Monday, March 31, 2008

Break!

Feeling ko maloloka na naman ako. Andami ko daw kasi pinoproblema. Pati problema ng ibang tao iniisip ko.

Pero hindi naman basta problema ng ibang tao yun. Problema ng mga kapamilya at kaibigan ko yun. Oo iniisip ko ding huwag na lang isipin kasi may sarili din naman akong mga inaalala, pero pwede ba yun? Ba’t ko pa tinawag ang sarili ko na kapatid o anak o kaibigan kung wala din naman akong pakialam?

Sabi nga nila, hindi naman nawawala ang problema. Nasa tao na lang kung paano niya dadalhin yun. At merong mga problema na kahit alam mong kakayanin mo din naman eh kailangan mo pa rin ang tulong ng iba. Di bale na sigurong maloka ako sa dami ng problema, kahit hindi naman lahat eh sa akin. Ang gusto ko lang ay makatulong kahit paano. Gaya ng kung paano din akong natulungan nung ako naman ang maloka-loka sa king dinadala.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Top 5 On Friday - Week 168

From Music Memoirs (after a very long time!):

Top 5 songs that you've loved the longest

I can’t think of any song that I’ve loved when I was in primary school that I still love until now. It was in high school when I started to enjoy music and began to listen to songs and artists that I really like and not just what everyone else liked. You might also notice a lot of cassette tape references which will give you an idea of how long I’ve been listening to these songs!

1. Upside Down (2 Minds Crack) – what else? I heard this from my eldest brother’s collection. I copied it on a cassette tape and got the lyrics by listening to it repeatedly. It was only in college when the song started to really mean something to me but I fondly recall listening to the song on most nights.

2. Tindahan Ni Aling Nena (Eraserheads) – when Eheads burst into the scene, we were first to have a copy of their first album in our neighborhood. We still have a sari sari store back then and I would play Eheads’ album when I’m manning the store. My guy friends would often tease me and change the lyrics of the song to “Tindahan ni Aling Jela”. As most of you would know, that’s also the title of my first ever blog!

3. Till I Hear It From You (Gin Blossoms) – I recorded this song on a cassette tape when I heard it on the radio and I can still recall the voice of the DJ when he started to speak even before the song has ended!

4. Light and Shade (Fra Lippo Lippi) – before “Beauty and Madness” made everyone swoon, I was already daydreaming to the tune of this song.

5. Build Me Up, Buttercup (The Foundations) – I used to go by the nickname of Buttercup, thanks to this song!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Let's Get It On!

Why is everybody getting pregnant?!! How 'bout me? I want to get pregnant, too! Like, when I turn 28!

Oh wait, that’s about a year and a half from now…



But I think I want to just get married – for tax purposes. Is there an idiot out there who’s willing to sign a marriage certificate for purely financial reasons? No other tie-ins involved like living under the same roof with a stranger with annoying habits, remembering dates like anniversaries and birthdays, fighting over the remote control, creating babies and feeding hungry mouths; it's only for that piece of paper that can be presented to HR.

For the small trouble of affixing your signature, you get a tax benefit of 3,840 bucks (Computed as Personal Exemption for Married Individual minus Personal Exemption for Single Individual multiplied by the maximum tax rate or (32,000 – 20,000) x 32%).

Any takers?

Who Wants To Live Forever?

It took a critically panned movie (“Lions For Lambs”) and the death of my officemate’s dad to make me think about the reality of my own mortality. I’ve always maintained that I’m not scared to die but I just realized that I’m really afraid of dying.

Who dares to love forever?
When love must die...

Not the dying itself (although one always hope that her death won’t be too painful or drawn-out), but the fear of dying alone and unremembered, in some God forsaken land, that’s what scares me. It sounds selfish, because I know how death is more painful for those who were left behind, but I think everyone could use a little comfort. Of course, I also fear for the death of my loved ones. And I fear, too, of them dying a lonely death. I would want them to know that I’ll be there for them till the very end.

Voldemort thought that death is man’s greatest weakness. And I know he’s not alone in that thought. I think the idea of dying even gets more terrifying when you love. The thought that you’d be leaving someone behind, or that you’d be the one who’s left behind, is just painful. This is why there’s so much wisdom when people tells you to not waste time in telling and showing your loved ones how much you love them. True, it doesn’t make the prospect of death less scary, but one can bravely accept the fact of dying, knowing that one has done all he could in his lifetime.

But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today

As the song goes, who wants to live forever? Not I, that’s for sure, I just want enough time to spend with my family and friends.



Who waits forever anyway?

American Idol Top 10

It was Chris Cornell's version, I know, but David Cook's "Billy Jean" was effin' brilliant and the best last night. I thought the version captured the meaning of the song well, better, in my opinion, than the original did. David Cook is now my second favorite contestant behind Jason Castro.

Speaking of Jason Castro, I still love the guy and his kind of music, but he's in the wrong competition. He's too laidback and understated for AI, who likes their singers melismatic and flashy and belting out. It didn't help that he sang at the early part of the show because he was immediately overshadowed by the other contestants. I would have wanted him to sing Crowded House' "Don't Dream It's Over" but the song last night was just alright.

I find it funny that Brooke was singing "Every Breath You Take" like it was a love song. Girl, it's a stalker song! I wish Michael Johns had not sang "We Will Rock You" and just stick with "We Are The Champions". His performance was good, except for the back up singers who fucked up the backing vocals. And Ramiele should have taken a leaf from Carrie's book when she sang Heart's "Alone". She should not have shouted our her way to the chorus.

My least favorite was David Archuleta because, kiddo, WTF was that song?! Who should be eliminated? Kristy for her shameless pandering by singing a song abut being an American. Bleech.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Hana Kimi Adik!

I learned that Hana Kimi will be shown locally in GMA 7 (it actually started airing yesterday). And yep, you guessed it, I’m not happy about it.

I sort of feel possessive over the show, which is irrational because I only chanced upon this gem of a series through a friend and it’s not like I discovered it on my own. But I still can’t help but feel this way which is why I’m not excited that HK will be shown to a bigger audience.

The only good thing I can think of about this development is at least some would finally understand my obsession over Nakatsu Shuichi (Ikuta Toma)… I hope. I honestly think that Nakatsu stole the show from the leading man and made an already fun show more enjoyable. I was not exactly rooting for him to end up with the leading lady (since I want him for myself hahaha) but I wished that the story didn’t just end with him giving up on his love.

This wasn’t the first time that I rooted for a secondary character (I still have my petition letter to change “Dawson’s Creek” to “Pacey’s Creek. Just kidding.) over the lead. After re-watching (again) HK last weekend and hearing a comment from my mom about the lead guy, I now realize why Nakatsu was the more compelling and interesting character.

So anyway, I was watching the show with my mom and cousin, who both have seen the show sporadically (as opposed to a certain member of our household who had seen all the episodes in one sitting, and not just once) but liked it. The scene was of Nakatsu being his usual adorable self, despite being hampered by the presence of Sano, the leading man. My cousin and I both agreed that “Kainis! Ampangit naman kasi ng bida!”. My mom then commented: “Kamukha kaya niya (the lead) si Dao (Ming Si)”, eliciting a very loud and uncompromising “NOOO!” from me and my cousin.

The point? I decided to compare the guys of Hana Kimi with the guys of my other favorite telenovela “Meteor Garden”, namely Dao Ming Si and Hua Zi Lei to make my, well, point.

(On second thought, I realize that there’s really no point to this whole post except to give me an excuse to gush over my crushes. So please excuse the silliness.)

In HK, Sano (the leading man) can be described as the silent, brooding, indifferent kind of guy, while Nakatsu is the self-assured, funny, friendly type. In MG, the descriptions were reversed: Dao, the lead, is the flashy one while Lei is the quiet guy. I don’t have anything against guys with understated personalities; in fact, in Lei’s case, this characteristic is what makes him attractive. Beneath his quiet exterior is a warm, smart and kind personality. But Sano is just quiet. And boring. All he did was sulk and brood and sleep. He’s too caught up in his own personal drama that one is tempted to give him a ladder which one can hope he will climb in order to get over himself. Nakatsu, despite his reputation as a mayabang trouble-maker, is kind and loyal. He actually started out as a selfish, glory-seeking athlete, but he changed and became a good friend to the leading lady. He has this crazy sense of humor and does not take himself too seriously which is why I would rather hang around with Nakatsu than with Sano. I cannot remember a single genuinely happy moment between Sano and Ashiya (Sano seemed to be always annoyed with everyone), unless Nakatsu was also there.

I also don’t like that Sano was rude to Ashiya. Dao, even if he was rude to everybody else, was caring towards Shan Cai. I hated him the time he hit her, but at least he was remorseful about it. I can’t make the same case for Sano even if he became protective of Ashiya in the end, he still has an awful way of showing it.

Plus there’s the fact that Nakatsu and Ashiya has tons of chemistry. They look that they’re always having fun together. And they have a way of showing how thankful they are for having one another without making it about them, Sano.

And then there’s the petty side of things – Nakatsu, even in his goofy moments, for me is still the better-looking guy. The (imagined) resemblance of Sano to Dao is because they have what I like to refer as “manly” face, striking jaw line and strong features. But damn, Dao is definitely hotter.

So that’s it. I don’t know why I’m discussing boys when most people are arguing which Hana Kimi version is better, the Japan or the Taiwan version. I haven’t seen the Taiwan series yet so I cannot objectively compare the two. For now, I love Nakatsu and therefore I love HKJ better!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Potter!

After months of speculation, it's now official: Deathly Hallows to be split into two movies.

I've always felt that the last HP book packs a lot of story that it would be quite difficult to edit it into a movie. Right now, the biggest question for me is - where should the split be made? My take on that is anywhere from the time the trio were captured and brought to Malfoy Manor and Dobby's death would be a good split point.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

American Idol: Predict The Boot Order!

Since the Top 12 of American Idol will be starting tomorrow, I'm posting here my prediction of the order of elimination and my "fearful" forecast of the eventual winner:

12. Amanda
11. David H. (can I just say we have waay too many Davids this year?!)
10. Kristy
09. Chikezie
08. Syesha
07. Jason
06. Ramiele
05. Michael
04. Carly
03. David C.
02. Brooke
American Idol 2008 - David Archuleta

I'll change my list again on the halfway mark.

Tomorrow's theme is Beatles Week - and I'm kinda dreading it! There's just so many good Beatles songs (although the ones written by George Harrison will not be included), hence, more opportunities for shameless butchering! I hope they steer clear from the obvious choices like Yesterday, Let It Be and Helter Skelter (for the rockers daw) but knowing AI, we might as well expect these to come up.

Vulnerable



Sunday, March 2, 2008

Because The Baby Is Now Having Her Own Baby

Remember that Johnson baby powder commercial with the tagline "Because the baby is now a lady"? I once read a pun on the said tagline which goes: "Because the lady now has a baby". It was kind of funny back then. But I'm not being funny at all with my title.

The latest talk of our town in our place are these two teenage pregnancies. The young moms-to-be are around 14 or 15. They are not the first teenage mothers in our place, nor they're going to be the last.

I feel a bit sad about their circumstances, or, more appropriately, how their circumstances came about. Both girls live in small houses. So small, in fact, that all the family members sleep in one room. Which is why the parents thought it's okay to let their daughters' boyfriends sleep in their home. What's the harm, right? They can see whatever hanky panky the lovers would be doing and can put a stop into it. How awfully wrong they were.

I guess there's no use wondering how the young lovers could actually consummate their love in such cramped spaces, because there is no question that they got away with it. As one of our gossipy neighbor would put it, "ilang minuto lang kaya ng iraos yan". And I've been thinking about that phrase and it's contributing to my view of how sad their affair is. Imagine being introduced to sex at such a young age, but only to the hurried, on-the-sly kind. Can one really appreciate its joys when you only have few minutes to spare? (The gossipy neighbor put it to 3 minutes, tops. 3 minutes? Wouldn't the act of undressing consume those precious minutes already? Or are sex in the movies just plain gratituous?). Whatever happened to foreplay?

Okay, on a serious note, more than worrying if any of these girls were getting any "o" from it(because if you choose to engage in pre-marital sex, you might as well enjoy it and not be in a big I-feel-so-guilty-and-pressured-and-ashamed state), I worry about the quality of life their child will get. Obviously, their families are not rich. How do you expect a 14 year old to provide for her own child?

I realize that I am worrying again about a problem that's not my own. But how can one hear these sort of news and not be affected at all? Maybe thinking about it would not contribute to a solution to the problem. What I can give are just a few unsolicited guidelines to our youth with raging hormones:

- Before you decide whether you want to engage in sex at such an early age (whether with a significant other or through a professional), think about this: is the money you're going to spend for condom, motel room, service fee, etc. a product of your own sweat? Because if what you're spending is the allowance that your parents gave you, better think twice, moron. Not only are you a horny, ungrateful, insensitive brat, but you're a, well, that just about covers it. It's not your parents' obligation to give money to you, but they give it to you hoping that you'll put a good use to it. No, you don't have to invest it, but at least spend it for your education or other worthwhile recreation, not on something that could have some serious repercussions later on.
- If you're being thick-headed about this and decide to "just do it", then for heaven's sake!, practice safe sex! If you can't afford a condom or pills, then learn how to count the days of the month. A few days of waiting and celibating will not kill you.
- Whatever the outcome, don't let your child suffer the effects of your stupidity. It's bad enough that your child is the product of one big hormonal meltdown, but don't ever dare consider an abortion, don't drink and smoke and keep healthy while you're pregnant and please, start being responsible and find a damn job and a means to give your young family a decent life.
- And yes, enjoy sex. And I mean every part of it - the kissing, the touching, the act, the after-sex talk and cuddling. Maybe it was created purely for creation, maybe not. Maybe you're doing it for lust, maybe you're saving it for the one you love. Whatever your reasons are, better make it worth it.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Matt Damon Love!

Oh my, this is the last thing I thought Matt Damon would be doing, but his vid with Sara Silverman is totally hilarious: (warning: it's a bit explicit)



And then, there's the response of Jimmy Kimmel, which I think was less brilliant but is also hilarious. Man, it was such a surprise to see Josh Groban cursing!