I'm sure many of you had that sick feeling of just having too much going on, you just want to shut down and stick your head somewhere like an ostrich in the sand. Well, that's how I felt about the past two weeks or so.
Sensor in my brain beeped loud and clear: INFORMATION OVERLOAD! Must shut down!
This whole Hayden-Katrina thing sends one clear message to the world about Filipinos - our concern about our public lives ain't worth no shit, please excuse the bad grammar. The sane things most people forget when they get into the discussion:
1) Private perversions, etc. --- If one wants to indulge in it, by all means get your partner to agree before going into it. Drugs, S&M, voyeurism, you name it, if you want to get into it, don't take unilateral action.
2) Public domain in private perversions --- Why the hell should we care? Unless...
3) Ethics in the public domain --- Hayden Kho, Jr. is a doctor and took the Hippocratic Oath. If he can't stay a decent person, he must, at least, for the sake of the profession, maintain the pretense of being one. Which leads us to the last premise...
4) Things that really matter "in aid of legislation" --- And investigations into the sordid sex lives of boy-toy cosmetic surgeons, the girls who become their thralls, their deluded mothers, or their Botoxed sugar mommies with aspirations to glory shouldn't be daily fare in our Senate. Thanks to the likes of Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada, the circus is in town. Makes the notion of ethics being synonymous with "Philippine Senate" becoming all the more absurd.
As for the so-called "victim" (who ends up the winner in this issue all around, outside of the tabloids and showbiz talk shows), Katrina Halili, I have one message for you - You go girl! If you want to hook up with any random dude with looks or money (preferably both, if I read you correctly), go do it! Screw your way to the top of the showbiz heap if you believe that's necessary. It sure sucks to be notorious (but someone has to do it, 'no?), but it's always a good substitute for achieving success with your rather limited talent.
In the meantime, Congress foists on the Filipino public the monstrosity that is the Constituent Assembly for Charter Change. An abomination so vile I will endorse its abortion if it were a fetus. Jamby hasn't exactly killed off Manny Villar's ambitions with the C-5 scam, but it sure looks like Ping Lacson's withdrawal has been secured with the threat of new investigations. Hmmm, he may not have actually lost here, being kingmaker sometimes beats being king...
Also lost is the fact that for all the good work being put in by our public sector doctors, the Department of Health isn't up to snuff in handling epidemics. Be glad that Influenza A(H1N1) isn't your superkiller, the uncontrolled spread in the past few days shows we don't have the ability to fight back the virus, only to contain it...
I'm glad sports makes up for the vacuousness of life. I wanted Man U win the UEFA Champions League, but Barca winning it, and in such overpowering fashion, is a great substitute.
I'm happy that Roger Federer finally got over the hump and won the French Open this year. It's not the same seeing him beat Robin Soderling in the final, but Soderling beat that cabron Nadal and that's what matters. Glad to see Djokovic getting wiped out early, that fellow needs to be put down a peg or two. Sorry that Roddick isn't cut out for clay, and like Tim Henman, is proof that nice guys somehow don't succeed as much as they should. On to Wimbledon, Roger!
I'm glad that the ho-hum way Tiger Woods is stamping his dominance on the sport is turning me off; sometimes you don't have to witness greatness, just living in its shadow (and besides, I really hate watching golf).
And finally, I find myself strangely cheering on the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Maybe it's true I like mean mofo-egomaniacs like Kobe (who, like Hayden, should be listed as a confirmed sex offender). Maybe I prefer Phil Jackson's sangfroid than Stan Van Gundy's self-deprecation (to be fair, I haven't seen self-deprecation done with so much self-centeredness other than Larry "Nomad" Brown).
Or maybe, deep inside, I hate seeing nice guys like Dwight Howard --- though, in fairness to me, his "niceness" seems more to be a put-on than real. No real nice guy throws his coach under the bus just to flex his "muscles" in the team's pecking order.
Because, maybe, in truth, there are not a whole too many nice guys left.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Some Earth Mover...
Toddler buys earthmover in online auction - Yahoo! News
Now this is starting them early on that consumer lifestyle.
Congrats to the mom.
Now this is starting them early on that consumer lifestyle.
Congrats to the mom.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Underdogging
So the Final Four of the NBA Playoffs are on and four intriguing storylines coming up:
- LeBron James and the Cavaliers, playing on a seemingly mystical higher plane, coming off two sweeps heading into the Eastern Conference finals with hardly a significant challenge;
- Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, myth of invincibility shattered after being taken to the limit by a scrappy and undermanned Houston Rockets team, troubled by not being able to focus consistently on winning;
- Dwight Howard and the Magic, finally validated by beating a battered Boston Celtics that was running on fumes, after struggling to turn in clutch performances in games they should have won outright;
- Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups on the Nuggets, surprising everyone with their moxie, athleticism, and team togetherness after being written off in the preseason and the Allen Iverson departure.
I'll go out on a limb and root for the Nuggets on this one, even though I traditionally don't support Western Conference teams. Since the Celts are out there's no way I will root for the Magic (who could have been embarrassed big-time had they lost to the Celtics) or feel good about LeBron. Yeah, the kid is phenomenal but give me some time to warm up to him. After all, it took me ten years to like Michael Jordan. (I was secretly rooting for Barkley and the Suns to knock the Bulls off in '93.)
Well, there's Kobe. As much respect I can give to the man, who at this stage of his career is the best basketball player in the NBA (counting team and individual achievements), I just never liked him. Anyhow, it's not really his fault, I would have supported any egotistical bastard like him if he played on my team. Since he plays for the Lakers, I can afford to hate him a little bit more.
So I pick the guys who were ruled out to make the postseason after dumping Marcus Camby and sticking with Iverson. Thank God they threw AI out of town, and probably couldn't wait to scrape his tire-tracks on that team. Chauncey Billups has been a blessing, but after watching this team several times it's obvious that the play of their underachievers Nene, Kenyon Martin, and J.R. Smith has been their meal ticket to success.
Their odds aren't so good, judging by stats and head-to-head match-ups, but with the Lakers showing some wobble in the Rockets series, they still have a puncher's chance to take the series. From there, who knows?
- LeBron James and the Cavaliers, playing on a seemingly mystical higher plane, coming off two sweeps heading into the Eastern Conference finals with hardly a significant challenge;
- Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, myth of invincibility shattered after being taken to the limit by a scrappy and undermanned Houston Rockets team, troubled by not being able to focus consistently on winning;
- Dwight Howard and the Magic, finally validated by beating a battered Boston Celtics that was running on fumes, after struggling to turn in clutch performances in games they should have won outright;
- Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups on the Nuggets, surprising everyone with their moxie, athleticism, and team togetherness after being written off in the preseason and the Allen Iverson departure.
I'll go out on a limb and root for the Nuggets on this one, even though I traditionally don't support Western Conference teams. Since the Celts are out there's no way I will root for the Magic (who could have been embarrassed big-time had they lost to the Celtics) or feel good about LeBron. Yeah, the kid is phenomenal but give me some time to warm up to him. After all, it took me ten years to like Michael Jordan. (I was secretly rooting for Barkley and the Suns to knock the Bulls off in '93.)
Well, there's Kobe. As much respect I can give to the man, who at this stage of his career is the best basketball player in the NBA (counting team and individual achievements), I just never liked him. Anyhow, it's not really his fault, I would have supported any egotistical bastard like him if he played on my team. Since he plays for the Lakers, I can afford to hate him a little bit more.
So I pick the guys who were ruled out to make the postseason after dumping Marcus Camby and sticking with Iverson. Thank God they threw AI out of town, and probably couldn't wait to scrape his tire-tracks on that team. Chauncey Billups has been a blessing, but after watching this team several times it's obvious that the play of their underachievers Nene, Kenyon Martin, and J.R. Smith has been their meal ticket to success.
Their odds aren't so good, judging by stats and head-to-head match-ups, but with the Lakers showing some wobble in the Rockets series, they still have a puncher's chance to take the series. From there, who knows?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Bawal Maging Emo...
...kapag natalo ang paborito mong team sa Game 7 ng napakaimportanteng series. Pasensya na, Boston, hindi natin taon ngayon. Maging masaya ka na lang na hindi naman nakakahiya ang ipinakita nilang fighting spirit, at umasa ka na lang babawi sila next year.
...kapag mistulang nireregla ang kasamahan mo sa opisina dahil ayaw
makatanggap ng kahit ano pa mang pagpuna. Banatan na lang nang banatan, trabaho lang naman, walang personalan. Kung mamersonal siya, manigas siya, siya ang talo.
...kapag hindi ka na naman napansin sa sipag na ipinapakita mo. Pakshet, magsikap sigruro magsikap ka na lang ng 70% ng 100% ng oras, mas masaya sila siguro kaysa naman sa 100% sa 70% ng oras, even though mas magaling ka doon sa pangalawa.
...kapag nangangatog ang kasu-kasuan mo at nahihirapang maglalakad. Mas buwakaw ka pa kasi sa buwaya kung kumain ng nakakatabang pagkain. Mas baboy ko pa sa baboy kung lumapang ka ng tsibog.
...kapag iniisip mo ang ating inang-bayan. Iniwan mo nga siya, magrereklamo ka pa. Magpasalamat ka na lang may tumanggap sa iyo sa labas at binibigyan ka ng mas malaking suweldo.
...kahit gusto mong maging emo, dahil OFW ka. Araw-araw, oras-oras, hindi mo alam kung kailan ka pauuwiin, hindi mo alam kung kailan ka uutangan dahil kinakailangan, hindi mo alam kung mapapalitan ang amo, o kung magbabago ang saloobin ng amo mo iyo.
Bawal maging emo dahil wala ka sa tunay mong tahanan, at kahit palarin kang kasama mo ang mag-anak mo sa ibang bayan, wala kang pinanghahawakan.
Bawal maging emo dahil baka makalimutan mo kung bakit ka naririto, at malululong ka sa bisyo, sa pakikipagrelasyon kahit ikaw o siya o kayo pareho ay may asawa, o pakikipagrelasyon sa kapwa mong lalaki. Ang kahinaan, kahit nauunawaan, ay hindi sapat na katuwirang gumawa ka ng pagkakamali o manatili sa iyong kinalalagyan.
Kung magiging emo ka, eh dapat sariwain mo ang simulain mo bilang isang tao, nang matupad ang pangarap mong isang araw, hindi ka na kailangang mang-ibang bayan, at nang sa ganoon ay ganahan ka sa hanapbuhay kahit marahil wala siyang kahihinatnan.
Ikaw lamang makakapagsabi kung magiging piitan ang apat na sulok ng buhay mo, o isa lamang itong pasubok para maiperpekto tayo ng ating Maykapal.
...kapag mistulang nireregla ang kasamahan mo sa opisina dahil ayaw
makatanggap ng kahit ano pa mang pagpuna. Banatan na lang nang banatan, trabaho lang naman, walang personalan. Kung mamersonal siya, manigas siya, siya ang talo.
...kapag hindi ka na naman napansin sa sipag na ipinapakita mo. Pakshet, magsikap sigruro magsikap ka na lang ng 70% ng 100% ng oras, mas masaya sila siguro kaysa naman sa 100% sa 70% ng oras, even though mas magaling ka doon sa pangalawa.
...kapag nangangatog ang kasu-kasuan mo at nahihirapang maglalakad. Mas buwakaw ka pa kasi sa buwaya kung kumain ng nakakatabang pagkain. Mas baboy ko pa sa baboy kung lumapang ka ng tsibog.
...kapag iniisip mo ang ating inang-bayan. Iniwan mo nga siya, magrereklamo ka pa. Magpasalamat ka na lang may tumanggap sa iyo sa labas at binibigyan ka ng mas malaking suweldo.
...kahit gusto mong maging emo, dahil OFW ka. Araw-araw, oras-oras, hindi mo alam kung kailan ka pauuwiin, hindi mo alam kung kailan ka uutangan dahil kinakailangan, hindi mo alam kung mapapalitan ang amo, o kung magbabago ang saloobin ng amo mo iyo.
Bawal maging emo dahil wala ka sa tunay mong tahanan, at kahit palarin kang kasama mo ang mag-anak mo sa ibang bayan, wala kang pinanghahawakan.
Bawal maging emo dahil baka makalimutan mo kung bakit ka naririto, at malululong ka sa bisyo, sa pakikipagrelasyon kahit ikaw o siya o kayo pareho ay may asawa, o pakikipagrelasyon sa kapwa mong lalaki. Ang kahinaan, kahit nauunawaan, ay hindi sapat na katuwirang gumawa ka ng pagkakamali o manatili sa iyong kinalalagyan.
Kung magiging emo ka, eh dapat sariwain mo ang simulain mo bilang isang tao, nang matupad ang pangarap mong isang araw, hindi ka na kailangang mang-ibang bayan, at nang sa ganoon ay ganahan ka sa hanapbuhay kahit marahil wala siyang kahihinatnan.
Ikaw lamang makakapagsabi kung magiging piitan ang apat na sulok ng buhay mo, o isa lamang itong pasubok para maiperpekto tayo ng ating Maykapal.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Getting into the Zone
I'm not really running up my blog posts, but it seems the past few days I've had the opportunity and the inclination to put down some of my random thoughts in this space. Obviously, I'm all over the place, not settling down on any particular one but trying to keep with my various interests.
I also noticed it has become rather "sport"-y here of late, because of the ongoing NBA Playoffs. I'm not into fantasy or other amusements others get into, but I do follow the game almost religiously. That's because basketball was one of the few things the men in our family all got to do and more or less agreed about. We watched the game not from a fan perspective of being entertained, but in terms of how each player displayed his character, and how well a certain coaching philosophy brings out the best from particular players. It was rather ironic (and unfortunate) that I didn't grow up to be athletic - I guess I hit the books more than I did the basketball court, but my jumper was solid and if I played "Base-ketball" (c/o Parker and Stone of "South Park") I would have done a lot of damage.
Anyhow, sports edifies life --- it captures the essence of the struggle of life, and through its duality of cooperation-competition we also get to understand what it means to be human. That sappy NBA TV commercial with the kids and basketball stars on the similarites of basketball and life rings true.
Watching sports, such as a tennis/football match or basketball game, breaks down life into simplicity. Naturally one wants to be a better person, but to get there one has to earn it, get the necessary repetitions, turn the habit first into a skill, then a mind-set. Of course it isn't that simple when one gets to implementation - while I believe in the value of coaching/mentoring, it's something that hasn't caught on with me. I haven't committed to it yet. Someday I will. (As to finding the right life coach...we-ell, good luck son!)
So far, sports has been the only bright spot --- the rest of life these days is a struggle to fight off monotony. As the groups with whom I am associated have no major production at this point (I don't know if I have the "fire" for this anymore) there is no variety in my life. As for romance, I'm not so sure. I am not as sanguine as I would have liked, which is hardly fair to the particular girl in question.
I don't want to make it another "it's not you, it's me" statement, because I like her a great deal - but I'm not doing enough to show it. Besides, no one gets away with that kind of cop-out without being savaged by recriminations (along the lines of "insensitive," "asshole," and worse, "gay!") or racked by guilt (also along the lines of "insensitive," "asshole," and "gay!") Let's say that however I want to change my personal life, I am not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to make it happen. In my defense, I have acknowledged this failing and am not making any excuses. However, it's rather late in the day and the proverbial window of opportunity won't stay open forever.
As with sports I have to hunker down on my life and build the habit. Do as many repetitions as possible. Watch the form and the release of my shot. Get into better conditioning. Prepare myself for mental and physical breakdowns. Roll with the groove. Get into the zone.
Living life beyond watching sports, or whatever form of entertainment, means seizing the challenge within one's life and not projecting one's life in the struggle of others. If we knock our athletes/celebrities for not doing their job well, why can't we take time to shape up on our own?
I also noticed it has become rather "sport"-y here of late, because of the ongoing NBA Playoffs. I'm not into fantasy or other amusements others get into, but I do follow the game almost religiously. That's because basketball was one of the few things the men in our family all got to do and more or less agreed about. We watched the game not from a fan perspective of being entertained, but in terms of how each player displayed his character, and how well a certain coaching philosophy brings out the best from particular players. It was rather ironic (and unfortunate) that I didn't grow up to be athletic - I guess I hit the books more than I did the basketball court, but my jumper was solid and if I played "Base-ketball" (c/o Parker and Stone of "South Park") I would have done a lot of damage.
Anyhow, sports edifies life --- it captures the essence of the struggle of life, and through its duality of cooperation-competition we also get to understand what it means to be human. That sappy NBA TV commercial with the kids and basketball stars on the similarites of basketball and life rings true.
Watching sports, such as a tennis/football match or basketball game, breaks down life into simplicity. Naturally one wants to be a better person, but to get there one has to earn it, get the necessary repetitions, turn the habit first into a skill, then a mind-set. Of course it isn't that simple when one gets to implementation - while I believe in the value of coaching/mentoring, it's something that hasn't caught on with me. I haven't committed to it yet. Someday I will. (As to finding the right life coach...we-ell, good luck son!)
So far, sports has been the only bright spot --- the rest of life these days is a struggle to fight off monotony. As the groups with whom I am associated have no major production at this point (I don't know if I have the "fire" for this anymore) there is no variety in my life. As for romance, I'm not so sure. I am not as sanguine as I would have liked, which is hardly fair to the particular girl in question.
I don't want to make it another "it's not you, it's me" statement, because I like her a great deal - but I'm not doing enough to show it. Besides, no one gets away with that kind of cop-out without being savaged by recriminations (along the lines of "insensitive," "asshole," and worse, "gay!") or racked by guilt (also along the lines of "insensitive," "asshole," and "gay!") Let's say that however I want to change my personal life, I am not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to make it happen. In my defense, I have acknowledged this failing and am not making any excuses. However, it's rather late in the day and the proverbial window of opportunity won't stay open forever.
As with sports I have to hunker down on my life and build the habit. Do as many repetitions as possible. Watch the form and the release of my shot. Get into better conditioning. Prepare myself for mental and physical breakdowns. Roll with the groove. Get into the zone.
Living life beyond watching sports, or whatever form of entertainment, means seizing the challenge within one's life and not projecting one's life in the struggle of others. If we knock our athletes/celebrities for not doing their job well, why can't we take time to shape up on our own?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Help Me Slash the Music of the Night
Willing Exile: Phantasy
I'm sharing this video that amazingly captures the childish wonder of Sesame Street (with the puppets), the subject matter of the parody lyrics featuring "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock (and I really like those slasher flicks), and finally, the accompaniment of "Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera" (see my previous post, link just above).
Special props to the writers of the song (one of whom also happens to have staged the puppet show) and vocal performers MooseButter, the real voices behind one of the most celebrated videos on YouTube (original lipsync version, by Corey Vidal / MooseButter response video).
Enjoy the show.
I'm sharing this video that amazingly captures the childish wonder of Sesame Street (with the puppets), the subject matter of the parody lyrics featuring "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock (and I really like those slasher flicks), and finally, the accompaniment of "Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera" (see my previous post, link just above).
Special props to the writers of the song (one of whom also happens to have staged the puppet show) and vocal performers MooseButter, the real voices behind one of the most celebrated videos on YouTube (original lipsync version, by Corey Vidal / MooseButter response video).
Enjoy the show.
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