After watching several episodes of Pushing Daisies, I have fallen officially in love with Kristin Chenoweth. Kristin's character, Olive Snook, a waitress who harbors an unrequited love for her piemaker boss, has completely mesmerized me. Here's her unforgettable rendition of Eternal Flame. This particular scene was from the episode titled "Comfort Food" of PD Season 2.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Nostalgia blues
A big chunk of my heart was left in Fujairah. The three years I spent there living as an OFW were some of the best ones of my life. And some of the best friendships I've had were made in that place. But as always, all things have to end. Fujairah is my past and I don't see myself ever visiting that place again. Today, I felt so happy because I discovered a blog about it. All the memories - the good ones and the bad - came rushing back to me when I read this blog. Some Pinoys who have lived there do not appreciate the tranquil beauty of Fujairah. They said the place is so quiet. I can't blame them. We Pinoys are used to noisy kalyes and crowded places. So, I'm sharing here this blog so you could get a different perspective on the place - a perspective which I now share.
You can read that blog here.
You can read that blog here.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
So close
Just saw Enchanted yesterday. I fell in love with the movie but most of all, I fell in love with one of its songs. I may be the last person to know that this song exists but as they say, better late than never.
I think this is the best song ever made by Disney so far. It reminds me of ballads like Beyonce's At Last and Eric Benet's The Last Time.
I think this is the best song ever made by Disney so far. It reminds me of ballads like Beyonce's At Last and Eric Benet's The Last Time.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Racism to the highest level
The War At Home
by Chip Tsao (HK Online)
The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.
But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.
As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.
Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.
Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word 'Spratly.' They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, 'Long live Chairman Mao!' at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I'm not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being.
And here's my thoughts:
Giatay maning tawhana. Pardon the expletive. Inspite of the fact that we now live in the 21st century, narrow-minded people like Chip Tsao still exist to remind us that some people's brains haven't evolved much since the Paleolithic era.
by Chip Tsao (HK Online)
The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.
But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.
As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.
Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.
Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word 'Spratly.' They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, 'Long live Chairman Mao!' at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I'm not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being.
And here's my thoughts:
Giatay maning tawhana. Pardon the expletive. Inspite of the fact that we now live in the 21st century, narrow-minded people like Chip Tsao still exist to remind us that some people's brains haven't evolved much since the Paleolithic era.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Waffles
For the last two weeks, I've been craving for waffles. Hiro Nakamura is the culprit for my current longing for it. There's this particular scene in Heroes 3 where Hiro and his friend Ando were eating large servings of waffles with whipped creams and mouthwatering toppings. That scene has stayed with me for days and disturbed me even while I sleep. So to end my torture, I dragged my sister to Starbucks in A.S. Fortuna. It's the nearest establishment from our home that sells Belgian waffles. My waffle was served with a large dollop of whipped cream and generous tracings of mocca sauce. It was so rich that I had to share half of it with my sister. I was praying for my blood sugar while I was eating it. One thing I am sure of at the moment, I won't be having their waffles again for a long time.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig
Once again, efforts to rehabilitate the Pasig River are revived through the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig project. Past efforts have failed due to lack of funds, lack of political will from the government, apathy from the residents along the river, and many more. Piso Para sa Pasig, which was chaired by then First Lady Ming Ramos, was one of those ill-fated crusades. This time, I'm positive that the new campaign will work because ABS-CBN Foundation has decided to pitch in. The foundation is now a co-manager of the Pasig River rehabilitation project, thanks to a memorandum signed by Gina Lopez with DENR and other agencies. Everyone knows that Ms. Gina's foundation has successfully reforested the La Mesa watershed. Pasig River's rehabilitation may entail brutal work, but there is hope.
ABS-CBN Foundation has made donating to the Pasig River rehabilitation project easy. All you have to do is type GIVE < space > ILOG on your cellphones and send this message to the following numbers:
231 for Smart and Talk n Text subscribers
2366 for Globe and Sun Cellular Subscribers
If you have some cellphone load that is about to expire, then you may just use it for this worthy cause. Instead of forwarding trite and corny text messages to your friends, why not send it for Pasig River for a change? There is an estimated 80 million Filipinos now. The project needs 700 million pesos for it to succeed. Just imagine if everyone will send their text, then it is not that far in the future when we'll all see fishes swimming in Pasig River once again. Let's all pitch in.
ABS-CBN Foundation has made donating to the Pasig River rehabilitation project easy. All you have to do is type GIVE < space > ILOG on your cellphones and send this message to the following numbers:
231 for Smart and Talk n Text subscribers
2366 for Globe and Sun Cellular Subscribers
If you have some cellphone load that is about to expire, then you may just use it for this worthy cause. Instead of forwarding trite and corny text messages to your friends, why not send it for Pasig River for a change? There is an estimated 80 million Filipinos now. The project needs 700 million pesos for it to succeed. Just imagine if everyone will send their text, then it is not that far in the future when we'll all see fishes swimming in Pasig River once again. Let's all pitch in.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Thirteenth Tale
Vida Winter is a famous writer who has given different accounts of her life to biographers. When she felt it was time to finally tell the truth about her life, she asked Margaret Lea, a bookseller's daughter, to write her story. Margaret travels to Angelfield House, the home of the March family, to investigate Winter's tale about twins, an abandoned baby, and a ghost. Angelfield House holds the key to Winter's past and to Margaret's acceptance of her own.
The Thirteenth Tale is an engaging mystery. Diane Setterfied has written a very clever plot. Her characters are well-developed, the pacing is just right, and the twists are just amazing. The book also contains some of the most memorable quotes I've read. I couldn't help but read aloud at some points because the lines are just downright beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to finally get a hold of this book. The long wait had been rewarding.
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