jun.anteola

This June 2008 cover of Rogue Magazine has been met with flak, mostly by historians and the nationalistic lot. Ironic, as this particular issue is an Independence Day edit, celebrating Philippine Independence on June 12th. I can’t blame them really. Supposedly, there is a prohibition to use the flag as clothing, as stipulated in Section 34.e and 34.g of R.A. 8491, the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.

But the magazine, to my knowledge, maintains that it’s not THE FLAG as clothing per se, it’s body paint. An ill-advised statement, in my opinion. Because the code includes “print, paint or attach representation of the flag on… articles of merchandise.” In this instance, Joey Mead the model, being the merchandise. And the magazine, of course.

But if this is the case, how much have we missed reprimanding athletes, politicians, artists, businesses…what have you?… all of whom have used the flag in either clothing, infomercials/campaign ads, stage props, logos, etc., such as on this advertisement noticed by fellow blogger Gerry. I believe this only got the attention and the ire of many because of the shock value of the presentation: A naked Joey Mead, not so effectively covered by the tri-color and sun and stars. She appears similarly clad in a few pages of the magazine, too. Quite unfortunate really, because the rest of us don’t give a damn.

Other questions come to mind: with art, where do we draw the line between the acceptable and the disrespectful? Do artists even have to care?

My five-year-old nephew threw a fit tonight and all because he made one mistake over his spelling. We were waiting for someone to have dinner with and while at it, his papa played a spelling game with him and his cousins. One of them got two, the other got none right, while our Hughie got four out of five. It took him the whole time fussing about it, up until we got to the dimsum house. From the surprise at seeing him get teary-eyed because he didn’t get 100% correct, to the amusement at hearing him blame his papa for giving them a difficult word and his declaration that it was his father who couldn’t spell right, to the annoyance at all the hysteric he was making… our attempts at telling him that it is alright to make a mistake just wouldn’t calm him down - he sure got us all thinking.

After dinner, we asked him to spell the offending word again. If only to drive to him that he can learn from making mistakes. This time he got it right, and a huge smile it was that we got, and banter away he did like he didn’t get us so stressed earlier.

It leaves me wondering now how frustrating it must be for his mother (who takes care of him full time) and his teachers at prep school whenever this happens, and what they do to deal with it. Perhaps constant reassurance that it’s ok, because it may take long before he gets to understand and appreciate it.

I’ve noticed he takes offense when he doesn’t get something right the first time, too. And my suspicion is, he expects the same from others, be they his friends, or us adults with him. He doesn’t like to get back to old lessons as well. The slightest disappointment gets him wailing… sulking…

Do these sound familiar to you?

I just hope it’s a passing stage, as I can imagine how debilitating it can be to his learning. So far, so good. He’s starting kinder 2 tomorrow.

After Charice Pempengco, she has expressed interest in having the new Journey vocalist, Arnel Pineda on it. I am thrilled, Ellen is recognizing that there is a huge amount of talent waiting to be tapped here in the Philippines. She isn’t the first to say so, of course. But I don’t mean to be overbearing, as I am also aware that it isn’t just Filipino artists being discovered through means never before imagined. Charice was spotted on Korean tv, Pineda on YouTube. And a multitude of non-Filipinos becoming instant sensations, too. The world is indeed getting smaller.

It happens that Pinoys are very enthusiastic denizens of the internet. We love to keep in touch, and it’s a cheap medium most can readily afford. It is creative. And it spreads fast. Hence, Happy Slip, the legendary CPDRC inmates dancing Thriller, the viral Renaldo Lapuz on American Idol 7th Season, the infamous Binibining Pilipinas Q and A, and the Papaya Song dance craze which got to Good Morning America.

Who else did I miss?

Here’s the Ellen deGeneres Show’s feature on Arnel.

The worst consequence yet I know from not attending to this blog for awhile, is to get a ridiculous amount of unwanted comments and spam, and email notifications about some awaiting moderation. A few safe comments from blogger friends have been mistaken as potential threat by Akismet too, and I hope none of these have been summarily dismissed as spam. It takes time to sieve them through, eating up my time for writing decent entries instead. I hope it can’t get any worse.

So much trash online. As much trash as on the news, and on the Philippine political scene. And just as foul and gross as trash can get. I just hope it doesn’t spoil Kenkay’s vacation.

As much as many Filipino expats may want to come back, yearning to bask in the familiar comforts of home, and with eager anticipation of change and hope, there always seem to be reasons to offset, say upset, these and make coming back unpalatable, if not unwise.

But then they may always opt to see the other side of the coin.

Kenkay, here’s your song. Continue reading this entry »

No, this isn’t about somebody hearing wedding bells. Though I had very recently been part of two wedding entourages, in the former as ninong(!) (sponsor) and the latter as abay(groomsman). But far from it.

Until my next proper post, I’d like to leave a HAPPY NEW YEAR greeting for all. Much like everybody else, I am grateful for all the goodness that came with the previous year, and I wish for better things to come in the new. And most of all, I pray that LOVE, unconditional and pure, will reign in our hearts. The way our children love.

Here is something old, from 1980 in fact. From the 3rd Metro Pop Festival (whatever happened to it?) . As kids, we used to sing this song by heart. Listen and enjoy. Continue reading this entry »

” … faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is love. ”

- 1 Corinthians 13: 13

May we remember and live the true meaning and spirit of Christmas… love: for our fellow men, for our country, and for God.

Let us greet the New Year filled with hope and faith in what we can do, as we face the challenges of our time.

Have a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!!!

I had the chance to view ABC5’s feature of Batad: Sa Paang Palay (Benjie Garcia and Vic Acedillo Jr. , 2006)tonight and it’s a very welcome respite from the usual tv melodrama fare the family is forced to watch on weeknights. I wasn’t able to catch the very beginning of the film, and had to look for its title in the internet. Such is my admiration for it, I had to know the production details. A simple online search not only gave me that, but led me to commendable, reliable reviews as well, by Rianne Hill Soriano and Eboy Donato , to name a few.

The credible acting, beautiful scenery, apt music, its revelation of a culture largely unfamiliar, the light and simplified presentation of an otherwise complex subject matter, the uncontrived humor — all made for viewing that draws the viewer into the story of an adolescent Ag-ap, wanting to leave his village to pursue a perceived better life outside of it. If only he has a good pair of shoes. Personally, its allegory struck a cord in me, the promdi professional stuck in small city Oz.

I find it ironic that on commercial breaks, the station showed PBA adverts extolling its new and upcoming stars, who are mostly Fil-Am, judging by the accented Tagalog. I’m not a big fan of basketball, more so with PBA. I’d rather watch NBA where, for me, the real hoop action is. I have nothing against the PBA drafting “foreign” players. If they can deliver, well and good. And at least, they’re acknowledging their Philippine roots. But I’d be happier if it looks into the potentials of young Filipino men in the provinces, who dream just as high and can achieve bigger things if given the chance, the proper programs to develop them and ensure continuity. There should be, there could be, but they must be ineffective. Otherwise we won’t have to look for athletes from beyond our shores.

In saying this, I am showing partiality towards homegrown players. This, because I am thinking that imports are already better off, and have the edge of doing better in life and not just in basketball, compared to their provincial/local counterparts. I am not familiar with the backgrounds of these Fil-Ams, but having at least one foot on good old US of A is an advantage in case things don’t work out fine here in RP. The local boys only have pitiable classrooms, extended families and bogus leaders to fall back on. Correct me if I’m so wrong.

…wala lang… naisip ko lang.

…yes Malensky, it does not stop at giving us nosebleeds. According to this vid.

sacré bleu!

One thing that annoys me is when I argue with my mother over something I feel I am so right about, only to realize later that she has been so correct all along. This was our case over veggies. It used to be such a big issue between us, that even now when I’ve become friendly with the vegetable section of the local stores, she’d automatically remind (nay, lecture) about the benefits of eating green whenever she gets word that I’m not feeling well.

Now, even with much encouragement, I don’t believe I’m ready to go vegan. Not when I’m trying to lose extra fat, in exchange for more muscle. And PETA has more convincing to do for me to finally yield to their call to ban the meat in my diet altogether. I am omnivorous, thank you. My teeth are my proof.

Seeing this video however, makes me want to think twice. I find it too extreme, but informative, nontheless. It was enough to give a jolt and make me question.

content warning: the animal cruelty presented in this video may be unpleasant and objectionable.

Some people may find the video offensive in that it’s not only very brutal and graphic, but it also comes across as too pushy, and personally I got turned off by the guilt trip. Beyond that however, I see a need for me, for us, to be aware of where and how our food came to be. With frozen meat in supermarkets, I don’t see much assurance other than the label, the brands they belong to. The kilatisin, amuyin, kurutin (inspect, smell, pinch) routine wouldn’t suffice, would it? What guarantees that these were prepared according to how we want them?

My family usually buys meat from sources we know who raise their livestock under free range and organic conditions (which are two different things, by the way). Whenever there’s a chance, we buy them alive, and this is common with poultry. But there are instances when hitting the supermarket freezers is most convenient. I wonder how these meats get to the grocers here in the Philippines? Do they have a similar fate?

Here’s part of the dialogue:

MD: Susan, I know for a lot of women the word menopause has negative connotations. They hear aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire…
Susan: Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas? I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines…

thanks to migs for the excerpt.

I am sure this episode of Desperate Housewives was alluding to the Nursing Boards brouhaha in the country, but to say it like the entire show (Meaning producers, writers, directors, and yes, actors(Teri Hatcher). And whoever has anything to do with it) means to undermine the capabilities of Filipino and Philippine-trained medical professionals is more revolting than Susan/Teri’s harassment by the idea of menopause.

Even for satire.

For a show with an international following, including desperate housewives in the Philippines and such who feel like they can actually empathize with the show’s femme fatales, I believe they have an obligation to take into account the cultural sensitivities of their audience. I’m not being balat sibuyas (onion-skinned; overly sensitive). As much as I can, I try to comprehend nuances of American culture, too. Or any foreign culture, for that matter. If only to survive watching what they convey as true and universal, and modern.

I am offended, because I learned my profession in the Philippines, and I refuse to be told that all my hard work and sacrifice amounts to nothing more than mediocre, if not questionable. Specially if these impressions come from those who fail to see from my end, or at least check, and don’t know what they are talking about. My textbooks came from the US of A, if saying so will be of help to the Desperate Housewives’ understanding.

I can’t even speak for the millions of Filipino medical workers in America and all over the world, whose professionalism and skill have made them prime catch. And what of the thousands of foreign students who come in droves to train in the Philippines?

So mind rephrasing what you have just said, Teri Hatcher?

Or you can say sorry.

Pahabol: I had this as a comment somewhere in Multiply, I’d like to repost here

i am just disappointed at some who easily dismiss the issue as something common and expected out of a comedy show, that it’s alright. some even argue that we deserve it, being biased ourselves. some find it OA and immature for reacting to a line taken out of context, that it was wrong to see it as a generalization by the show.

well, if one is only to read it as it is, ” some med school in the Philippines“, it does seem harmless, legit even. in the sense that it only alluded to “some” (such as perhaps the diploma mills). it also doesn’t hit us Filipinos as a race, referring only to medical schools. and because that line came from a distressed character.

HOWEVER, viewing and listening to the clip gives one another picture. the same line could take another meaning. and it did. i reviewed the clip several times, and that’s how it came across… it was a sweeping generalization about those trained in Philippine schools… Filipino or not, doctors, nurses, or any other allied health professions. even if it came from a distressed Susan.