I can hardly wait to see the movie, The Golden Compass. It is based on the first of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy novels. Back in August, Ruel De Vera wrote a review on the trilogy in the Inquirer. In his review, entitled Don’t be afraid of the ‘Dark’, he said that the trilogy “may be ripe for discovery by readers who have witnessed the end of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.”

Although I am a fan of make-believe worlds and realms, this is not the main reason why I’m excited to see the movie. The reason why I want to see the movie is that some Catholic leaders have started a campaign to boycott the movie which will be released on December 7, 2007. According to them, Pullman’s objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. And although anti-religious sentiments are not so obvious in the movie, religious conservatives are afraid that unsuspecting viewers might be tricked into buying Pullman’s books (available at National Bookstore), which have been called “Atheism for Kids”… Click here and continue reading…

This last part is dedicated to the following readers: An, Watson, Austin Pinoy, Grifter, Buraot, Philippine Updates, Char, MommyBa, Pearljem, Mari.

As much as I would want to tell this story as accurately as possible, I can’t because I have forgotten certain details. Tagal na kasi nito, 7 years ago pa yata.

Going back to the story…

I called my friend Terry at home. She told me that she finally met up with RC. Of course I wanted details.

Terry: Mare nagkita na kami ni RC.

Me: So ano itsura.

Terry: Ok naman. May pagka tisoy, maganda katawan, may itsura.

Go to Fiona’s Stuff to read the rest of this exciting story.

It’s always fun to read about the Philippines in other countries in a positive light. Even this is just a blip on Time Magazine again.

Studies in the Philippines show that later-born siblings tend to be shorter and weigh less than earlier-borns. (Think the slight advantage the 6-ft. 5-in. [196 cm] Peyton Manning has over the 6-ft. 4-in. [193 cm] Eli doesn’t help when he’s trying to throw over the outstretched arms of a leaping lineman?) Younger siblings are less likely to be vaccinated than older ones, with last-borns getting immunized sometimes at only half the rate of firstborns. Eldest siblings are also disproportionately represented in high-paying professions. Younger siblings, by contrast, are looser cannons, less educated and less strapping, perhaps, but statistically likelier to live the exhilarating life of an artist or a comedian, an adventurer, entrepreneur, GI or firefighter. And middle children? Well, they can be a puzzle—even to researchers.

If you are interested in this article you can find it online here.

Wake T-Rex

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. — John 15: 12

Billionaire author JK Rowling sparked a bit of controversy two weeks ago by revealing that Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school of witchcraft and wizardry, and Harry Potter’s mentor, is gay. Gay rights activists all over the world are rejoicing over the revelation. And why shouldn’t they? Throughout history, we have seen literary greats transform the attitudes and the consciousness of entire generations by using stories and lessons we can all relate to and understand. Literary greats, the likes of Shakespeare, Plato, Homer, Cervantes, Montaigne, Bacon, Samuel Johnson, Goethe, Emerson, Nietzsche, Freud, Proust, St. Augustine, and now, JK Rowling will forever be remembered for their stories and their revolutionary values. They not only entertain us with their tales, they also enlighten us with their values.

Enlighten?
It may not be too obvious to a lot of readers that JK Rowling’s books are meant to enlighten, but if you read her books carefully, you will find that JK Rowling has embedded a lot of values in the story of Harry Potter.  Click here and continue reading…

Alright, I know men will be so interested in this kind of question. Seems that almost all men have this question on their mind. Most, act sheepish and don’t know how to approach and get the women’s attention. Having this problem is not probably a serious problem. There are a lot of ways on how to take away this. Be a man dude.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, fellow Harry Potter fanatics, it’s true. Pasabog mismo ni J.K. Rowling. Our beloved Albus Dumbledore is gay.

Check out this link: http://hogwartsphilippines.org/book7/?p=180

Actually, huli pala ako sa balita, hehe! A co-teacher/friend/HP fanatic texted me last night and said, “J.K. Rowling just outed Dumbledore.” But since, wala akong kamalay-malay, I replied, “Ha? What do you mean?”

After two years in absentia, I finally saw her again. But not without a little regret. 
 
It was a sunny afternoon the day I arrived. The first step that I took off that old bus and on to the dirt road in front of our country house made my impulses beat unusually faster. The excitement and the anticipation that I felt made that day somehow more humid. There was our main gate, with its same old dark green paint now chipped and almost rusty. Directly behind it I saw a familiar face.
Inside the main house were the marble floors, still as shiny as I had last seen it. As soon as I have settled my duffel bags, I came to face her. I gently hugged her but she hesitantly kissed me on the cheeks and carefully avoided my lips.I could not blame her, I wasn’t around that much. The phone calls simply wouldn’t make up for the fact that I wasn’t there when she needed me. I was just relying on the hope that the special bond that we had would never fade even for a moment. We didn’t talk that much at first. I was just trying to catch her gaze and so was she. I guess we were both trying to figure out each other’s thoughts and making sense of what we feel. In our mind we were both trying to straighten out everything that has happened before and after I left so we could probably share new and recent experiences and do a little catching up.

All these years, I can still remember clearly the moment I first laid eyes on her. After all I have gone through, all the pain, all the confusion, hatred, self-destruction, and chaos of my pathetic miserable existence, she came. Like an angel sent from above, she came. She was just an angel. When the light coming from her pink little cheeks shone on my rugged unshaven face I felt lighter. At that time, I just dropped off from school, I had no job, and was broke, but when I saw her I felt optimistic. I felt a sense of peace that a new chapter in my life is about to be written. And on its pages I could find nothing but a clean slate. Now it can have new and meaningful entries that can only be made by me.Her coming into my life eases out everything that was locked-up from inside me. Like waters pouring smoothly from a waterfall, she washes whatever filth I felt I have in me.I knew she was a gift from the heavens. The same heavens that I so despised and distanced myself away from. The same entity that I denied and dismissed simply as a selfish and arrogant prude who was only created by ignorant uneducated fools. I didn’t ask for a it, but still, he gave me a present. And it was the most precious.

I have posted here interesting things I’ve received as spam, but nothing seems to get close to appear ham like this one. It was nevertheless caught by my spam filter, but its idea is so unusual, I just can’t let it pass. It even has a companion Web site that looks legitimate.

Read more…

My relationship with her has always been that of love-hate. I love her the most when we’re not talking or when we’re apart. I love her when she’s away or when I’m away. As long as I don’t see her or talk to her, I love her. It’s almost impossible for us to stay in one room without us having a fight. Our conversation kicks off okay but moments later, we’ll be discussing points then arguing then fighting then ending up not talking altogether for days… Those are my youthful recollection with her in my life.

She was 26 years old when I was born. She was just starting a career in the food business and was she enterprising! Her whole world revolved around the business. She worked ludicrous hours, performed tasks for what could be done by three or five people at one time, laboured like there was no tomorrow. She was unstoppable. She made night, day and worked some more in the wee hours of the night. I didn’t ever see her asleep!

She’s always working 24/7 it seems. And though it paid off, she lost me and my sisters in the process, me especially. My memories of my childhood are somewhat vague to me. Much as I try hard to recall, I could only come up with snippets of it. Perhaps I’m repressing it or unconsciously trying to forget that part of my life. Not that I had a completely messed up childhood. For the most part, I lived in a happy, loving, comfortable home but it’s something I’d rather not recall. She was never on it anyway. So what was there to remember?

I do remember that I was mischievous, naughty and rebellious as a kid. I had my share of corporal punishments- alot! But that’s not why I was angry at the world and taking it against her. I was mad because I never felt truly loved as a child. I was always craving for attention. It was the classic middle child syndrome. I felt I wasn’t always good-enough. My eldest sister was the responsible one. She was graceful, pretty and she had the fairer skin and nice, curly hair. My younger sister was the center of attention for she was the baby. She was cute, sweet, adorable and very smart! As for me, I was dark, short, average and anything but graceful! The result? I tried to lived up to how they saw me. I was seen as the female version of Dennis the menace so I gave them problems! It was easy to be bad. (It still is easy now! Ha!)

When I was 12, I joined my eldest sister in Manila for High School. That was just to get away from her as far as possible. Together we tried living responsibly as teenagers in the ‘big’ city. We stayed for four years in Manila and only visited our hometown, General Santos on summer time. Even then, I couldn’t befriend her. I would annoy her on end and rebel against anything she says. I always looked at her as THE enemy. I blamed her for all the bad memories of my youth. WHO IS SHE? FIND OUT HERE.

Pero out of the blue e biglang nagkita kami ni Ex-file sa mall. As in si model. Ewan ko ba pero nanginginig na nanlalambot ako na ewan nun. As in hirap akong magtext nun at para bagang naninigas ang mga daliri ko. Di ko rin alam kung dapat pa ba kaming magkita or what.

Today, the sixth of October, I remember Lolo Roman, my grandfather on my mother’s side. Lolo was very fair with smooth baby skin which is very soft to touch. (Note: Lolo is Tagalog for grandfather). Because of his old age (he was 88 when he died), the skin on his neck was very loose and he reminded me of a cow. But he didn’t mind at all when I and my five silly brothers and sisters would fight over touching that soft loose skin on his neck. When Lolo Roman comes home from work, we would also fight over touching his earlobes which were also very soft, but more importantly, very cold, because of sitting so long in his air-conditioned car. He was very nice about it and would allow six crazy children to fight over his earlobes as he walked from the car to the house with his kamagong baston (cane).

We might have fought over his neck and his earlobes, but this kindly old man was a very important person. He was Don Roman Mabanta. No, silly! He was not a leader of a mafia as the title Don might imply. I suppose that during the olden times, it was the title given to important people. He was one of the first CPAs in the country. In 1932, he was the General Manager of the Philippine National Bank (PNB). He also owned the Eastern Deep Sea Fishing Corporation which owned six fishing boats – Mabanta Uno, Mabanta Dos, Eastern Uno, Eastern Dos, Eastern Tres, and Eastern Kuwarto. During World War II, the boats were sunk by the Americans. However, Lolo Roman received war reparations.

Read more in Toe’s Kurokuroatbp.

“MISS IS THIS SEAT TAKEN?” The husky voice belonged to a handsome man in his early twenties. I was startled by the sudden intrusion and I could only mumble a quick, “no”. Corny as it may had looked but that was how it all started. Plain and simple. We were both on our way home to Davao. He was in Cagayan de Oro on a business trip I was told. I wanted to ask what kind of business but decided it was none of my nosy concern. I told him that it was my first time to go outside the city over the weekend unchaperoned. “Hmm, good for you,” he commented. I can’t say that I felt comfortable talking with him right away although I noticed that I was the one bringing the conversation. He seemed distant at first. There was something in him that was quite strange. I guess it was his eyes and the way they stared at me; reaching into my inner being, searching into my soul as if trying to convey something yet afraid to let me know. Sometimes, I had to stop midway my sentence to ask if something was wrong and he would just say “nothing, please go on” and so I would continue as though his eyes weren’t beginning to bother me at all. His soulful eyes-they haunt me to this day. LIKE SHORT STORIES? THERE’S MORE HERE.

“Farewell but not goodbye”. Is a phrase I can only say to one of the families here in Tondo that’s in the picture and I featured here in my blog as my way of congratulating them for having their chance to relive, rebuild and reshape their lives as a family in Canada, but it is a phrase I can’t really describe to this tribute for Maliwanag family that experienced that measured how strong the bond’s foundation is in failures and triumphs.

Please visit my blog site to contiue reading at www.tondodweller.blogspot.com

… I still blame myself for what happened. My story is classic. I should have known better how to handle it. It’s been written, it’s been talked about- I didn’t see it coming to me! I who fell in love with my best friend. I whose only fault was build my world around her.

We had the best of times and the best of everything. We shared our best cries and laughs and worst imaginable moments with each other. I knew she cared and loved me but not in the way I did. But that’s okay. I shouldn’t have confessed. I should have been contented! What was I thinking?! I didn’t even get that far in my dreams what to do next after telling her. I didn’t expect to be loved the same way. I only wanted the truth out and hoped that she’ll take it and we’ll just both laugh hard about the whole thing. She didn’t find it funny.

Perhaps from the very start it wasn’t meant to be. I met her in Thailand, a country both foreign to us. We hit it off right away! We shared three beautiful years of friendship. She with her boyfriends on the side and me with mine. We were just friends. However, not for long. One day, it hit me. I suddenly saw her in a different way- in a much deeper level. All that while doing the dishes with her after a usual shared dinner. I did it! I broke the first law of friendship; Never fall in love with your best friend. And still I broke the second law; If you did, never tell. THE WHOLE STORY IS HERE.

Had there been any women who has been 100% happy with what they’ve got? Or do women view their breasts as too big, too saggy, too pert, too fat, too full, too far apart, too close together, too A cup, too lopsided, too uneven, too jiggly, too pale, too padded, too pointy, too pendulous, or just two pair of smalls? Or should we be blame it all at false advertising?

READ MORE…>>
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Randy Pausch, an innovative 46-year-old computer science professor, has the incurable pancreatic cancer kind. Last week, he was given a chance to tell his story in a farewell lecture.

read more…>>

I think many of us still remember the tragic execution of Filipina domestic worker Flor Contemplacion in Singapore. It is sad to note that, unless we are able to do our acts together, we may be having a similar tragedy in just a few months from now. Read more at Quick & Random.

Last year, while eating at a restaurant, I heard a group of women talk about how teachers get low pays, while the Michael Jordans of the world received astronomical fees. It was a fairly homogenous group, with a lot of nodding, and cajoling, ending in a somewhat somber conclusion: a woman, who is in my view the leader of the group, suggested that the world would be a better place if teachers get the equivalent pay of Michael Jordans.

READ MORE…>>>

The whole nation was glued to their TV monitors. Here’s a young man, no less than the son of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, speaking softly and deliberately his truth. He spoke of corruption, of bribery, and of being shocked at the audacity of the First Gentlemen and the COMELEC Chairman to bully him to withdraw from a huge government project. More importantly he spoke of his real intentions: he wants to see some reform in his lifetime or in his son’s lifetime.

In the middle of his stunning revelations, I found myself asking: why is there a seeming frenzy to bag juicy government contracts and get fat commissions quickly? I have long accepted the fact that total eradication of corruption in the Philippines is a long term goal and therefore I am open enough not to be shocked by some degree of corruption in government in the short term, but the present situation is overwhelming. Bakit parang bastusan na ito? A lot of pundits have put in their two cents worth on why there seems to be frenetic activities of corruption today. In my view, the answer might be simpler than those already advanced. Bakit tila walang patid ang mga pagnanakaw? It has been the fodder of rumor mills that Gloria and Mike are actually separated – separated de facto and that they are just waiting for the end of Gloria’s term to formalize it and live their separate (hopefully happy) lives. They have to put on the charade of a happy and intact family. Mahirap maghiwalay ngayon dahil Presidente pa si Gloria. Hindi daw maganda tingnan. Thus, there are two groups operating in Malacanang, each trying to bag separate deals for their respective principals. They know that 2010 is near and their principals need to amass their “retirement benefits”. Whereas in past administrations there was only one King and the rest of the “alipores” had to fight for the crumbs falling from the table, the separation de facto of Mike and Gloria has created a “two-king” scenario (both trying to outdo each other) at pinaghatian na ang mga kalakal ng gobyerno – kay Ma’am ito, kay Mike ito. The domestic problems of Gloria and Mike have monstrous ramifications. The breakdown of their household is threatening to breakdown the country. Yan ang haka-haka ko. Sabi nga ni pareng Occam – sa lahat ng mga sagot, ang pinakasimple at payak na sagot marahil ang tama.