Sorry about the tongue twister, I didn’t know what else to name this post.

But should being called a nerd have to be taken as an offense?

What can/can’t computer junkies do these days, that I’m finding these stuff cool enough to share?

1. Click on the image above to open a new window/site. Wait for the flash video to download completely.

2. Write your first name on the first box, your family name on the second. No need to write your e-mail address.

3. Press the VISUALIZAR bar, and be impressed. Be very impressed.

And then there’s the Newton Virus Art for Mac users, which is actually a safe prank, but you might want to torment that control freak of a boss with? *fingers crossed*

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.

…can I tell you a story about a young couple who were celebrating a wedding anniversary?They were poor in terms of material wealth and possessions, but were rich in love. On that special day, they both wanted to give each other gifts.

Desperate for cash, the husband pawned his old cherished wristwatch so he could buy his wife a nice hairbrush. The wife, without telling her husband, had her long silky black hair cut, which she then sold to a wig maker, to buy her man a nice watch strap.

Imagine the surprise when each of them realized how much the other had SELFLESSLY sacrificed something he/she holds dear just to make the other happy.

The first comment came from emperorbananaketchup, though, over an article on scantily dressed women.

I wonder if it qualifies as one other Cinderella story, but Arnel Pineda’s discovery by Journey’s lead guitarist Neal Schon is one seemingly impossible dream turned into evident reality, Pineda might still be pinching himself to check if it’s all true.

When the rock band announced its inclusion of Pineda, a Filipino, as its new lead singer, much speculation arose, mostly nitpicking from die-hard fans of Steve Perry, Journey’s original lead. Quite inevitable as the former’s voice has much similarity to that of Perry. While yet to be introduced to the core of their fans in the US via a live concert and an upcoming album, the group’s new lineup has received remarkable reception, meriting two encores at the Festival Viña del Mar 2008 in Chile, one of (if not the) biggest music festivals in Latin America. Hopefully, it’s a good sign.

… and if to see is to believe, go check this video of the renewed group doing Steve Perry’s signature song, Don’t stop Believing.

The complete set of performance videos are on this blog and at the Canal13 site, while very good photos are posted on this forum.

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.

Manila (Hotdogs,1984)

Maraming beses na kitang nilayasan

Iniwanan at iba'ang pinuntahan

Parang bababeng ang hirap talagang

malimutan

Ikaw lamang ang aking laging binabalikan  (Quiapo Quiapo Quiapo, 

isa na lang ah, aalis na. Para!)

Manila

I keep coming back to Manila

Simply no place like Manila

Manila, I'm coming home

I walked the streets of San Francisco

I've tried the rides in Disneyland

Dated a million girls in Sydney

Somehow I feel like I don't belong

Hinahanap hanap kita Manila

Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga

Mga jeepney mong nagliliparan

Mga babae mong naggagandahan

Take me back in your arms Manila

And promise me you'll never let go

Promise me you'll never let go

Manila, Manila

Miss you like hell, Manila

No place in the world like Manila

I'm coming home to stay

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.

Isang Mundo, Isang Awit
Leah Navarro(artist)/Nonong Pedero (composer)

Ngayon mundo’y gulung-gulo
At lahat tayo’y litung-lito
Pag-ibig sa kapwa tao
Sa daigdig dapat ituro
Kung bawa’t puso ay marunong magmahal
Kapayapaa’t kasiyahan tiyak na makakamtan

Lahat tayo’y pantay-pantay
Sa biyaya ng Maykapal
Lahat sana’y akbay-akbay
Handang tumulong kanino man
Kung bawat tao ay marunong magmahal
Ano mang kulay o salita
Tiyak makiki-isa

Je t’aime, te amo, I love you
Watashi wa anata o aistomasu
Ich liebe dich, iniibig kita
Gua ay di
Paano man sabihin
Ang mundo’y turuan natin
Tanging lunas ang pag-ibig

Isang mundo, isang awit, isang sigaw

Pag-ibig…

” … 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?