the other man

no other woman - top grosser in the philippines so far. who wouldn't want some sexy bodies in a quality drama? the sexy mistress and the sexy wife fighting over the sexy husband. that makes three sexy in one sentence.  gosh. hot scenes everywhere, what lucky women they were. wahahahha. plus the line were so amazing. this is an eye opener for those planning to be the other woman. be the other man instead. pak! here were my favorite scenes:

• the barney bash fighting over barney bag
• the dinner in the house of flying daggers (she was holding a knife for god's sake)
• the pauper and the snake by the pool
• the could have used ropes from damaged chairs to kill fight scene
• and don't forget the mother goose teaching the chick scenes

amazing!!! truly deserves the honor.

praybeyt benjamin - is bound to equal or even surpass "no other woman". a good comedy about a gay man who sacrificed and got acceptance in return. this movie speaks for the minority and tries to kill prejudices. this should be an eye opener to all. everyone, with or without differences, can do great and even succeed. the comedy punch lines were well executed. "gwapo ka sana kung di ka lang naging pangit". laughed the hardest with that line. some of my favorite scenes were:

• all scenes with the free tongued little sister
• all imagination sequences with the platoon officer
• the angry bird

and since filipinos love to laugh, this is a box office hit.

on these two movies, there were common factors.

you can dance

@title, not really me but they can. i've always been an avid fan of "so you think you can dance". i have watched the show from the first time i had internet. of course i don't live in the US and have never been there, but through the ever dependable internet i can still appreciate the beauty of dance.

the show has really grown in me. i can still recall the best performances i've seen. and seeing dancers with such power and emotions makes me wish i was a dancer myself. some cells in my body even think they can also do the tricks, but most of my brain don't. maybe it's time to take dance classes, it would be a great work out too. hmmm... it's not too late i guess. hmm... suggestions people...

the 8th season of the show has just started and even from auditions, 2 dancers caught my attention. surprisingly, i just learned that they were both filipinos. yehey!!! philippines represented!! woot woot!!! if they can dance, hmmm then maybe i too can. i wonder...

i now follow both in twitter. and i even got a reply.

innocente6 fritz jimenez 

@ 

@D8Tadd wait wait. so you are part filipino? cool! do you know any philippine language?

6 hours ago 

D8Tadd Tadd Gadduang 

@ 

@innocente6 I'm actually Full Flip, but can't speak Tagalog...haha, I know swear words though from when my parents would yell at me! =p

4 hours ago 

in reply to ↑

@innocente6fritz jimenez

@D8Tadd well at least you know some. so that makes 2 Flips in the show this season. you and @D8Marko were both standouts even in auditions

tadd gadduang and marko germar, god bless to both of you! (click on the names for their twitter accounts.) hope you too can support them in their quest.

now i leave you with a standout performance from the first episode. it's the best for me in that night. this features marko!!! woot woot!

goodbyes part 2

taxi taxi taxi... how can i live without you?

for these past weeks, i'm always riding a taxi cab going to work. how can i not specially when on the brink of being late?

early this week i made a resolution. i will not be riding a cab to work. instead, i will be commuting via the national transportation of the philippines, the jeepney. so one day i woke up early and left for work early. to my surprise, the jeepney terminal was transferred a bit far from the usual. ok. is this a sign?!?!?! so i took the cab again.

i have been hearing news from my colleagues that the cab fare has increased to 40. lucky for me, i have always ridden on a 30. i swore to myself that when the day i ride a 40-metered cab comes, i will be hesitant to ride a cab. and show to world my very first philippine cab receipt. for the past weeks, i have never hit the jackpot not until today. i rode the cab again, and tada!!! to my surprise it was a 40-metered one. tada!!!

my usual 85 pesos worth trip is now 113. ouch. if i have known that this receipt costs that much, i would have brought bundles of receipt-paper with me. ouch.

though it hurts my heart, goodbye taxi cab trips.

woman

rode on a half full jeepney earlier and sat comfortably when it departed. and then it parked somewhere to get more passengers.

the jeepney got full easily. and then, a woman got on and squeezed herself to sit. she sat beside me. unfortunate... only half a butt cheek can sit, i thought. it must have been very uncomfortable. i too had to squeeze for her to sit more. i'm sure the other man had to squeeze his balls as well.

but then it was her choice. she knew that this would happen. she knew that if she stayed riding on, she would have a hell of a ride. and what does she expect from the people around her? don't expect sympathy, please. she knew that it's bound to happen.

and don't give me the lame "but i'm a woman" excuse. are you supposed to put yourself in uncompromising situations and act pathetic??? hello?!?!?! men too have rights, please don't stomp on them.

on the great flood

it has been flooding back in the philippines lately. i've heard of it but never gave much attention, it has always flooded back home so nothing new with that. but i have never imagined that it could get this worse. i've seen videos of it and it has left me in awe.

imagine an underground passage filled with water... imagine vehicles overturned and tossed around by the rushing waters... imagine people stranded on top of their roofs for hours... it has reached this extent not to mention the hundreds of lives lost. i can't do anything but pray that it will end soon. i can't be any thankful that my family lives away from harm. i can't help but blame our poor drainage system and our people's lack of discipline. if garbage were disposed of properly, then there would be less things clogging up the sewers.

in times like this, i am overwhelmed by the amount of tweeter messages informing of ways to help. it is but amazing to see bayanihan* still existing in this modern age. on a personal note, i am also quite surprised by my colleagues here in japan asking if everything is fine back home. it is a surprise that even people i haven't talked with for a long time (read as usagi-chan) are also concerned. somehow, these draw a smile on my face.

after all of these, i just hope for a better day ahead.

picture taken in sarushima 20090913

*bayanihan refers to a spirit of communal unity or effort to achieve a particular objective. -wikipedia-

alcohol

two weeks ago, my roommates and i were invited to a birthday bash. it was a good thing being around lots of people who speak the same language as you do. but you just need to be cautious of what you say since everybody understands. living in a foreign country, we have already developed a mindset -- speak whatever you want in your own language, they won't be able to understand it anyway... it is even funny that we speak Cebuano (a language spoken in Cebu, Philippines) packed together with some sign language and the Japanese still understands them. actions surely do speak louder than words, this i have come to acknowledge.

the celebrant was actually from a competitor company so you may wonder how we got along. of course we were students before we became young professionals, and friends part ways during employment. you get the picture right??? back home, a scenario like this may be awkward. but here in Japan, you will be happy just being with your countrymen. and as i've said everybody understands what you are saying so be wary. you can't just drop any side comments and get away with it. so here i am trying to fit in to a jigsaw puzzle: fit in nicely, that is. creating bonds that i hope would last and would not tarnish.

the food was great. though every food tastes great to a non-cooker, these can be compared to a chef's. i have never imagined that you can do this much and this tasty in a country where all the ingredients are spelled in a different way. i really had my time in the dining area. this was heaven compared to my slave-like life -- eating my heart out with food you didn't work hard for. a feast like this would have cost me a week's allowance but here it was offered right in front of me. yum yum... tasty! and here comes the cake (how could a birthday have none)... wow!!! ice cream cake on a winter's night. sumptuous!!!

after dinner, we were on our own camps (competitor companies remember!). though we were from the same island in the Philippines, our culture was definitely different. no need to expound on this but yeah our mean selves surfaced: we were thinking of mean things towards the other camp. my mates talked mean and i agreed (evil me!)... wahihihihi.

then there goes the main dish, whiskey and vodka... woaaah... shots came after shots and the camps fused playing charades... shots came after shots and people were now leaning on each other--it is just hard to stand on two feet... leaning-tower-of-pisa-people sprouted one after another. restrooms and sinks slowly crowded. no wonder most 'miracles' happen when drunk; people's words slipped after another. pent up emotions, disappointments, words intended for close buddies overflowed... inhibitions lost... too much drama is in the air as the room turned into a hot dance floor. shots after shots and people fell. only the strong were left... shots after shots and i'm still taking them... what??? you mean, am i this strong of a drunkard?? ows... the first time i drank was here in Japan and that was like a year ago... am i that strong now???? what an excellent student i was. ows... i should stop this act soon...

as people vanished, the few strong once remained. no more drinking though but clean up time is here... here i am surprised by my intoxicated acts, ordered everyone around... go sleep now, go and find that lost girl, go and calm her down, stop disturbing her, get out of here and find somewhere else to sleep, so concerned of everyone. waaaaah... so fatherly... why was i not like this when drunk at home? i only laughed to my heart's extent when at home, but here i am surprised as my roommates were, showed a different side. i never knew that i can be like this. but as surprised as i am with myself, same was it with them...

morning came and yeah we talked it out. we laughed at each others behavior. but still i was in awe with everything.

no wonder...

melodrama........44

They say that Filipinos love dramas. I have no idea how they
were able to come up with it. But now I just realized that yes, maybe they do:
maybe we do.

I am not fond of dramatic movies. In fact, I would rather watch comedies and
horrors rather than drama. I just can’t stand the drama. But as I was watching
a non-dramatic TV show (WOWOWEE) today, I just cant believe how affected I was.

The show was held in Reno and Filipinos in America gathered and filled the
stadium. There was a part in the episode where they showed their past
contestants as a tribute to all tfc subscribers who helped the show. It was
also an appreciation of the Filipino spirit who always smiles even in the midst
of a storm. It started with clips of past winners who jumped with joy, filled
with laughter, then of clips with little tears but still smiled after it all. There
was a man who got reunited with his mom after having no contact for decades,
there was woman who expressed her love for her husband after decades of staying
silent. Then there was a taho vendor who vowed to continue his studies now that
he has won an amount. All of them had tears in their eyes. Now as the clips
rolled, I became emotional. Tears started to form.

Then there was a boy who expressed his gratitude to his dad for raising him and
said that even though they were poor, he is still thankful for everything. By
this time, I was now rubbing tears from my eyes. I just can’t take it
anymore. I'm not really the emotional type but I have soft spots for real life
people telling their stories of guilt, affection and appreciation.

Then there was a disabled child (sorry for the term) who even with his ailments
has always stayed cheerful. He sang "hawak kamay" with all his heart
even though he could hardly open his mouth and pronounce the lyrics. It was
just an inspiration. His mom tried to hide her tears and you can see that they
were happy but wished that it could be better. More and more tears are now
forming in my eyes watching that scene. I was smiling the whole time but my
heart was torn and inspired at the same time.

I have no idea why every time I watch scenes like this, this always happens. I
can always think of how miserable their life is; easily gladdened by things I
usually took for granted. It always reminds me of how lucky I am, that I shouldn’t
even be complaining because I have what others don’t. If only my life would be
simpler then I guess I would have appreciated more things. From the stories of
these real people, I would appreciate the beauty of my life. Hopefully, I can
start making this world a better place to live in as well.

Melodramas....

thoughts------四十二

yesterday i have read an article of an American who despised the Filipinos in all aspects. he stated that Filipinos call themselves Asians (Chinese, Japanese) although they are only related to them by location. he also stated that Filipinos has never made any contributions to the world...

this has really made me think.

Filipinos call themselves Asians because we really are Asians... should we call ourselves Europeans but are situated in a region called Asia? thats the main logic in there... i guess what he disagreed on is that some Filipinos call themselves Asians to get little credit of what our Asian big brothers (china and japan) have done in shaping this world. yes they have done many things and yes they are known. but looking back on history, Filipinos were never given the chance to succeed and excel in the world because of the colonizers. Spain colonized us for 300+ years and from then on, the country slept because they were only allowed to learn the "doctrina kristiana" and other religious books. then the Americans came and at least taught us things but the country has never got over the ways in the Spanish period. i guess if the Philippines was not colonized, or just had a better colonizer things would be better.

and now that the Philippines has stood on its feet, now that we have started to learn and adapt to new technologies and new ways, now that we are starting to move forward, some people from other countries look down on us. now that we are starting to move, foreigners criticize us. why not help us move out of this slump instead? why not stop laughing at this slowly emerging country and extend your hand instead? how can people in here grow and contribute to the world when even before we open our mouths to speak, our big brothers(developed countries) have already arrived at conclusions to turn us down?

with 3 colonizers (Spain, us, japan) and with globalization at its height, it is very hard to find what it is to be a Filipino. it is very hard to find what is truly authentic Filipino. that is just impossible. the Filipino race, is a mix of cultures. what the Philippines is today is a result of all the cultures mixed together. we surely have adapted and adopted well to all of these and have made it suitable for us. surely you can find traces of Spanish, American, or any other culture and no one is denying it. it doesn't mean that we are copy cats though. it only means that we adapt well.

i do admit that we Filipinos still lack many things but we are surely getting there. no culture is perfect. why not investigate your cultures first and you will definitely see loopholes in it.

ang kinauyukan sa dughan (bente nueve)

naglibog ko kun unsa gyud ang akong ibutang. wala man gyud ko kabalo ba unsa akong isuwat karon. ang ako lang nahunahuna-an na ganahan ko musuwat ug bisaya bisag kausa lang gud. ganahan ko makabati sa kong kaugalingon na magbinisaya sa akong utok samtang gasulat niining mga pulong. sa pagkakaron pa lang nalingaw na ko sa akong gipanghunahuna.


sa wala pa nagpasko, niapil ko sa misa de gallo. nalingaw ko sa unang adlaw pa lang kay murag daghan ug tawo unya nakalingkod pa gyud ko. wala ko nagdahum na anaa pa koy malingkuran ato. ug unya naa koy nakitan na usa ka maanyag na nilalalng. naa siya didto nisimba usab. ambot kun unsay naa niya na mura man ko ug permi magpangita.


sa ikaduha nga adlaw, nangita dayun ko kung naa ba gihapon siya. ug naa sad tuod. matahum siya ug pahiyum. dili gayud nako siya makalimtan.


sa ikatulong adlaw wala na ko kasimba. wala kamata kay daghan na man ug tawo sa amo. mauwaw na mamukaw ang among silingan kay daghan na ang makamata. daghan naman gud ko mga paryente na naggikan sa negros.


sa ikaupat, nisimba na sad ko ug kita na sad mi. makalanay na sad ang iyang pahiyum. kana ganing murag pang miss universe na makita tanang ngipon. pero dili ngilad tanawon, angayan kaayo siya.


sa mga sumusunod na adlaw, wala na ko kasimba pa ug balik. magsige man gani ko ug ngisi kun makahinumdum ko ato. wala pa ko kabalo na pwede gyud diay na mahitabo.


sa pagkakaron, nagsige ra ko ug internet, nagsige ug katulog, naghinumdum sa mga niaging panghitabo. gisulit gyud ug maayo ang panahon na nagbakasyon. lisod na raba ni mabalik. lisod na makakita ug lain pang kahigayunan na makatulog ug taas. lisod na makakita ug kahigayunan sa pagmunimuni sa kaugalingon.

second post for the day.... (depression sinks in)

hay, nganong lain man akong feeling karon oi... feeling depressed kaayo... kapoy... ambot lang.... laay kaayo.... ikaduha na ni nako na post for this day and still i feel that i need to post more...



yesterday i watched the free japanese film at ayala and though it was r18 i can't see anything which makes it one... whaihihihihi... okay okay, there were scenes not meant for kids but they were short and were very funny. and it was not on a lustful context.


we, i and shiela, planned to watch the movie together and keep up with each other... (its hard to find real friends you know. especially at my status where i treat everyone as friends, its hard to know who are real.) and we met other UPians there too. UPians must really be a fan of any free movie... wahihihihihihi.... (hope to see them in the next film festivals to come--cine europa, chinese, australian, etc.) its just good to see and hear others doing well after school. i can also see an invisible bond which keeps us UPians together... though im not an active part of the campus, never been to any rallies, never accomplished something worth bragging for the school, i can feel the UP spirit in me...



ive never been very vocal with regards to political or any other issues but i do have a side... i take stand on things... i just dont believe that rallies can make a very big change...  im so sorry but there are just other things that i believe are more effective than rallies... im fed up with all the rallies here and there demanding the administration to step down... but i dont think that stepping down is the real answer to all this... i think if we only start with ourselves, surely there will be a change... anyway, i dont know why im writing about this now or even why im acting this way. i guess im just affected by the blog i just read... the blog of "coconuter".



im sick of all people making everything possible to be close to you just because of the status or anything you have... its plain bullshit... why is this world so dependent on status? why cant we all just live together harmoniously? why do we filipinos have to kiss somebodies ass just to gain a little increase in possition? i dont know why im writing about this but i think im just tired of everything...



why do filipinos regard of anything foreign as something good??? why do they think that when someone goes abroad, swerte? i just dont know... im sick of this system... why is it like that? i dont know... i dont know why im having this outburst even...



hay i dont know.... i just dont know.... maybe im thinking of my future already... maybe im worried of what the future has instored for me... i just want to live peacefully, enjoy the little blessings that come... i actually dont want to achieve much... but i dont know... there is just something in me that me myself dont want to accept... there is something that i dont want to face... there is this void, dark place in me that i want to fill... i want to experience everything... but i havent tried them because of the norms of society... i dont want to stay this way forever... i dont know... there is this hunger for more... there are some things you cant do because of your repuation but damn those reputations... i dont want to be bound.... i want to be free. i want to......


hay... its just now that ive realized that the way ive lived for the past 20years was empty... it was fulfilling but i should have experienced more... and now that im working, i dont know if i still can try them.... i dont know.... i want to try other stuff... i want to explore what else i can do... i dont know... i dont know...



but as much as i would like to try new things, im scared of what might happen... im scared....... im scared... oh god what is this im feeling....