BLOGGERS NIGHT at KYSS Restaurant & Bar Lounge

Watch as Cyber it - bloggers invade KYSS!
August 26, Friday.

9-11pm Open Bar

Music by THE ZOMBETTES
Dj's Mia Ayesa, Sanya Smith and Ornussa Cadness

Hosted By Top Bloggers:
Lissa Kahayon
Joanna Ladrido
Camille Co


For Guestlist and Table reservations:
Contact Mikhail Guingon 09175574166 or email him at mike_guingon@Yahoo.com

Names should be sent before 6pm FRIDAY.


Table Rates:
1. Standard: 5,000 php
2. Prive: 8,000 php
3. VIP: 10,000 php
** All tables are consumale of food and drinks

Philippines, a Finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature

As of this very moment, while doing this blog entry. There are only

154 days

10 hours

Left to Vote until 11.11.2011

Instead of burning you time over Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking sites; flirting with your fling, chatting with your boyfriend or girlfriend, much worst...STALKING someone you like.

WHY NOT....

Use your time in helping your COUNTRY win something worth winning...

One of our country's prime tourist destination in Palawan islands is one of the 28 FINALISTS for the NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE. Below is the list of the 28 Finalist: 

The UNDERGROUND RIVER in PALAWAN is pitted against such worthy opponents (if we can call such) with the likes of the Grand Canyon in USA, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the famous islands of Maldives. Let us help change the negative connotation that the Philippines is not a safe place to travel. Winning one of the spots in the New 7 Wonders of Nature will surely help the TOURISM industry of the country. If this happens, more influx of tourists will visit the country... As Dick Gordon once said, "TOURISM MEANS JOB". We are not only helping the Tourism industry, but we are also helping the Economy... Anyway, back to the main topic here. 

Below is the Page dedicated to the Phillippines:

So What are you guys waiting for? VOTE NOW!!!

Here is the link: http://www.new7wonders.com/vote-2

Movie Review: BIRTH OF A NATION

 

Hearing the title of the film at first, I had the notion in my mind that it would have a plot wherein stereotypical politics would be the major or focal ideology used in the film. But in my surprise, it turned out differently from what I have perceived. It’s a film full of controversial and intriguing interpretations of history. It showed a different view on how a nation reconstructs itself, and in my understanding the film clearly conforms to the idea that reconstruction to build a nation was disastrous.  It created different personas; black people could never be integrated into a society populated by white people, in other words it depicts the inequality of black people as citizens, the rise of the masses to end slavery, it also displayed violent actions from nuisance entities and self interested politicians that bent sadistic events in the move to reestablish honest government. 

People may think that the film is very demeaning or derogatory for black people; some may say that the film is racist, a nightmare of interracial brutality, rape and castigation, or simply pure evil. At first, I somehow agreed. But as I write this paper and as I dissect the film in a deeper scale, I realized and recognized the idea that a film is created to impart a lesson to its viewers. With this, I do believe that the director and writer of the film really projected a dark theme or film aura for the viewers. Why? Because it will create a hype and with this people will then make a lot of assumptions regarding the film; they will dig deeper and deeper until they themselves will be the one to see the “real” message of the film. And what is it? For me, “The Birth of a Nation” despite its controversial story is not a bad film because it argues for evil; it makes us understand how it does to learn a great deal about a film and even something about evil. Given that it deems to be culturally, historically and aesthetically significant, I suppose that this is the reason why this film is considered to be one of the best films in history. 

To sum all the things that I have stated earlier; I’d rather give suggestions and ideas to those people who seem to attack the films’ proponents based on their belief that to appreciate a film is to get entertained by it. For me, this should not be the case because if cinema could only be entertaining, it could never have become the remarkable art form it is. "The Birth of a Nation," is not just a silent film but also a remarkable art that is and will be significant through time.

The Best Speech Ive Ever Read....

Over the years, I have been a fan of prominent political personalities in the Philippines, of their wit and their wisdom in dealing with things and most of all in presenting their speeches... I have read dozens of speeches from such Filipino's with the likes of:

President Ferdinand Marcos in his Mandate of Greatness Speech wherein he reiterated that:

"This nation can be great again. This I have said over and over. It is my articles of faith, and Divine Providence has willed that you and I can now translate this faith into deeds."

Ninoy Aquino's speech before the Asia Society wherein his very famous line was said:

"Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying, for? Is he not a coward who would readily yield to any colonizer, be he foreign or home-grown? Is a Filipino more comfortable under an authoritarian leader because he does not want to be burdened with the freedom of choice? Is he unprepared or, worse, ill-suited for presidential or parliamentary democracy?

I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for because he is the nation’s greatest untapped resource

Mr. Marcos: Give us back our freedom or suffer the consequences of your arrogance.”

These people may have already been dead at present together with their idealism, perspectives and beliefs... But their speeches immortalized their being, up to this day we remember them for what they said and what they did....



Of all the speeches that I have read in my entire life... the best for me would be the one by Carlos P. Romulo entitled, "I Am A Filipino". It encompasses the greatness of our race, the struggles, the triumphs and even the downside moments... Reading such masterpiece enriches my mind, but most of all it touches the my very soul that reminds me to love myself and be proud to be a Filipino no matter what happens, I'll always be a Filipino...

Below is the excerpt of the speech that fueled my heart and passion to be a good citizen of this country:

I am a Filipino – inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future.  As such, I must prove equal to a two-fold task – the task of meeting my responsibility to the past, and the task of performing my obligation to the future.

I am sprung from a hardy race – child many generations removed of ancient Malayan pioneers. Across the centuries, the memory comes rushing back to me: of brown-skinned men putting out to sea in ships that were as frail as their hearts were stout.  Over the sea I see them come, borne upon the billowing wave and the whistling wind, carried upon the mighty swell of hope – hope in the free abundance of the new land that was to be their home and their children’s forever.

This is the land they sought and found.  Every inch of shore that their eyes first set upon, every hill and mountain that beckoned to them with a green and purple invitation, every mile of rolling plain that their view encompassed, every river and lake that promised a plentiful living and the fruitfulness of commerce, is a hollowed spot to me.

By the strength of their hearts and hands, by every right of law, human and divine, this land and all the appurtenances thereof – the black and fertile soil, the seas and lakes and rivers teeming with fish, the forests with their inexhaustible wealth in wild and timber, the mountains with their bowels swollen with minerals – the whole of this rich and happy land has been for centuries without number, the land of my fathers.  This land I received in trust from them, and in trust will pass it to my children, and so on until the world is no more.

I am a Filipino. In my blood runs the immortal seed of heroes – seed that flowered down the centuries in deeds of courage and defiance.  In my veins yet pulses the same hot blood that sent Lapulapu to battle against the alien foe, that drove Diego Silang and Dagohoy into rebellion against the foreign oppressor,

That seed is immortal.  It is the self-same seed that flowered in the heart of Jose Rizal that morning in Bagumbayan when a volley of shots put an end to all that was mortal of him and made his spirit deathless forever; the same that flowered in the hearts of Bonifacio in Balintawak, of Gregorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass, of Antonio Luna at Calumpit, that bloomed in flowers of frustration in the sad heart of Emilio Aguinaldo at Palanan, and yet burst forth royally again in the proud heart of Manuel L. Quezon when he stood at last on the threshold of ancient Malacanang Palace, in the symbolic act of possession and racial vindication.

The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed.  It is the mark of my manhood, the symbol of my dignity as a human being.  Like the seeds that were once buried in the tomb of Tutankhamen many thousands of years ago, it shall grow and flower and bear fruit again.  It is the insigne of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.

I am a Filipino, child of the marriage of the East and the West.  The East, with its languor and mysticism, its passivity and endurance, was my mother, and my sire was the West that came thundering across the seas with the Cross and Sword and the Machine.  I  am of the East, an eager participant in its struggles for liberation from the imperialist yoke.  But I know also that the East must awake from its centuried sleep, shake off the lethargy that has bound its limbs, and start moving where destiny awaits.

For I, too, am of the West, and the vigorous peoples of the West have destroyed forever the peace and quiet that once were ours.  I can  no longer live, a being apart from those whose world now trembles to the roar of bomb and cannon shot.  For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, and there is no longer any East and West – only individuals and nations making those momentous choices that are the hinges upon which history revolves.

At the vanguard of progress in this part of the world I stand – a forlorn figure in the eyes of some, but not one defeated and lost.  For through the thick, interlacing branches of habit and custom above me I have seen the light of the sun, and I know that it is good.  I have seen the light of justice and equality and freedom, my heart has been lifted by the vision of democracy, and I shall not rest until my land and my people shall have been blessed by these, beyond the power of any man or nation to subvert or destroy.

I am a Filipino, and this is my inheritance.  What pledge shall I give that I may prove worthy of my inheritance?  I shall give the pledge that has come ringing down the corridors of the centuries, and its hall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when they first saw the contours of this land loom before their eyes, of the battle cries that have resounded in every field of combat from Mactan to Tirad Pass, of the voices of my people when they sing:

Land of the morning.

Child of the sun returning . . .

Ne’er shall invaders

Trample thy sacred shore.

Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heart-strings of sixteen million people all vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge.  Out  of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields; out the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-ig and Koronadal; out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of peasants in Pampanga; out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing; out of crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories; out of the crunch of ploughs upturning the earth; out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics; out of the tramp of soldiers marching, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:

I am a Filipino born of freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance – for myself and my children’s – forever.

My Battle Cry

                                                   photo by: cheshirecatstudios.com

Damn the people who bastardized others amelioration away from a life of routine!

Damn the people who ostracize the so called "few" for living a life of color, a life defiant from the stereotypical/traditional point of view...

Respect begets respect!

Mind your own backyard first, it aint that clean as well!

PTBP Syndrome

PTBP...

Philippine Tax Bureau Protection?

Please Take Back my Puso?

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase - Beta?


Ano ba ang PTPB na binabanggit ko dito? Alam niyo ba? Do you guys have any idea?


Its actually Proud To Be Pinoy... syndrome ba ito?


People might actually disagree or agree with my opinion regarding the said topic...I don't care if you don't... haha...


For me, ang PTPB ay ang syndrome kung saan ang mga Pilipino ay walang sawang ipinaggyayabang at ipinagmamalaki ang mga kapwa Pilipinong namamayagpag sa kanikanilang larangan na kinikilala sa buong mundo. Good examples of which are Manny Pacquiao, Charice, Lea Salonga at kung sino sino pa...


Masama bang ipagyabang, humanga at ipagmalaki ang mga ito? HINDI... i actually do feel proud about them... Manny Pacquiao with his 8 world titles in boxing, Charice being called as the most talented girl in the world, Lea Salonga as the only Filipino who won the Olivier and Tony awards. 


I get it, nakakaproud naman talaga kasi kababayan natin, kasi kalahi natin.


PERO


Bakit ang mga Pilipino sa youtube at kung saan saan pang websites.. never ending ang comments nilang PTPB... to the extent na parang inaangkin nadin nila ung tagumpay ng mga Pilipinong ito. Tama ba yun? Okay lang sigurong sabihin na "Wow, nakakaproud naman. Goodluck" pero ung ipamudmod at ipamukha sa buong mundo na PINOY NA PINAKAMAGALING, PINOY LANG MAY KAYA NIYAN etc... nakakainis... nakakahiya...




Nakakainis kasi...


First, ask yourselves... ano ba natulong mo sa tagumpay nila? sa narating nila? 
Second... wala ba kayong maipagmalaki sa mga sarili niyo? I mean why ride on w/ their achievements?!?!


Kahit wala kayo mananalo si Pacquiao kasi nagtraining siya, malakas siya sumuntok, mabilis at magaling... do you think kung majority sa inyo hindi siya suportahan, hindi na siya mananalo? NO! wala ka nga mismo sa venue ng mga laban eh... buti sana kung ikaw nag train, buti sana kung may tinulong ka...


Si Charice, luck and proper timing... noong natalo siya sa LBS pinansin niyo ba ung bata? I mean did you even second guess that she can be what she is now? Ngayon siya na ang most talented in the world kuno... PINANSIN na ng Pilipino, sinuportahan na... kala mo mga die hard fans since LBS days pero hindi... NAKIRIDE sa kasikatan ng bata dahil kinikilala sa buong mundo. yan ba ang PROUD?


Si Lea Salonga kahit wala kayo, mananalo padin yan ng Oliver at Tony award dahil magaling siyang singer, maganda boses at pinaghirapan niya ang mga narating niya...


Si Regine Velasquez, hindi pinapansin noong CHONA VELASQUEZ pa siya pero nung naging ASIA'S SONGBIRD... halabira ang mga Pilipino... kulang nalang sambahin siya... (baka sabihin niyo isa ako dun... oo sinasamba ko si regine velasquez... hindi dahil Pinoy siya kung hindi dahil sa talento niya.)


Im sure by now dami ng galit.. sasabihan ako na makapal mukha ko, ano ba pakialam ko... 


Siguro nga wala akong pakialam, pero blog ko ito so mind your own business.. LOL


Gets niyo ba ang sinasabi ko?


Pinoys tend to over exposed their nationality... MAGNIFIED lagi... Dapat lagi talagang sinasabi na" Wow, ang galing PTBP". Hello?!?! Try niyo sa youtube vids ni Charice/Lea/Regine... majority ng comments may PTBP...


Eto pa kinaiinis ko...
Alam natin na maraming half pinoy sa Hollywood... as in super sa glee meron, sa pussycat dolls meron, project runway, fashion industry, modeling industry, music industry etc... may half pinoy... 


Ayan nanaman ang PTPB syndrome... todo proclaim nanaman na "She's half Filipina..." or "He has Filipino blood..."


WHAT THE HELL? FOREIGNERS DONT GIVE A DAMN! WALA SILANG PAKIALAM KUNG HALF YAN OR 1/4, 1/8 pinoy.... wala silang care noh!


Dahil ba may Pinoy na blood? HINDI! kesyo half chinese, korean, mongolian pa yan.. wala silang pakialam...


Pilipino lang ang gumagawa ng big deal regarding sa lahi... dahil ba proud? pwede... or dahil wala silang maipagmalaki sa sarili nila kaya kumakapit sa iba... 


Go evaluate what i said... ang ibang lahi ba ganyan? some maybe pero not as EXTREME as PTPB... naiinis na nga ang ibang lahi sa mga pinoy eh because of this PTPB syndrome.. masyado daw natin inaassociate ang lahat ng bagay sa usapang race... na hindi naman dapat!!!


Sa Hollywood palang, diverse na ang mga lahi... pero they don't magnify it. Basta nasa Amerika ka.. you are considered American whether you have Indian, Japanese, Turkish, Aussie or FILIPINO blood or decent.


Gets niyo ba ang sentiments ko?


Ako, Im a PROUD FILIPINO... always have and always will... I love my own, I love my country... I will fight for this nation, government, people and race... Because its my responsibility as a citizen of this Republic... and because I am a FILIPINO...


The bottomline here is that those people who we are proud of are in their prime or in their situations not because they are Filipinos or because they live here in the Philippines but because they are talented people... because of hardwork, luck, faith...


-end-

A Different Take on Ferdinand Marcos and Ninoy Aquino

The anniversary of EDSA 1 is fast approaching, and I believe that this article written by Nemenzo, Gemma from Filipinas (August 2008) is very timely and INTERESTING.

The title of the article is "A Different Take: An Interview with Rep. Roquito Ablan." A lot of you may not know him, but during the Marcos Era, he was a "force" back then.

Filipinos are made to believe that Ferdinand E. Marcos and Ninoy Aquino were really arch nemesis, rivals, and even foes. But from this interview, we can see the A DIFFERENT VIEW on what was really happening during those times.

So here it is....

                                                Ablan shaking hands with Pres. Marcos

While writing a book about Upsilon Sigma Phi, the fraternity both Ferdinand Marcos and Ninoy Aquino belonged to, Filipinas managing editor, Gemma Nemenzo, did a one-on-one interview with Congressman Roquito Ablan of Ilocos Norte.

Ablan had the unique privilege of being close to both Ninoy, his batchmate in Upsilon (batch 1950), and Marcos, the undisputed lord of Ablan's province. With such proximity to the two political superstars of that era, the congressman had a ringside view of what was happening behind the scenes of the Marcos-Aquino saga.

Is he credible?

People close to Marcos confirm that Roquito Ablan then had a direct line to the former president. Upsilonians also know that he and Ninoy Aquino remained close friends.

Here are excerpts from the interview: 


I first met Ninoy at the University of the Philippines (UP) when we were neophytes in 1950. He was a professional absentee from classes. I was working with LUSTEVECO then so I had an open expense account so I would gas up Ninoy's car.

The two of us were the most hazed neophytes in our batch. Our initiation lasted one year and one semester. We joined Upsilon because it was "the only frat in UP"; to be an Upsilonian, you must be good.

Ninoy and FM (Ferdinand Marcos) were more than friends. When Ninoy was in detention, he and FM would speak with scrambler telephones. During FM's state visit to the U.S. in 1982, the two of them talked for an hour about good times. 

FM was actually considering Ninoy as his successor. He admired Ninoy for his being a courageous fighter and his vigor. They were on the same wavelength.

In fact, Ninoy's "Iron Butterfly" speech against Imelda and the Folk Arts Theater was edited by FM. I know because I was the intermediary. From the very beginning, FM gave instructions to the military to be lenient with Ninoy.

I met up with Ninoy in New York on April 22, 1983, which was my birthday. He told me he needed a passport. secretary of Foreign Affairs Collantes had earlier issued a memo stating no renewal for Ninoy's passport. So I checked with FM on the phone and Joey Ampeso, a consular officer assigned in New Orleans and an Upsilonian, was asked to assist Ninoy, which he did.


During that New York meeting, Ninoy also told me that he went to see his doctor and his medical exam might require him to rest for six months because of some heart complication. In July that year, Ninoy was told by the State Department that FM was sick and that "if I don't go home, I will not be president."

In early August, FM and Ninoy talked about the latter returning to the Philippines and FM told him not to come home yet because he (FM) was weak and he couldn't protect Ninoy.  

On August 17, there was an earthquake in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, so I had to be there as acting governor. I sent two planes to meet Ninoy in Taipei but the first plane, which carried a top officer, could not locate him because he was using a passport with a different name. FM's instructions were to bring Ninoy to Basa Air Base, load him in the presidential helicopter and bring him here to Manila, to protect him.

On August 20, I left Laoag at 10 in the evening so I could be in Manila in time to meet Ninoy at the airport. I didn't think much of it then, but my plane was grounded (by someone who knew the chain of command) and the second plane was prevented from taking off When I was driving to the international airport, my car was delayed because of a rally of another Upsilonian, Doy Laurel, in front of Baclaran Church. I arrived at the airport 12 minutes after Ninoy was shot. Someone met me and said "wala na si Ninoy (Ninoy is gone)." I cried like a baby when I found out what happened. If I arrived on time I could have escorted Ninoy from the aircraft and he would not have been shot, or I would have been shot along with him on the stairs.  


Nemenzo, Gemma "A Different Take: An Interview with Rep. Roquito Ablan". Filipinas. FindArticles.com. 23 Feb, 2011. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7537/is_200808/ai_n32289968/  

News For Sale: The Corruption of the Philippine Media

                            photo: emilyjaneolson.wordpress.com


The article entitled, ““News For Sale: The Corruption of the Philippine Media” written by Chay Florentino-Hofilena approaches the idea of how Philippine Media evolve through the years. It illustrates the peculiarity and distinction of media corruption in the post-Marcos era. The dissertation reveals how steep, more persistent and even more prearranged it was and also how distressingly creative and more intricate to detect such corruption practices in the Media. During the said epoch, dealings and connections have become more refined, and in some cases, even institutionalized. The manner in which the process of corruption is systemized is by means of network structure between journalists, public officials, and professional public relation people. The network itself is somewhat resembling and comparable with the operation of a criminal syndicate or much worst, a mafia of corrupt practitioners. Sadly, corruption in the media really exists. Salaries are low and businesses and politicians often buy favorable coverage. Some radio commentators use their microphones to peddle influence, and the military has also used radio journalists to foment unrest against communist and Muslim insurgents. Basically, the paper tackles the history of media corruption in the Philippines and it investigates corrupt habits in the 1990s, and ascertained how a free press can be bought. Most of all it tells us how the Marcos era began such tradition wherein powerful families are investing in the media to cement political and business influence for future purposes but the most endearing damage done by Marcos' martial law is that, it dismantled the structure of the press, it weakened the professionalism and ultimately politicized the media to a staggering degree.

After reading the whole article, I have come to realized that the Mass Media is not very different at all from other institutions in the Philippines like the government. Although they like to congratulate themselves over how they are the institution people turn to for justice and retribution, the truth is that the Mass Media are just as corrupt as any other government agency, and far more cunning and hypocritical in denying and hiding the fact. Some might portray the media as selfless defenders of press freedom, the reality is, the Mass Media is just as corrupt and dishonest as the people and institutions they attack, criticize, expose and defame. This saddens me a lot, personally I felt betrayed for the Filipino people! Why? Because for me, the media should be one of the principal vehicles for informing the public about corrupt activities, they should not associate themselves with corrupt acts! They must be the one investigating and reporting on corruption. They must be the one who will shed light on the wrongdoings of public office holders and corporate executives alike. Especially at this point in time, the 2010 election is just around the corner. The Filipino people will vote for a new President, Senators, and local government officials that will serve us for how many years. And during elections, Media plays a vital role. They will be the one to present the candidates and make the voters know more about the candidates. They let them talk. They let you see the candidates. They provide vivid pictures of what candidates propose to do. They help build party decisions. They provide reasons for changes in political strategies. They facilitate budgeting financial resources for a campaign ad and for running a campaign. Those who invest in media unwittingly carve pathways either to a lose or a victory in the final counting of votes. The more the investments, the bigger and wider those pathways become. The sturdier the pathways, the better the chances of winning.  The more pathways, the easier becomes the road to an elegant victory in the polls. Media pathways lead to the hearts and minds of voters that is why they must be free from corrupt practices. But in reality, Media is not always about the truth. It may merely be the dishing out of information, or an attempt to dissuade, persuade, or condition a belief.  Unfortunately, candidates who have taken the bold step of talking about their perceptions of the role of the media, as they were invited to candidates’ fora, simply settled for that unpolished objective which is to enable the media to disseminate information, to enable communications to facilitate the diffusion of science and technology. But through all of this, I still believe that there are still few conscientious media people who have leaped to the right direction for the course of life that is there, defined or them and their industry. I cannot help but think that there others in greater number who are emerging to join the flock of the corrupt media, secretly or lacking a sense of embedded profession and the twin sense of excellence in doing their supposedly patriotic and heroic job, to remain misdirected. It is their misdirection that leads voters and candidates to vote for someone incapable of a position in politics and this now affects the present and future of our country.       

Everyone's Allegory of the Cave (Inspired by Plato)

                  photo: extraordinaryintelligence.com

 I believe that in every one of us, there is a unique rare individual that will try to break out of their small little box or shell and with this starts a long, labyrinthine journey wherein this person will tend to discover a higher realm of reality and intellect and realize in the end the true meaning of his/her existence. For me, a person such as this is highly the paramount entity to govern the society. The knowledge of this person is not limited compared to the others but rather this person holds worthwhile knowledge that is ultimately important in life. Because of such uniqueness, this person might be misunderstood and misapprehended by those people who think different from him, by those people below the knowledge that this person has, by those people who are ordinary and have not yet come out of their own little caves. These ordinary people are not seeing reality or in other words they are rejecting what is real but instead they choose to believe and accept what they only know which is just shadowy representation of what is real. I recognized the idea that there is a very important aspect in this life which is that there are unseen and concealed truths behind or lying under the visible surface of things which only these unique, rare and enlightened individuals can only take hold of. Another realization that I have come about is the importance of education; the process of how that rare and unique individual came out of the cave is a process of education. Education is not a manner and means of laying knowledge into unfilled minds but rather of making people realize that which they already know or in other words truth is long been embedded in our minds!!! We just need to tap in enlightenment to achieve such!

  

Everyone's allegory of the cave can be resembled with a movie house wherein the movie projector will be the fire, the film or the negatives supplants the objects which radiates the shadows, the projected movie or the movie itself will be the shadows on the cave wall, and most of all the echo in the cave will be the loudspeakers or the sounds that surrounds the movie theater.  

Not just a HOUSE but also a HOME

            The house where my family lives in was built in the early 80’s but was originally owned by our Yugoslavian friend. The structure is unique compared to those houses here in our village. It has a mixture of Filipino and American ornamentation and design in the perspective of a Yugoslavian. The house is a three storey structure which stands in a 150 square meter lot. It consists of one master bedroom, three bedrooms, one guestroom, one maids’ and drivers’ quarter, five bathrooms, two living rooms, a dining room and a dirty kitchen, two storage rooms, a garage and a foyer. Our house has two main doors, one is made of wood from an acacia tree and the other is a sliding door made up of thick glass and metal. The walls are made up of cement and stone, the floor is marble, the ceilings are wood. Our ceilings are not that high which is why we usually adopt with the outdoor temperature. Every room has huge and wide windows for air circulation and light passage; also, it has connecting doors for a faster and easy access in every room of the house to save time and for manageable movement. For me, the two living rooms are intended for the family and visitors to interact and socialize, it can be collaborated with the Filipino perspective of extended family and family love. Having many bathrooms is a plus factor, we don’t need to wait for someone to finish, and we don’t need to rush our bathroom activities, if ever a party is held at home the visitors won’t be having any problems too. The drivers quarter is located in the first floor for a reason and that is to keep guard of the main doors while the maids quarter is in the third floor for them to attend with our needs faster, because going down the stairs is easier compared to going up. In addition, the house has two staircases; the first staircase connects the first floor to the second floor and the other stairway connects the first, second and the third floor. For me having two stairways is a positive thing, especially for a big family like us. It may prevent crowdedness and also it leads to a quicker and faster access in the different levels of our house. In the question, how is your house a place versus a space, well first and foremost my house is a place for it has a purpose. It is where my family lives; it is where my family feels safe and secured. For me, my house symbolizes the structure of our family; its size, its interior and exterior design, everything about it manifests what my family is or in short our house mirrors how my family is. Also, it is a place for it is not only a house where we live in but it is more of a home. In this house, we have already experienced a lot of things, meaning it has always been part of our lives and our family history. We have a lot of reminiscences to remember whether these are good or bad memories. Like the first time my family moved in here, the first neighbors we met then later became our friends, my petty quarrels with my sisters, the New Year celebrations and many more. Moreover, it is our family heritage! Our house is not a space for it is not only built just for the sake of building the house, it is not designed to be like this for the sake of designing, but it is built and designed for a reason and that reason is my family’s vision of a home.

            Talking about vision of a home, one interesting minority group here in the archipelago are the Tausug people who are found in Sulu. As I quoted one of my sources “The Tausug house is made up of bamboo and lumber. It has a sala, a rectangular room beneath a thatched roof. Some house showcase elaborate wood carving and have slits instead of windows. This is both for protection and to keep its young maidens from view. They are fond of inviting many guests to their parties thus their sala is filled with thick mattresses and mats covered with colorful cloths, that are laid on the floor and large pillows placed against the wall.” As we can see my family and the Tausug people have commonalities in terms of accompanying visitors but also we can see a vast difference in terms of style, design, structure and reason for building the house. The idea of the house building tradition of the Tausug people where the parts of the house are coordinated with the parts of the human body is very interesting and remarkable. If I was to do that in my house then the masters’ bedroom would be the human heart and the brain, because in our house my mom is a source of love, passion, knowledge and inspiration. The other bedrooms will be the hands and the arms while the maids and drivers quarter will be the legs and the feet because in a house cooperation is needed within the people living inside it, whether you’re the boss or you’re the helper, one cannot complete a task without the help of the other just like with the arms and hands or the feet and the legs. The body will be the main edifice of the house for it supports the other parts of the house. For me, the living room will be the mouth because this is where socialization takes place, then the nose can be associated with the kitchen because the nose can smell various types of food aroma. The windows of the house can be the eyes because we can see the horizon and many things outside the window.

Sources: Cabalfin, Edson. “Intersections and Exoticism.” Reconfiguring the Historiography of Philippine Art Deco Architectures.(2003). Pages 26-39.

Cabalfin, Edson. “Conquest and Resistance”. Intersections of Colonialism and Modernity in Twentieth-Century Philippine Architectures.(2005).

“Philippine Provincial Profile.” The Provincial Profile of Sulu.1998. http://www.geocities.com/lppsec/pp/sulu.htm.

The Beauty of the Songbird

Since its her 25th year in the Showbiz Industry... as an avid fan, it is my responsibility to create a masterpiece for my one and only SONGBIRD, Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez...

Ever since I was a child, I have always been an aficionado of the Disney Princesses because they possess and hold an incomparable beauty and glamour. Each Disney Princess has there own exceptional persona and character that really rendered my interests in them.  However I was not only stricken with their beauty and glamour but also I learned to love the different stories that each princess have gone through. Such as Princess Aurora’s 100 years of deep sleep, Princess Ariel’s venture to human hood, Princess Snow White’s apple poisoning and most of all the story of Cinderella. Every story made me realized the other side of beauty, its true sense and meaning.

            What is it? Are there objective standards of beauty? Or is beauty in the eye of the beholder?  Must a person be beautiful to be considered great?  What is the effect of experiencing beauty in life? I have chosen a very interesting topic, as I believe that her story encompasses my understanding of what Beauty really is. 

Before we even heard and knew of her Cinderella story, there was just her phenomenal voice of which was never heard of in the Philippine music history. It became all the more mind-blowing, astonishing and extraordinary when one beheld the singer, a young woman whose delicate frame and features contradict her fragile aura. The infirmity vanishes from the first note of a song and in its place, an astounding blend of deep emotion and perceptible splendor is experienced. That beauty is Regine Velasquez.

                        photo: pinoyexchange.com

Regine also known affectionately as the Asia's Songbird around the world is a true story of rags to riches. Few people who have heard her amazing voice can say that they have never heard her equally inspiring life story. Much like a fairy tale, her humble beginnings in Bulacan have not dismayed this naturally talented singer in surpassing the performance calibers of formally trained singers of her generation. She started to sing at the age of four and upon discovering her incredible singing talent her parents supported her love for music. At age ten, Regine could be found standing neck-deep in the beach singing. It was to train her to use her diaphragm in singing and to strengthen her lungs. Teresita her mom taught her how to evoke emotion while Mang Gerry her dad helped her develop a technique in reaching high notes. She started joining singing contests at the age of ten but triumph was not always on her side. She entered 200 singing contests but only won 67 of them. She got tired of joining such contests but this didn’t stop her because it is their source of income. Her dad quit his job just to support her and be with her in every singing contest she joined. This was her motivation; she strived harder and harder to attain what she has now and what she has achieved. The year 1989 was the start of her booming career especially after winning the Asia Pacific Singing Contest, which was held in Hong Kong at the same year. This contest gave her the coveted title of Asia’s Songbird that gave her celebrity status and made her an Asian superstar. That same year, she collaborated a song with Jacky Cheung entitled "In Love With You," which reached the MTV Asia and Channel V’s top 20 music charts. She has also collaborated with artists such as Paul Anka, David Hasselhoff, 98 Degrees, Brian McKnight, Mandy Moore, Ronan Keating, Stephen Bishop, Jim Brickman, Peabo Bryson, Jeffrey Osborne, Dave Koz , Lea Salonga, Grasshopper, Coco Lee, Michel Legrand, David Pomeranz, Eduardo Capetillo and Billy Crawford. More blessings came along her way; some of her albums had good response from neighbor Asian countries achieving triple platinum, 2 double platinum and 2 golds from China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. Year after year, Regine gets better by being versatile in her craft. She started to juggle her singing, film, television, and advertising careers. Both foreign and local fans supported her all this years and a manifestation of this are the awards she has received; 2 star awards, 1 Famas, 2 MTV Asia, 3 MTV Phil, 11 Awit awards, 1 Katha Awards, 9 aliw awards, 15 Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation. As a fan, I believe that she as a performer and person empowers and allows others to dream, just like what she did before. This is the best part about her. Every time she performs onstage, every time she sings a song, she reminds all of us that there was a time when it seemed like no one wanted to listen. But it is that past that makes her who she is today; strong, generous, human, pained and blessed.

                                photo:abante.com.ph

            People might think that her achievements swollen her so much pride and that she has the “diva” attitude or that she became very conceited and self righteous but I can attest that Regine is still the humble girl from Bulacan. How can I say this? Regine staged numerous benefit concerts for different foundations such as the Bantay Bata and GMA ‘s Kapuso foundation. Also, her MTV Asia special entitled Speak Your Mind was nominated for the UNICEF Child Rights Awards. The production was highly commended for its agendum on child welfare, documenting the plight of homeless children swarming the streets of Metro Manila, in an effort to protect and safeguard their rights. Also, she has helped a lot of foundations such as the Singapore's National Kidney Foundation, the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Philippines' Bridges School for Special Children. That is why, for me Regine is at her greatest every time she decides to be small. When she displays her vulnerability and her homegrown valiance, she shimmers like a red diamond. Everything in her life blended so well, it was like everything was meant for her.

She has uncountable awards and honors but we see that her charms and graces have all blossomed along with her talent, but her beauty and talent is not all about the prestigious awards, honors, fame, and wealth that she acquired. Regine embodies a beauty that is seen only in few people. Her physical beauty is admired by her legions of fans all around the globe, from her gorgeous face, expressive eyes, sexy lips and a body of a goddess. But what makes Asia’s Songbird more attractive? More dazzling? And more divine? It’s her inner beauty, her benign heart, her down to earth persona, her unconditional love to the Filipino people, her patriotism to her motherland, her love and passion for her craft, her being a true person and her just being simply beautiful in her own right. That makes her beautiful! That is the Beauty of a Songbird!

Echoing "The Metamorphosis," "Letters to a Young Poet," and "The Little Prince".

This is my longest blog as of to date. To Those People Who want to know more about me.. READ ON....

 

I may honestly say that I’m not the most responsible and most cynical person to understand the true and deep meaning of such great and famous works like The Metamorphosis, Letters to a young poet and The Little Prince. But as a person, I have my own perspectives, my own understanding of things, my own interpretation and view regarding things, well that is what philosophy is all about isn’t? So for this blog entry , I tam to resonate my own experiences with these three incomparable works in world literature and I plan of making this blog very open and personal as well. Here goes…

                                     photo: amazon.com

Metamorphosis is one of the most famous works in world literature, and possibly has the most memorable opening lines in the history of story telling, “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning after disturbing dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect”. For me, my interpretation of this allegorical tale is that Gregor's transformation from hard working travelling salesman, providing for his family, to a grotesque useless insect that provokes disgust and pity and ultimately rejection by his family, represents physical disability, and society's treatment of it. I can see this in the story, but his nightmare of the barrier between the public and personal inner world being removed. The private mental life, with its sensitive and raw secrets, its ugly and embarrassing little features, the desires and instincts that we strive to keep hidden, and are forced to repress. The bug is the embodiment of the ugly and raw inside turned out, exposed for the entire world to see. Particularly nightmarish for Gregor is the fact that those who see are those he loves and whose rejecton he fears most of all, his family. For me, the best example that I can relate to this is when I came out to my family, to my friends, to the society as a gay person. It was really hard for me to come out because I was afraid to be rejected, to be looked down by other people, to be pitied by everyone, and to be a disappointment to them. I was so afraid to be open because before I came out and admitted to everyone that I am gay, I am like Gregor Samsa. I was the “BIDA” in the family because when I was in high school, I was a good student; I excel both in my academics and technical subjects in school, a consistent conduct awardee, and part of the class top 10 students for my whole highschool life. I was afraid to tell them because I don’t want them to change the way they look at me and treat me, I don’t want them to be distant. Another thing that’s stopping me before was, my family is somehow known. I knew that I am gay since grade 2 and I kept it until I was in 4^th year high school, actually my older sister is the only one in the family that knows about me, and she accepted me without hesitations, she supported me with my interests and endeavors at that time she was enough for me, but as time passes by I was longing for my parents and other family members to accept me. I have attempted to tell my family about my true being but the factors I’ve mentioned above kept on impeding it to happen. For eight years of hiding my true self, I felt very lonely, sad and guilty. Lonely and sad because I can’t show my family the things I REALLY want, the things I’m fond of doing, I can’t share what I truly feel, I can’t show and tell them what bothers me because I was so afraid. I also felt guilty for lying to my family, for being untrue to them and to myself as well. I kept asking myself… why the hell did I end up like this? Am I screwed or what? For eight long years I felt I was living a big lie and that my life was all about pretensions and lies. 

                      photo from: smartshopbuy.com

My sister told me that I must tell my family soon in order for me to get out of the dark which I’ve been living for eight years. It hit me and led me to asked my self… must I? and this is where the first letter of Rilke enters the picture. For me the first letter gives the greatest advice anyone can give to someone aspiring to be anything and to do anything. You have to ask yourself the following question: "must I?" If you answer in the affirmative, then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour must become a sign and witness to this impulse. That you must only judge Art by the following value, has it arisen out of necessity? And for me, telling my family at that time was a necessity already. I was already a teen back then, and I was starting to mold my life, I was starting to think of my future, but how can I think of my future if I haven’t polished my present. I got tired with my situation, my sister can’t already bear to see me sad and feel bad about myself and it hurts me to see her feel that way especially when I’m the reason, my friends were also the one who keeps on pushing me to tell the truth. I also consulted our school priests about it and asked him what to do, asked him to tell God that I need him everyday of my life and asked him to tell God not to leave me and if ever I decide to tell my family about me being gay, I asked God to please give them an open mind and also a heart that will accept me as I am. The sixth letter of Rilke concerns the notion of solitude. He said that we all create a vast inner solitude. To walk inside yourself for hours without meeting anyone, that is what you must be able to attain. Through this Rilke added that we gain a child-like perspective, a great wise not understanding in exchange for defensiveness and scorn of adults. That is what I did, it led me to think a lot, led me to reflect so much, led me to many sleepless night and led me to be alone and lonely. He also said that, it’s within the vast ocean of your solitude that we can truly approach and understand the dimensions of divinity that exists. With all of my problems and worries at that time, I find God as the source of my strength, I considered him to be my diary wherein I can share and tell him everything, and I appreciated him more.  How do you confront God? By being patient and without bitterness, and realize that the least I can do is make coming into existence no more difficult for Him than the earth does for spring when it wants to come. With all of this, I got the strength and determination to tell my family. The first one I opened my sexuality to was my mom, because we are so close and I felt that somehow she knows already. She was okay about it but warned me with the consequences of being a homosexual. Then my other sisters, they were not that open with the idea of me being gay because I was the only son in our family, I totally understand them but it hurts me so much whenever they badmouth me and criticize me when we fight about things, somehow they also became cold towards me, they don’t bond with me anymore like we used to and my only source of strength was my eldest sister. News easily spread out, my dad eventually knew about it, he was so disappointed. I felt that he disowned me as his son because when he knew about it, he wasn’t talking to me, he doesn’t even look at me and did not even spare a little time to bond with me, then my cousins knew they were shocked about it, the girls were happy about it but the guys were ashamed of me. We used to be closed before, go to malls, eat together and talk about almost everything but after they knew of me being gay, everything changed! And it broke my heart; it brought me more pain… I asked myself if I did the right thing or not… it took them years to accept me and at present my dad is already okay with the idea of me being gay, even my other sisters, my cousins are also cool about it now but one person who hasn’t grasped the idea of me being gay is my grandfather. He knows about it but rejected to accept it, I was one of his favorites before. He used to bring me all over the world from the United States, Europe and all over Asia when I was still a child and buy all the things I want. But as the news flew in to him, he got so furious, he even fought with my dad and told him that he will disown and disinherit me. I was so depressed… thinking, is this the life I want? I reflected a lot and concluded that this is my life, I can do whatever I want with it, that I don’t live in this world in order to please others but to please myself, be happy with myself and be proud of what I am. I think Rilke’s seventh letter is suitable with this situation in which he takes the notion of solitude and marries it with love. He said love is difficult, but that we must put our trust in what is difficult as Nature does, to exercise our beings to their fullness. With all the rejection and pains I have encountered to this journey of coming out, it was hard for them to accept me, and I think it was hard for them to even give the love they have given me before. That is why I should be the one to love them more, instead of me waiting in solitude I shifted it to love. The act of Loving another human being is the most difficult task for which all other work is mere preparation. It was hard for me to give them love at first because they hurt me so damn much, but I have prepared myself with that kind of situation that even proved my love for them. Each of us must learn how to love. To know that it springs from our oceans of solitude not from a formless merging of ourselves to another. But rather that each of us must ripen into individuals that can experience and give love, to hearken and hammer day and night. To Love is to accept a burden and apprenticeship that allows each authentic person to grow and become rather than fall back and lose what makes them unique and rare. The ultimate aim of life is the love that consists two solitudes that protect and border and greets each other. 

                              photo from: goodreads.com
That is what I have turned into, a wounded-healer which I have already shared with you in my past blogs and if you remember I sighted a part of my personal diary about this. I can relate this part in one of the most famous lines in The Little Prince, as it states: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. For me being a wounded healer as I have transformed into is a great example for this line for it tackles the importance of the heart than the eye, it tackles what the heart encompasses than the eye.  A wounded healer is a person who has gone through suffering, sometimes great, and as a result of that process I become a source of great wisdom, healing power and inspiration for others. In fact, I've gone through a transformation as a result of my wounds, my suffering and pain. I can actually transcend it, and successfully lead myself to a path of service. It is as if the wound itself helps me drive myself to an inner journey that becomes the transformation itself. But for me it, gives freedom and hope. It may no longer be trendy but for me it was life. I began to realize that I was called to share out of vulnerability, not strength. It began to permeate every part of my life. I no longer had to pretend they I had it all. It allowed me to bring into play other important facates of my belief system. Like vulnerability, raw, real, imperfection, and transparency. In finding my own strengths, I help other people to grow stronger. In providing strength for others, I strengthen myself. Another line from the Little Prince that I can correlate with this part of my paper is: What makes the desert beautiful? Is that somewhere it hides a well. A lot of people tell me that I have a nice personality and that I’m approachable, friendly etc. Some also says that my character is mysterious and deep and that my overall personality is vast and unpredictable, I can connect my personality to the beautiful dessert that was mentioned in the line from the Little Prince, and the well that it mentioned I can say that it is the experiences that I have encountered in my life that really made a big impact leading for me to a transformation to a better person and that this well is as deep as the experiences that I have encountered. 

 At present, here I am… living a happy, colorful, creative and gay life.

Gods Existence?

Declarations of different beliefs are stated and many questions are ask, one of this is very interesting for it questions God’s existence and importance.

                                    photo from: mommylife.net

And this is how it goes, what do we mean by saying that existence precedes essence?

It clearly means that man first of all exists before God, then encounters himself, gushes in the world and defines himself. If man is an existentialist and sees himself as not definable, it is because at first he is nothing. He will not be anything until he will be what he makes of himself. Hence, there is no human nature existing because there is no God to be conceived but man simply is. Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. I kinda agree and disagree with this, because first and foremost I am a Christian, and I believe that I am what I am right now due to the things that I have done and decided before but with God’s grace. Thus, existentialism tells us that man is responsible for himself, but do not mean that he is responsible only for his own individuality, but that he is responsible for all men. So if this is the case, even though that God does not exist for others, values and morality can still be applied! Because man does things for himself, obviously these things would be good and better for him and nothing can be better for us unless it is better for all.  It is just like what my High-school teacher always tells our class, that the fault of one student is the fault of the whole class! That is why we tend to be in our proper behavior in class because we know for a fact that there are other people who will be punished due to our own wrongdoings. So I think that it is still possible for morality to be evident even without God’s existence.








You may or may not agree. don't get me wrong here. I LOVE GOD!