang sama ko) was uneventful except for the witty ending. With Roofies you end up on the ground, not on the roof, right? HAHAHAHA


So. I watched Gray Matters today. Again. For the nth time. Why? Well because I saw Heather Graham in The Hangover and kinda miss her. HAHA, close pala? Haha. I watched it because I missed watching the movie. Although, I admit, I know its every twists and turns, every scene and almost every line. But still, every time I watch it, Heather Graham, Tom Cavanaugh and Alan Cumming never fail to amaze, amuse and touch my little cold heart (haha) with their good acting.

At syempre, I feel like....

Sana I have a Tom Cavanaugh for a brother and Alan Cumming for a friend. Promise talaga, if the Lord gives me that it would easier to do a Kathleen Espejo. Hahaha, gets? :D (You, dear reader, probably won't)

"Don't expect to end up with your first crush. It's like marrying at age 12."

-Sam (Tom Cavanaugh) to Gray (Heather Graham)

I don't mind marrying at age 12. Hehe. But as I've read once, "We all have feelings. But we need not act on them."

"Like"

One of the many reasons that I think makes Facebook click (like Friendster did) is its "like" option. Yes that simple, unassuming and common-looking option beside the "comment." This "like" option gives Facebook users the right to..uh, react without being obliged to leave a verbal aka readable comment like "Hahaha" or an emoticon "=)" "O_o" and others. It's like showing appreciation yet being not-so pa-close.


When to use the "like" option?

1) When you completely agree or, uh, like a friend's post to a level higher than just by merely showing a nonsensical comment like "HAHA" (Aside from liking his/her post you also leave a comment)
2) When you agree but don't feel like commenting.
3) When you agree but don't have something worth saying/typing
4) When you're feeling tamad
5) When you just feel like liking
6) When you want your crush/someone you like (even non-romantically speaking) to notice that you liked their post
7) Kapag feel mo magparamdam
and...
8) When you just... like it. For some reason you cannot point out to.


My fearless (maybe hopeful) forecast is that Facebook will soon be adding the "like" option under one's profile picture. It's, I guess, for showing one's liking of another. This means, you not only like that person's posts but himself or herself :P And I guess, this will become a hit with couples, MUs or It's-Complicateds. Hahaha

So, do you "like" this post? Haha. It's okay if you don't, just don't "unlike" it HAHA