Flippant Remarks

On Local Newspapers

2006-03-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

I really cannot stand the two biggest local newspapers here: the New York Post and the Daily News. They pick the most inane, stupid things to put on the cover. For both of them the big news of the day was Yankee pitcher Randy Johnson's battle over child support. That was the BIG headline. And they both had ads for their new scratch-off instant win games. In a tiny box in a corner they had a little headline about the trial of would-be 9/11 hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui. I just want to scream. This is what qualifies as news? Celebrity scandals and sensationalistic crimes? But that's ok as long as you add a serious story in a tiny box? I've long ago realized that the New York Post lost the prestige of its founder and American patriot Alexander Hamilton. But every once in a while I'll be stunned back into how truly tacky it has become. For some reason they believed it was vitally important that we know former "Sex & the City" actress Cynthia Nixon was a lesbian. There's a war going on in Iraq, but that's not as important as a lesbian actress?! Even when these papers do manage to talk about serious, worldly events they make it sound tawdry. Check out the Daily News' "9/11 Stunner!". There wasn't a better way to convey the gravitas of that? Maybe we should just be grateful they bothered to address it at all.

2006-03-23T00:05:00.000-05:00

I considered deleting this blog but upon further reflection I’d figure I’d give it another go. I’m pretty proud of how spiffy the template came out. More importantly, however, I need an outlet for my thoughts and there are some things I cannot convey to other people.

Here’s my problem: I am an introvert. I have a hard time socializing and interacting with other people. Not pathologically so … I’m not a misanthrope … I’m just on the shy/quiet side of things. Striking up a conversation and maintaining it does not come easily to me; it requires considerable thought and effort. It doesn’t feel natural. Suffice it to say friendships are hard to come by and sustain. Witty banter is not my forte. A lot of times my mind simply goes blank. I have nothing to say. It makes me feel so dense. Even with the people I am closest to there are some concerns I don’t know how to discuss.

Problem number two: I sort of go out of my way to avoid people. I’m rather ashamed about the lack of success my own life has achieved thus far. Many of my friends are already up that ziggurat of success whereas I am still trying to figure out which pillar I should go up and how to get there. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m jealous … deeply so. I created this distance so that it wouldn’t sting so, but now I just feel lonely. I try not to let this get to me, to bask it other’s achievements and shrug off the negative things that other people absent-mindedly throw, but it can be so hard. I’m afraid though that the few friends I did have and myself have just grown apart.

And thus we come to my purpose of writing. I need to vent and clear my conscience. Or else I’m going to go crazy.

My sister's wedding

2005-10-12T02:28:00.000-04:00

Saturday was my sister's wedding and I think I've only recovered from it today. All the stress and emotional turmoil finally caught up to me. I wasn't even the bride and I was all worked up about it. I had my own stress and I get stressed out when other people around me are really stressed. (And then you can't share how worried you are about other people because that will make them more stressed so you just keep it all inside -- ow.)

It's amazing though how everything really did work out alright in the end. Yes, it's a cliche, but considering all the craziness that went on beforehand, it's true. Ok, so there was a torrential rainstorm all day and some of the little details were left out. It was still really beautiful and no one noticed the mistakes. My sister and her new husband seemed happy with how it all turned out, which is what really matters anyway.

My favorite parts:
- The memorial candle part of the ceremony in honor of my dad which made people want to cry
- The priest leading the conga line to "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot"
- All the young Filipinos rallying to "Bebot" by the Black Eyed Peas (while the Italians and older Filipinos looked on confused)
- The impromptu choreography to "I've Had the Time of My Life"

2005-07-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

I got the new Harry Potter, on opening day too. Alright, I know I'm quite a geek.

2005-07-14T21:29:00.000-04:00

I often get songs stuck in my head and find myself mindlessly singing verses throughout the day. It's funny when the songs aren't exactly G-rated. I saw Team America: World Police the other day (pretty funny btw, it satirized everything) and I keep humming:

America, fuck yeah

Coming again to save the motherfucking day, yeah
America, fuck yeah
Freedom is the only way, yeah

Which is still better than "Everyone has AIDS".

2005-07-09T11:38:00.000-04:00

So the other day I'm at the grocery store with my mom. Suddenly this Indian lady taps my mom's shoulder, turns out it's the mother of some kid I went to elementary school with. My mom had met her on the bus a few months ago, so I know that her son is now in medical school. Which, you know, is good for him. I also know, however, how Asian people love to compare themselves, especially their children. And my career is, to put it mildly, rather pathetic right now. So I immediatley know this is going to be bad. But I smile politely and say hello in my nervous little way as my mother introduces me to so-and-so's mom. She immediately asks my mom (as if I'm not even there), "So what is she doing?" If she had asked me I might have gotten away with my carefully crafted terse responses that kill conversations, but she asked my mom, who is not known for being laconic. As my mom is talking and I can already sense the woman's reaction, "But she was so smart in grade school, what happened?" Well, as the question was not directed at me but instead about me, I decide to leave. I know I shouldn't let these things bother me, because you can't spend your life worrying about what other people will think. In an ideal world I would embrace that philosophy whole-heartedly. In reality I spent the rest of the time hiding out in the freezer section, pretending I was seriously looking for something quite important.

2005-07-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

Yes, I realize that I have been quite delinquent with my posts. A certain regularity is necessary to the whole blogging experience. And it's not as if I don't have things to write about. I just don't seem to get it down in a timely manner. (There goes my essay on Revenge of the Sith.)

I think this goes back to my disdain for modern communication. With cell phones and email and everything, it seems that people expect more from you. (Usually, they want you to do something for them). I hate that feeling of being tied down. People get so upset if you don't answer your cell phone or check your email. They look at you like you have a third head or something. "I left you a voicemail, where were you?" Why are people so nosy? Demanding too. I also find it extremely annoying hanging out with someone who is that tied down. Who wants to have a conversation with someone who spends half the time in a conversation with someone else? A loud conversation, mind you, since everyone on a cell phone has to talk louder than normal. Or when people are constantly checking their email -- ugh, it just reeks or self-importance. The world is not going to collapse because one email was not answered immediately. Frankly, I often feel like shoving off the whole lot of it. I only really keep my cell for emergencies anyway.

Which leads me back to my blog. Seems you can't do anything on your pc nowadays without feeling that you're supposed to check your email. So sometimes I avoid my computer because I'm avoiding my email. But I'm trying now, trying to find a balanced way to keep my sanity with all of this. I mean, modern communication is useful. So maybe I'll answer my phone more often. And I'll try to keep better tabs on my blog.

2005-05-25T23:35:00.000-04:00

Still thinking about that Lost finale. Man, that was messed up. But we all knew it would leave you with more questions than answers. They should have switched those last few scenes though ... opened up the hatch first and then showed the scene with the raft. That raft scene has got to be one of the foulest things I've ever seen on TV. I can't wait 'til next season.

2005-05-04T01:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie came out. I've been waiting for this movie for over ten years, so I went to the movies and saw ... Kung Fu Hussle. Hey, I'll still see HHGTG but I also loved Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer (and it did come out earlier). Good movie with lots of great, crazy fight scenes. Still thought Shaolin Soccer was a better movie though.

Krystala Finale

2005-04-26T00:22:00.000-04:00

On and off I've been watching this Filipino show called "Krystala" on the AZN network (formerly the International Channel). They showed the finale earlier today. I usually don't watch Filipino shows, as my comprehension of Tagalog is extremely small and they always seem a little corny. But this one caught my eye because it involved superheroes and "amazing" special effects. The story revolves around the exploits of Tala, aka Krystala, a woman with superpowers and an outfit reminiscent of Wonder Woman. She has to battle these evil forces and they all rather look like World Wrestling personalities. Though in all actuality, she spent more time as "Tala" and very little of the time being Krystala and fighting people.

Two things about the finale: 1) I'm glad she ended up with her friend Miguel and not that rich guy Gino and 2) How far into the future was that epilogue supposed to be? Wow, within ten years the Philippines is going to look like the city in Logan's Run.

2005-04-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

Man, my blog kind of sucks. I haven't updated in a while. I shall attempt to remedy this sorry situation.

Cleaning House

2004-10-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

I'm such a horrible pack rat. I finally decided to clean this dark, dusty area of my bookcase full of papers and folders and such. It's been a long enough grace period so I think I can part with them. This of course leads me to wonder why I bothered saving this stuff in the first place. It's been over five years ... do I really need to save my high school bus passes? Or why the hell did I save this Snapple label? There was probably some sentimental reason behind it, but that's all forgotten now. Then there are those religious type things I don't know what to do with, like prayer cards and such. I went to Catholic high school and joined Newman club in college so I have tons of those photocopied papers with prayers written on them. I feel kind of bad to throw them out, but I don't exactly know where to save them. I feel obligated to save the little prayer cards with pictures of saints on them, but I don't think I'm supposed to hold on to them forever.

I should probably tackle my old college papers/stuff now. Or maybe I should hold on to them for a few more years. I haven't overcome the feeling that I'll still need them.

I Hate Gallivanting

2004-09-05T01:00:00.000-04:00

I went to New Jersey for a barbecue today. On paper, a trip from Queens, NY to Jersey is not that far, (Mapquest says a typical 40 minutes) but it's almost always more complicated than that. We took the northern most route, heading up from Queens to the Bronx and then into NJ. That is usually the fastest way, but it also requires paying toll for 2 bridges, amounting to $14 to and fro. Today there was just so much traffic (unusual for a Saturday I believe) that we had to get off in the South Bronx (not a very good neighborhood) and wander around looking for a place to use the restroom (there are no rest stops along NYC highways). That was right around the platform for the elevated train, and it's nuts to see people driving like maniacs as they weave in and out of the metal beams in the street holding up the train. Yet that still wasn't as bad as that lovely day where we went the other route to NJ and it took 2 1/2 hours. That route goes from Queens, south through Brooklyn, bridge to Manhattan (no toll), crosstown to tunnel and into NJ. Wouldn't have been so mind-numbing if we didn't spend one whole hour trying to crawl through a two-mile span of road. That was in Chinatown. And even though there are traffic lights on every corner, sometimes the light would change to green twice and the car would only move ten feet. In these moments where I feel greatly inconvenienced, I can't help but sympathize with Robert Moses's idea of tearing up the Greenwich Village / Chinatown / Little Italy / Bowery district just to build a highway connecting Long Island to NJ (even if it means bulldozing my alma mater, dear ol' NYU).

On another note, is there a word in Tagalog for the pork barbecued shish-kabobs? Everyone just calls it "barbecue" and I always wonder why there's no Tagalog name for it, even though it is a Filipino-specific dish.

The Olympics

2004-08-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

The Olympics have come to a close and I always feel sad when they go. This was the first time I had cable for the Olympics so this was the first time I got to see many of the events (the stuff they don't bother to show on regular TV). My favorite events have got to be water polo (like soccer in water), handball (a mix of soccer and basketball), and shooting. Lamest event: equestrian. Aside from the event where they actually jump over hurdles and such, that prancing they do on the horse seems pretty dumb. Besides, it seems as if the horse does all the work and deserves the medal, not the rider. Not as lame as I thought: team synchronized swimming. Corny, yes, but it is interesting to watch. Sports I still never got to see: archery, fencing, and trampoline. I can't wait for Beijing in 2008 (I'm still not sure if I want NYC 2012 to happen).

Healing Mass

2004-08-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

My mom recently attended a Healing Mass at our local parish. I was not familiar with it before; I know they have masses for the sacrament of "Anointing of the Sick" but this is apparently different. I'm not sure if this is a "Filipino thing" or what, but the presiding priest was Filipino and helped to establish a church in Quezon City. Anyway, at the healing mass, it is quite common for people to feel the Holy Spirit and fall to their knees. My mom said she didn't fall, but she did feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. She also said that about forty percent of the people there did fall to their knees and that there are designated catchers.

I don't know if I would have like to have been there or not. On the one hand, it would have been quite a comfort to have felt the presence of God like that. But part of me worries that I wouldn't have felt anything at all. I'm uncomfortable with all this evangelical stuff; I'm used to a certain reserved Catholicism. Maybe I'm too cynical to believe.

Fish Tales: Where Did All The Fish Go?

2004-08-19T23:23:00.000-04:00

DG's family has a nice 55-gallon tank that I have been quite envious of. For the aquarist, bigger is almost always better, and I stare at my small, but respectable, 20-gallon tank and think of all the great fish and plants I could put in there if it were only bigger. So when DG suggested I help him pick out some more fish for his tank, which had been reduced to a single blue gourami, I jumped at the chance. Plus I always get excited going to the fish store, even if I don't buy any for myself.

We picked up several fish: some corys, some red platys, some funky-looking schooling tetras. The highlight of the purchase, though, was a single pink kissing gourami. I personally think it is one of the coolest looking fish ever. While it has a nice light pink color, its coolest feature is that is constantly pouts its lips in and outward. So it basically looks like its continuously pointing with its lips, Filipino style, as if to say "Ober there! That wan!" Highly amusing.

Unfortunately, those little buggers are quite territorial and can grow quite large. I don't have any proof, but I do believe it has killed all the other tank inhabitants. See, they all went missing and no bodies were ever recovered. It even killed a fish that I had to give DG because it was the bully of my tank (it was so aggressive I called him Ike, after Ike Turner). So now, several months later, all that is left is the pink gourami and one lone tetra. It looks really empty in that large 55 galloner. I'm a bit apprehensive about sharing my hypothesis though; I'm afraid of what my future in-laws will think since I was the one who suggested the lil' predator.

The Best of Final Fantasy

2004-08-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

TechTv finally came back on my cable and I happened to tune in to Filter, which was doing a show about Final Fantasy. I only caught the end but I saw that they rated the best of the series and the best series overall. I've played all the latter FFs: 10, 9, 8, 7, 10-2 (in that order) and also Kingdom Hearts, but I haven't played any of the earlier ones so I can't comment on those. The best male lead was Cloud (ok), best female lead was Aeris (what?), and best villain was Sephiroth (yes). Sephiroth was the ultimate bad guy because he could kick ass all by himself. Cloud was a great complex character and the twists in his character development were very intriguing. But Aeris as the best female lead? She wasn't even in most of FF7 and I don't think her character was developed fully enough. Granted, most of the FF heroines are sweet girl-next-door types who are mainly magic based and wield the aeons/guardians/gfs so there usually isn't much room for character development. But I still feel I didn't get the opportunity to really see what she was capable of (both her specs and storywise). Yuna should have been the best female lead, but then I hear there's that war among people who think FF7 was better and people who think FF10 was better, so I think the results were bias. Oh yes, and Knights of the Round was voted the best summon, but I never really use my summons a lot so I can't really compare.

The top five FF series were:
(5) FF1 (groundbreaking RPG with great story)
(4) FF6 (up the ante with graphics)
(3) FF8 (great graphics, the RPG for non RPG fans)
(2) FFX
(1) FF7
It was a great toss up between FF7 and FFX, but in the end they said that FF7 revolutionized the genre completely and FFX brought it to the next level. I like them both a lot, but FFX was my personal favorite. That might simply be because that was the one I played first, and that always has a way of effecting your opinions. That ending for FF7 felt so abrupt though. When I played the end of FF7 I basically said, "what the hell?" Then again, I have heard that many fans are disappointed with finales for anime, which leave many a fan confused and pissed off, so I guess it fits into that same vein.

Harry Potter Cast

2004-08-06T23:17:00.000-04:00

So it's officially confirmed that Ralph Feinnes will play Lord Voldemort in the upcoming Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Miranda Richardson is also confirmed as the "journalist" Rita Skeeter. Pretty brilliant casting and I can't wait to see it. This also confirms my suspicion that they plan to bring on all of the great modern British actors into the HP franchise. Who wants to bet that they're already courting Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, Rowan Atkinson, or anyone in the cast of Love Actually?

Red or Blue -- Which are You? Quiz

2004-08-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Looking through some links in someone else's blog I found this site for a quiz on Slate. Its basic premise is that red and blue are not about Republican/Democrat or conservative/liberal states but about a state of being. The concept is an interesting one, but it seems to play too much into John Edwards's "two Americas" speech.

A sampling of the questions demonstrates how red or blue you are. The questions each have four possible answers and depending on which answer you choose you get rated as more red or blue. For instance if you believe that it is appropriate for women to wear white pantyhose with pastel suits or between Memorial Day and Labor Day, then chalk up 5 points to the red side. If you believe it is never appropriate, chalk up 5 for blue. If you think it is appropriate only for weddings, give yourself a zero. Some are opinion or lifestyle questions, and some give points if you know the correct answer (+10 blue if you know what Avenue Q is, +10 red if you don't). This schism seemed more of an urban/rural distinction, a sort of stereotyped distinction at that.

I scored blue but more in the middle; I guess that's because I live in the city but I know the answer to the Christian questions.

Not Seeing Green Any Time Soon

2004-08-02T20:25:00.000-04:00

So the government announces a new terror warning, this time naming specific targets in New York, New Jersey, and DC. The threat seems unusually urgent; financial institutions are potentially under attack and there is also the upcoming Republican National Convention in Madison Square Garden and the November election. So do we see a rise in the terror threat level? Well, no, because NY has been at orange alert for the three years after September 11.

The city and nation are on heightened alert and security has been tightened everywhere. But in New York, the terror threat level cannot be heightened anymore; we're already at orange and you have to reserve red for when stuff actually happens. This leads to the question: why do we bother with this whole color-coded system? I understand that most of these directives are aimed at police and other officials, and that it's mainly a call for regular citizens to be more aware of their surroundings. But when the level always stays the same, what's the point? The terror threat level, as we know, is divided into five color-coded levels, from red/high to green/low (or, if you follow the geek and proud model, from Elmo to Oscar). Since its inception, the national terror threat level has only ever been yellow and orange. Does anybody think that the nation will ever go back down to blue or green? Why even bother creating blue and green?

The naivete behind this concept is fundamentally tied to our nation and its current war against terror. This war is not against any nation, but against shadowy individuals and networks of groups. Realistically this is beyond the definition of the word "war". This is simply how things are from now on. Frankly its quite upsetting how they throw the word around. "War" implies that there will be an end; that is essentially impossible in this situation. The US will always have enemies, if not these guys then someone else. Capturing Bin Laden isn't going to change that. There will never be a time when security measures will be rolled back and we can all live happily in level green. This is not a temporary inconvenience, but the next stage in the development of the US.

The current terror alert level is severely flawed. In New York City, it just cannot be invoked and therefore matters little to us. The current situation demands constant vigilance and there is really no reason for that to ever cease. That is the world we live in and there is just no going back to blue.

Harold & Kumar

2004-07-30T23:29:00.000-04:00

I can't believe the day has finally come. The day when two Asians can star as the protagonists in their own mainstream film, without the stigma of being the white guy's friend. Yes, I'm talking about opening day for Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. It's a good 2 1/2 star movie with some great jokes. It's in the same "stupid movie" vein as Dude, Where's My Car?, but hey, it's summer and you need to laugh once in a while.

For those who don't know, the movie is about two seemingly successful post-college Asian-American guys who, after getting high, spend the night on an quest to find an elusive White Castle to satisfy their munchies. It's odd that the way to elevate the "model minority" is by portraying them as potheads, but it does do a lot to humanize us. I've got to admit that it wouldn't have been as funny if they had cast white leads, so the actors could have biased me. But there were also some funny jokes could have only worked with Harold and Kumar and that just made it all the more funnier.

Fishy Pics

2004-07-26T19:35:00.000-04:00

I managed to take so pictures of my aquarium. It was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I think these turned out ok.

Here's a lovely pic of my Siamese Fighting Fish, Maurice. You can see the reflection of the camera in the background.

A lesson in why it's never good to do a half-assed job

2004-07-24T16:24:00.000-04:00

I have this great 20-gallon high aquarium that I've had up and running for almost a year. I love my fish and I think I've got a pretty good setup going; the fish are still alive so that's always a good sign. Its current inhabitants are: 2 "Mickey Mouse" platies (named "Baby Fish" and "Mickey Mouse Fish" respectively), 1 orange "tuxedo" platy (named "Taba" because, well, there should always be a "taba"), 3 cherry barbs, 1 oto, 3 panda corys (named Binky, Stinky2, and Winky), 1 betta (named "Maurice" after "The Joker" by Steve Miller ... you know the one ... "some people call me space cowboy..." ), 2 java ferns, and 1 anubias nana. The fish are very easy going and the plants are very forgiving so its easy to take care of. It's not like I go all out and get fancy equipment and such, heck, I haven't even given them all names. And it's very easy to take care of, I just feed them once a day and change 1/3 of the water every two weeks.

And yet with that simplicity it's still easy to mess things up. The other day I change the water in the aquarium since I haven't changed it in like 3-plus weeks. I got lazy and didn't bother cleaning out the filter (big mistake). Three hours later my AquaClear 200 power filter becomes so clogged and the interior sponges pop out, causing the water to overflow out the back of the filter. About a fourth of the water leaked all over the floor and I start panicking thinking that the glass cracked somewhere and worrying about it shorting out the outlet. I removed the filter and let the tank sit overnight just to make sure the tank itself wasn't leaking and that it was just a problem with the filter. So instead of taking the extra time to rinse out the filter the first time around, I had to clean up all the leaky water, rinse out the filter, and change the water *again* because I had left the tank without the filter for so long. Oy.

On the plus side my fish seemed ok and my betta seemed happy enough to make a bubble nest on the water. I wish I could post pictures of my tank, but I can't figure the best way to take their pictures.

Filipino Hostage Freed

2004-07-20T20:49:00.000-04:00

Filipino troops pull out of Iraq and today hostage Angelo de la Cruz is freed. The U.S. and Australia and what-not can whine all they want to, but I think the Philippines made the right choice. After all, they were just part of the "Coalition of the Willing"; the Philippines simply was no longer "willing" to be apart of it any longer. The whole reasoning behind the coalition in Iraq, the weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda, proved false anyway so that alone should be enough reason to leave. Besides, the amount of civil unrest that would have caused in the Philippines for the government there would have been horrendous ... and it isn't as if the U.S. would have done anything to help ameliorate that problem. I'm glad it stopped sucking up to America's ass.

A Musical?

2004-07-09T09:02:00.000-04:00

I heard on the news this morning that there was talk of a possible Spiderman Musical, with Bono from U2 doing the songs. I don't know how that would actually turn out. It sorta sounds like an internet hoax to me. Then again, so did "Spamalot", a Broadway musical from the Monty Python folks, and apparently that one's real.

More Reasons Not to Look Forward to the GOP Convention

2004-07-07T10:34:00.000-04:00

I just found out that there will be no Big Apple Anime Fest this year because of the Republican National Convention. Boo. I was looking forward to that too.

Actually, the whole convention thing is making me a bit nervous. Everyday the news will report the slew of security measures and changes that will effect the city, but it simply seems like a major headache and it doesn't seem good enough. Directly beneath Madison Square Garden runs Penn Station and the subway, and although they claim that security will check every single train that comes through the station, it simply seems like a logistical nightmare. I'm all for more security, but the subway et. al. are hard enough to secure on a normal basis, much less at a grand political event so close to the 9/11 anniversary. (Also, I can't help but remember the ending for The Manchurian Candidate, which also took place at a political convention held at Madison Square Garden. There's supposed to be a remake coming out this summer ... I wonder if they'll change any of the story.)

Of Cemetery Dwellers and other Taboos

2004-06-30T22:48:00.000-04:00

I'm addicted to watching the show Taboo on the National Geographic Channel. The tagline for the show is: "Travel to exotic worlds. Celebrate forbidden rites and sacred rituals. Then see if you can answer this question: Just what on Earth is taboo?" The episodes are usually grouped into specific topics with various stories about that one topic. Sometimes it can be a little sensationalistic. Sometimes it can seem downright exploitative of people in the Third World, especially since it's difficult to shake off the "air of Western superiority." The whole point, however, is to get you to think about life. When it comes down to it, it speaks more about why you yourself find an aversion to a particular practice, rather than the practice itself.

They've featured the Philippines in three episodes. Two of them were stories about extreme religiosity, one focusing on the people who crucify themselves on Good Friday and another on exorcisms. (Actually, whenever I hear about stories of extreme religiosity my first thought is about the Philippines ... anyone else remember the story a few years ago about the man who cut off his penis in a fit of religious fervor because he thought it was causing him to sin?) The one on today's show was about the people who live in that cemetery in Manila. That was a sad and yet fascinating story. It's sad because these people are so poor that they live on/with graves to avoid the slums, but also interesting to see the community they developed. They had electricity and water and there were even little shops, a restaurant, even a pet store. Actually, one reason why I watch the show is to watch for the segments on the Philippines.

Image Links Screwy

2004-06-30T00:15:00.000-04:00

Apparently photobucket is down, which explains why my pictures aren't showing up. That sucks. Ah well, what can you expect from free services like that, you know? I'm glad I don't have too many images up, but it still affects the ambience of the site. Hopefully this is only a temporary glitch.

Ano sa Tagalog...?

2004-06-29T01:31:00.000-04:00

I honestly do not know any Tagalog at all. I would have thought I'd have picked up a little some along the way, but that, unfortunately, is not the case (why doesn't learning by osmosis work?). In my family, Tagalog was viewed as the language of the adults; they would speak in Tagalog when they wouldn't want the "kids" to understand. Oddly, the degree of comprehension among us kids is vastly different. My eldest sibling can understand it and respond well in English. My older sibling can understand most of it and uses it to surreptitiously find out what other people are talking about. I am the youngest and about the only things I *can* ascertain are a few stock phrases my mother says, which have the following English responses: "Yes, I'm hurrying up"; "No, it's not going to get lost"; and "Yeah, I'll gather the laundry".

It's odd to think that I know more Latin than I do Tagalog. I studied Latin through high school and onto the college level; I know more of that dead language than the language of my people. That sort of sums up my life really -- I'm just chock-full of useless and impractical information.

I am trying to learn Tagalog now though, but I'm not sure how my boyfriend's old textbook is going to prove useful. I'll update you on my progress.

Doggy Poo came in the mail and I'm happy

2004-06-28T00:13:00.000-04:00

My DVD copy of Doggy Poo just arrived by Amazon. If you'll bear with me, Doggy Poo is a Korean stop-action film that tells the inspirational story of an existential little dog poo who finds his purpose in life. Yes, I know how that sounds, but it really is a charming little story and the main character has such an infantile appearance and demeanor that it's easy to get drawn in. I highly recommend it, especially for those times in life where you just feel so lost. You can check out its website at DoggyPooWorld.com.

Imelda: The Movie

2004-06-21T22:38:00.000-04:00

The other day I went to a screening for the documentary Imelda, about the life of Imelda Marcos, by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz. Imelda is definitely portrayed as quite a self-obsessed loon, though how much of that was an artfully played role is up for debate. The film itself is quite informative in its description of history, though I felt that the filmmaker didn’t push the main hard-line issues far enough.

Imelda herself is shown as living in her own little world, where the concept of beauty is tantamount. She repeats the word beauty close to fifty times or so. In relating her survival from an assassination attempt she bemoans the use of such an ugly bolo, commenting: “He couldn’t have tied like a yellow ribbon on the end or something?” Incidentally, she had been stabbed at an event promoting “beauty and cleanliness.” In another statement she says, “When I see ugliness and garbage I have to turn my back on it,” telling words that aptly describe her response to the rampaging poverty of the country.

Frankly, much of her life seemed, well, bizarre. She had many crackpot philosophies; in describing one theory she drew this elaborate pie chart and, in explaining how missing one section makes the circle incomplete, she proceeded to draw eyes on this incomplete circle and said, “it looks sort of like a Pac-Man.” And all that singing at their political rallies – why?!

In the end it was precisely this flakiness that helped to exonerate her from culpability. She comes across as a self-important individual whose priorities are misplaced, but too daft to have masterminded any real threat. What’s scary is that it’s obvious that a lot of people are drawn to her charismatic nature and have underestimated her true duplicitous nature. Just look at how much of the world remembers her simply for her many shoes instead of the years of dictatorial oppression.

Outsourcing Prayers

2004-06-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

Wow, they're outsourcing everything. Check out this article from the New York Times:

Short on Priests, U.S. Catholics Outsource Prayers to Indian Clergy

By SARITHA RAI

Published: June 13, 2004

BANGALORE, India - With Roman Catholic clergy in short supply in the United States, Indian priests are picking up some of their work, saying Mass for special intentions, in a sacred if unusual version of outsourcing.

American, as well as Canadian and European churches, are sending Mass intentions, or requests for services like those to remember deceased relatives and thanksgiving prayers, to clergy in India.

About 2 percent of India's more than one billion people are Christians, most of them Catholics.

In Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast with one of the largest concentrations of Christians in India, churches often receive intentions from overseas. The Masses are conducted in Malayalam, the native language. The intention - often a prayer for the repose of the soul of a deceased relative, or for a sick family member, thanksgiving for a favor received, or a prayer offering for a newborn - is announced at Mass.

The requests are mostly routed to Kerala's churches through the Vatican, the bishops or through religious bodies. Rarely, prayer requests come directly to individual priests.

While most requests are made via mail or personally through traveling clergymen, a significant number arrive via e-mail, a sign that technology is expediting this practice.

In Kerala's churches, memorial and thanksgiving prayers conducted for local residents are said for a donation of 40 rupees (90 cents), whereas a prayer request from the United States typically comes with $5, the Indian priests say.

Bishop Sebastian Adayanthrath, the auxiliary bishop of the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese in Cochin, a port town in Kerala, said his diocese received an average of 350 Mass intentions a month from overseas. Most were passed to needy priests.

In Kerala, where priests earn $45 a month, the money is a welcome supplement, Bishop Adayanthrath said.

But critics of the phenomenon said they were shocked that religious services were being sent offshore, or outsourced, a word normally used for clerical and other office jobs that migrate to countries with lower wages.

In London, Amicus, the labor union that represents 1.2 million British workers, called on the government and workers to treat outsourcing as a serious issue.

In a news release, David Fleming, national secretary for finance of Amicus said the assignment of prayers "shows that no aspect of life in the West is sacred.''

"The very fabric of the nation is changing,'' he said. "We need to have a long, hard think about what the future is going to look like."

However, congregations in Kerala say the practice of ordering prayers is several decades old. "The church is not a business enterprise, and it is sad and pathetic to connect this practice to outsourcing software work to cheaper labor destinations,'' said the Rev. Vincent Kundukulam of St. Joseph Pontifical Seminary in Aluva, near Cochin. In Bangalore's Dharmaram College, Rector James Narithookil said he often received requests for Mass intentions from abroad, which he distributed among the 50 priests in his seminary. Most of the requests from the United States were for requiems, with donations of $5 to $ 10, he said. Bishop Adayanthrath said sending Mass intentions overseas was a way for rich churches short on priests to share and support smaller churches in poorer parts of the world.

The Rev. Paul Thelakkat, a Cochin-based spokesman for the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, said, "The prayer is heartfelt, and every prayer is treated as the same whether it is paid for in dollars, euros or in rupees."

Flippant Introductions

2004-06-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

I started this blog out of sheer annoyance. I am:

tired of constantly having to apologize for not knowing Tagalog

at a loss when it comes to my Filipino heritage

annoyed with other Filipinos

envious of other people who are really "in-touch" with their cultures

If you are like many second-generation Filipino-Americans, you get what I mean. It’s hard to feel for the motherland when it’s half-a-world away. I sneer at the idea of American Imperialism, but it’s hard to be angry at a colonial power when it’s the country where you currently live. I decry the cutthroat tactics of the Spanish missionaries and yet attend mass every Sunday. I'm all gung-ho about “Pinoy Pride” and yet feel really embarrassed when I introduce non-Filipino friends to Tita “Cherry Pie” and Tito “Boy.” I want to smack anyone for making comments about how backwards the Philippines is, and yet whine about why many of the toilets over there don’t have seats.

This all makes perfect sense when you consider that “hiya” or “shame” is defined as a national trait. Shame is part of being Filipino. What kind of f*d up thing is that?!

This blog is a collection of my thoughts on the subject of being Filipino and being American and what it all really means, the good and the bad. Particularly that shame bit, since that seems really interesting. No more stories of lovelorn teenagers who spend their entire lives trying to "act white" and rid themselves of their flat noses, eventually learning "Pinoy Pride" and ending up with the nice sweet Filipina next door. I'm sick of those stories. I hate it when people just gloss over all the other little details.

First Post

2004-05-24T11:48:00.000-04:00

I figured I'd give this whole blog thing a go ... just to throw in my two cents.