My Not So Gay Life

HALA! Mga Bayot Sayaw!

2008-11-27T03:04:35Z

20 Gayest Songs Of All Time
(according to http://www.samesame.com.au)

20. Dolly Parton - 9 To 5
19. Comin Out Crew - Free Gay & Happy
18. Village People - In The Navy
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
16. Village People - Macho Man
15. Judy Garland - Over The Rainbow
14. Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
13. Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out
12. Cher - Believe
11. Gloria Gaynor - I Am What I Am
10. Alicia Bridges - I Love The Nightlife
09. Madonna - Vogue
08. Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu
07. Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know
06. Pet Shop Boys - Go West
05. Kylie Minogue - Your Disco Needs You
04. The Weathergirls - It's Raining Men
03. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
02. Village People - Y.M.C.A.
01. Abba - Dancing Queen

Which of these songs are your favorites? Hehehehehe!

My GADD! That Vampire

2008-11-25T09:28:54Z

If this is the vampire, would you be afraid? Or would you just let him bite you in the neck?

Damn! He is just so HOT!

That is Cam Gigandet as James in the movie "Twilight" (Just in case you still do not know?)

In Fairness to Sarah Palin

2008-11-08T03:05:21Z

From the day John McCain announced that Sarah Palin was his running mate, I was already skeptical. My initial reaction was, this move was an attempt to catch the Hillary voters.

That skepticism turned to disgust after hearing her in those interviews and her relishing her role as an attack dog. Palin's repeating those "palling around with terrorist" lines no matter how many facts checks were released stating that it isn't true was irritating.

But in fairness to her, bad comments coming after the election about her (i.e. Palin thought that Africa is a country) which allegedly came from McCain's top advisers are equally disgusting. These are the people who vetted for her, people who said that she can be just one heartbeat away from the most powerful position in the world. And now they are all saying these. If these are the kind of people surrounding McCain, it is no longer surprising why they failed in this election.

Here's what CNN's Campbell Brown has to say to these people:

Embedded video from CNN Video

Fall of a Con Artist

2007-01-19T02:54:38Z

Sorry that I wasn't updating my LJ. Nope, I wasn't busy, these are just the moments were I am too lazy to write. Anyway, here's a story that happened almost two years ago. I wrote this story last year but failed to published it here. The reason why I am publishing this now is that two weeks ago I chatted with a guy from Bacolod and he became a victim of the person involved in this story. Also, that guy from Bacolod told me that Steve (the character of the story) is going aroung Negros, Bohol and Cebu. So this may be a warning to my friends there in Visayas and to those who would be reading this blog. Here's the story.

November 15, 2005. I was surprised when I checked my cellphone and found out that there were already four missed calls and seven unread messages from the same number coming from someone not listed in my phonebook. I was only out from my office for less than 5 minutes to buy some snacks at a nearby Mini-Stop and to receive that many calls, it must be urgent.

The first message reads (and sent four times), “Jason, Steve here. Are your busy? I need your help.”

Followed by another message (sent three times), “I need your legal advice, I am in the police station right now.”

“Finally,” I said to myself, “the law caught up with him.”

I first met Steve December of 2004. Two days before I met him, he had been sending text messages to me. I asked him where he got my number and he said I gave it to him while we were chatting through mIRC. I find it weird because his number does not register in my phonebook and when I give out numbers to chatmates, I usually give it on a trade (I give my number, you give your number also). So I ignored him, but he still keep on sending messages and in several occasions, he called (he was using a Suncellular and so was I, so he must have unlimited call and text).

Right after getting out of the gym last December 23, 2004, I went straight to Glorieta to do my last minute Christmas Shopping (I was taking the morning flight on the following day and haven't bought gifts for my nephew and niece). While in Glorieta, my phone rung again. It was a call from Steve.

“Hi! Steve again, where are you?” He asked.

“I am in Glorieta.”

“Great! I am in Glorieta too, can we meet?”

“Ummm . . . okay.” I agreed to see him, at least I could already put a face to someone who has been sending me tons of text messages. “I am outside of Goldcrest, meet me here,” I said, “but meet lang to ha, I need to go home early. I haven't packed my bags yet and I am taking the morning flight tomorrow to our province.”

And so I met Steve. I was a little bit surprised that he actually look okay (experience tells me that kulit persons are not usually “physically blessed”) . He was tall (around 5'10”- 5'11”), moreno, lean (more of v-shaped-model-like-body). But what caught my attention was the bandage wrapped around his right arm. Pointing at his right hand, I asked, “What happened to that?” He answered an accident. I did not bother to inquire further.

Steve is person you will easily like. He has lots stories to tell and is very engaging in conversation, cheerful, humorous. “I usually tell people that I meet that I am from Pasig,” he shared, “but i am actually just residing nearby.”

“Where?” I asked.

“Basta, dyan lang”

“Where nga?”

“Okay,” he gave in, “for now, I actually live with my aunt in Dasmariñas.”

“Cavite?”

“Nope,” he answered, “Village, here in Makati.”

WHOA! This guy is rich! (FYI: Dasmariñas and Forbes Park, are posh villages in Makati).

Much as would like to talk to him that night, I really have to go home early to pack my things. So I said goodbye. Insecure that I am, I thought that would probably the last time we see each other as he probably would be to choosy to see me again.

December 24, 2004. I was already at the airport and trying to wait for our flight to be called (delayed as usual!) when my cellphone rung. It was Steve.

“HI!” Damn!, I sound too excited.

“Are you still at the airport?” Steve Asked.

“Yeah, why?

“Well, I might catch you there.”

“And why is that?” I inquired.

“Well, I woke this morning and realized that I'll be spending Christmas with my Aunt and her katulongs, (househelp), which I don't like. So I decided to spend Christmas in Boracay.”

“Ah okay, do you have reservation already for your flight?”

“None yet, I'll call the airline now and will call you later.”

Steve put down the phone. I thought, if this is true then he must be rich. While most of us really have to plan (and save money) for months for a trip to Boracay, this guy visit that place out of his whims.

Steve called again and told me that his driver is already bringing him to the airport. True indeed, moments later I saw Steve at the departure lounge wearing a khaki shorts, t-shirt and sneakers and carrying a backpack.

Pointing at his small backpack, I asked, “is that your luggage?”

“Yup! I’ll buy stuff nalang in Boracay.”

Steve and I had a chat while waiting for our flights. According to him, he works in New York, finished College in Portugal and was just in the Philippines for a vacation. I was amazed at the thought that this guy must be very rich. But there is one nagging thought that bothers me that time. Steve was so familiar with the Pinoy gay lingo and I can’t detect any accent or twang from him. Well, he must have been practicing his Tagalog often, I reasoned out.

Steve’s flight to Caticlan was already called, mine was super delayed! We parted ways.

While I was already in Cagayan de Oro, he called me and through the Christmas season we were calling each other. We were talking about the interesting people he met while he was in Boracay. He also told me that we will no longer have time to catch with each other in Manila because he will be going back to New York first week of January, this after spending the New Year in Hong Kong.

February 2005 Steve called again. He was back in Manila because something bad happened to her Aunt. Later, he told me that his Aunt died and left him a property in Corinthian Gardens (another posh Village in Quezon City).

We decided to meet that time and he confessed that he wants to visit a massage parlor and a gay bar. I told him, I don’t have money for that. He answered, “no worries, I’ll pay for it.” Who am I to deny a chance of getting a free massage from hunky masseurs!

After our meeting Steve told me that he will be visiting a friend in China, but he will back after a week. He also said that Miguel (the guy who allegedly gave my number to Steve) is arriving in Manila (Miguel is in New York also, according to Steve) and is excited to meet me. I asked Steve if he can send me the pic-link of Miguel that he gave before since I lost it. Steve gave me a website.

When I opened the website, I was surprised that the person was different from the picture that Steve gave before (although both pictures were that of a goodlooking muscular hunk). This further added to my suspicion.

My suspicion started one day when Steve called me and said that he lost his wallet and his money was gone. He can’t ask money from his Aunt in Dasmariñas (apparently different from the Aunt who died) since they were in bad terms. He already asked money from his Parents who are residing in LA, but his parents sent the money through door-to-door transfer (At this day and age, someone from LA still send money through door-to-door!) So to make the long story short, he wanted to borrow money from me. Well, I don’t have enough cash at that time, so I wasn’t able to lend him some money.

Second week of March 2005, Steve told me that Miguel has already arrived but still meeting their friends. Despite having doubt about Miguel, I still agreed to meet him. He and Miguel well meet me after my class. At the appointed time of our meeting, I was already waiting for hours for Steve and Miguel to arrive but there was no Steve or Miguel that came. I was sending text messages to Steve, but I received no reply. I was furious!

Steve stopped sending text messages to me from that day.

May 2005, while James, Al and I were on our way to Puerto Galera, I received a text message from an unknown sender. It was from Steve and he asking if I was still mad at him. I told him, “no, its not my business to carry a grudge.” Knowing that, he invited me for lunch, but since I was on my way to Galera, we postponed our lunch meeting a week after my Galera vacation.

A weekday after my Galera trip, Steve and I met at Fridays in Glorietta where he treated me for lunch. After our lunch he asked if I could accompany him to do some shopping. I don’t have anything to do at that time so I willingly went with him. At Rustans in Glorieta Steve was offered by a salesboy with a new perfume from Lacoste. Steve bought it, but instead of buying the smaller bottle that was offered to him, he bought the bigger and the more expensive one.

At that time Steve was carrying a discount card from Rustans, the salesgirl attending to him asked that he will write his name and card number on a piece of paper. I was looking down at the form. Then Steve asked me if he has to write his name or the name that appeared in the card (according to him, the card is owned by his cousin). I told him that you write the name that appeared on the card. I had suspicions that Steve asked me that because he does not want me to see that name that he will write on that form. Sensing that, I left and pretended to look at some items on sale, leaving Steve with the salesgirl.

It was already the salesgirl who brought Steve’s payment to the cashier. While waiting for the salesgirl, Steve said that he will just be going outside to look for his driver. While Steve was outside of the Department Store, the salesgirl, apparently looking for Steve, handed to me the perfume that Steve bought, his change and the discount card. Steve was still outside so I checked the name in the card. The card was named after a certain “Jonathan Piring”.

The name was quite familiar. I believed I encountered that name already before in the internet and it was sort of a warning about that guy.

Steve went back to the store and told me his driver is already waiting outside. He offered to take me to Malate. There was something odd about the car. Other than it is a sedan and painted white with a barong clad chauffeur, the car lacks those personal items typical of a personally owned car (i.e. folders, papers, tissue holder, stuff toys and other stuff that would make it looked like its being used by the same owner regularly). The car was bare and it looks like a car for rent.

Steve took me to Malate and right after he left, I looked for an internet shop, there was one near Robinsons Ermita. Inside the internet café, I immediately opened the Google website and googled the name “Jonathan Piring”. One entry appeared and it reads, “Beware of a con-artist named Jonathan Piring”. That entry came from one of the yahoo groups. Unfortunately, when I tried to open that yahoo group, it was already inaccessible.

One week after I learned about Jonathan Piring, I received a message from one of the yahoo groups stating “mag ingat sa lalakeng may benda sa kamay.” A picture was attached and it was a photo of Steve taken from a police station. The warning came from one of the Steve’s victim. His modus operandi was to befriend a person, pretend that he is rich and once he earn your trust, he will steal something from you.

I tried to make contact with the guy he victimized and offered my help. But that guy already has plans.

From that time when Steve sends me a message, I was still answering him pretending everything was still the same. He never knew that I know who he really is.

Steve stopped sending text messages and his phone was already unattended. I lost contact with him until that day he sent me a text message telling me he was at the Police Station.

Steve asked me to call the police station near Shangrila Mall (the one under the Shaw flyover). I was able to talk to the police officer and the officer told me that one guy asked for their helped. That guy allegedly went with Steve to Bagiuo. They stayed together in a hotel. While he was taking a bath in the hotel, Steve left and carried with him the money and cellphone of that guy.

I talked to Steve and he recounted to me what he did. I ordered him to settle with that guy. He was very afraid of getting imprisoned at that time. I assured him he won’t, since the Police would need a warrant of arrest for him to be imprisoned or he has to be caught in the act of stealing for them to arrest him, which was not the case.

That night I sent a text message to Steve and told him I already knew who he was long before he called me asking for helped. I said may this be a lesson for him and asked him to stop all his criminal activities. Steve never replied.

Two months after, I received another call. It was Steve again saying he was being accosted by some Security Guards at Makati Medical Center. He had another victim there. This time, I ignore him and refused to help. He never learned his lessons.

tWS ONLINE

2006-09-21T01:43:32Z

Today, in commemoration of the declaration of Martial Law by then President Ferdinand Marcos, the Weekly Sillimanian (tWS), Silliman University's Student Publication and one of the country's longest running weekly campus publication, will launch its online version - the www.weeklysillimanian.net.

You may ask, what is the relation with martial law and tWS? When Marcos declared Martial Law, tWS was one of the first campus publication that Marcos ordered to close down allegedly becuase of its subersive arrticles (read: Anti-Marcos). Launching tWS at this date is a better way of saying that camous journalism is well and alive in this part of the country.

tWS is also celebrating its 103 anniversary and they will be having an exhibit today featuring testimonials of former member of the staff. I was asked to made a one paragraph testimonial. But really1 how can you contain in one paragraph the wonderful memories I have with tWS that helped define who I am now. I am sure the organizers would understand. This is what I wrote:

It is quite difficult to sum up into one paragraph my experience as member of the editorial staff of the Weekly Sillimanian. For one, being a member of tWS was one of the defining moments for me as a student of Silliman University. So my apologies if I go beyond the one paragraph requirement.

I joined tWS in June 1995 as a Junior Reporter, then move as a Senior Reporter by the second semester of that school year. In school year 1996-1997, I was appointed News Editor of tWS. Together with Dinah Baseleres (Editor-in-Chief), Ian Fermin Casocot (Associate Editor), Joanna Ruth Utzurrum (Features Editor), and a bunch of crazy yet talented staff, we publish one of best issues of tWS. And this I say with no apologies!

Since two years prior to us tWS failed to come up weekly, it was then a challenge for us to be a real a “Weekly Sillimanian”. And that we did. We set up a strict schedules and deadlines for everyone to follow (that includes the EiC, the editors and even our adviser). Failure to meet the deadline would mean a deduction from your honorarium and receiving a “verbal lashing” from Dinah (and believe me, that is the last thing you want to hear from her). Writing good stuff and meeting your deadline, however, would entitle you to become one of “staff of the month” where your name will be announced at tWS and you will receive an additional amount for your honorarium. We don’t condone mediocrity, but we were not also short with praises for those who did their job well. At tWS, we were good friends, but when it comes to work and doing our responsibility, we were able to separate personal from official things.

We had good stories during that time. We entered the school year with the news that then SU President Mervyn Misajon just resigned. That was also the year that the registrar tried the computerized enrolment system. Founders day we received news that the Board of Trustees has just appointed Dr. Agustin Pulido as the new SU President which caught everyone in a surprise. During semestral break, Silliman hosted a summit for all the Student Government heads all over the country. It was also during our time that the SU Faculty Association (SUFA) staged a strike against the administration. The heads of the SUSG at that time were also quite a personality that our reporters have literally camped out outside of the house of the SUSG President (She is nowhere to be found in campus), just to get her side on the stories that we run about the SUSG. At that time also, I did a three-part in-depth story of the state of our dormitories and was also able to come out with an interview of an HIV/AIDS victim.

At tWS we took our responsibility seriously. We observed the basic tenets of the Journalist Code of Ethics. This we do because we know that tWS is not just a Campus Publication, tWS can practically be considered a community newspaper for Dumaguete. Thus, the paper is read not just inside the campus, but also by those within in the larger community. To ensure issues are thresh out well, every Wednesday we meet as a whole staff where we critique the issue that was just released and discuss the stories (news, features and opinion) that would come out in our next issue. Everybody participates in this discussion including our non-editorial staff.

That year also, we revive the lampoon issue where I became an instant celebrity of Silliman University (check the Sillimaniana section to find out why).

But we were not also all work. Boy! We had fun. During our Christmas party we decided to have a costume party with the theme, “Philippines 3000” where we don all the craziest futuristic costume we could think (Dinah won the best in costume with her metallic ballerina get up). We held the party at the residence of our adviser Irma Pal in Amigo Subdivision. All of us put on our costume at tWS office in Guy Hall and with our costumes we hailed a pedicab to bring us to Amigo Subdivision. Of course, several pedicabs did not even bother to stop and for those who did, I could just imagine the things that were in the mind of the driver who took us.

There are a lot of stories I could share with my tWS experience, but space is always our constraint. All I could say, what I am now, part of this I owe it to tWS and the people I encountered because of the Weekly Sillimanian.

Damn! I miss those days!

Keys Me by Alyssa Alano

2006-09-04T07:03:31Z

This is the video that started it all. Becuase of this video, Alysa Alano was transformed to a nameless member of the Viva Hot Babe into a celebrity.

Gad! For us who tried to study English and would rather be dead than be caught with the most terrible diction while on stage, this video is really something to think about! HAHAHAHAHA!

Enjoy!

GOOD NEWS!

2006-08-31T01:59:50Z

Ma'am Rose Baseleres sent me a text message yesterday.

The Silliman University School of Communication is now officially the Silliman University College of Mass Communication. The SU Board of Trustees has just upgraded our school in their meeting last August 27, 2006. Kudos to the people who made this possible.

What a nice gift for our Ruby Year!

The LaSallista Song

2006-08-29T07:01:49Z

Back in Dumaguete, I have never really experienced any competition from other school. I mean, there was Silliman and others (hehehehehe! Joke lang).

That is why I find the rivalry between La Salle and Ateneo as exciting and, for most of times, amusing.

This video says it all. Asaran with creativity!

My Celebrity look alikes!

2006-08-25T03:41:32Z

Got this from Daz page:

I tried different pictures and the results were interesting, if not amusing! hehehehehe!

THE BIGOT GOT HIS SHARE OF BEATINGS

2006-08-24T01:13:42Z

For his ignorance, bigotry and by being plainly an asshole, former Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz got what he deserves from writers who had the wits and the logic to say how stupid he was.

Here's a column by Manuel L. Quezon III (grand son of the late President Manuel Quezon)and a letter by Jonathan Best, all published at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

THE LONG VIEW
The grand inquisitor
By Manuel L. Quezon III,

(Published on page A15 of the August 14, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

KURT VONNEGUT ONCE OBSERVED, “FOR SOME reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with Tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.” Vonnegut was pointing out the basic immorality of society’s self-proclaimed moral custodians. Hate the sin but love the sinner? But that opens to a possible debate on what is sin.

How much easier, more certain and eminently satisfying to decree, Kill them all. God will know His own.” The result is the perversion of the finer instincts of religion into a false trinity—faith, hope and bigotry, setting aside charity which represents an inconvenient truth: Christ was friend to prostitutes and tax collectors, and He debated even with the devil. Must Christianity end with Christ?

Retired Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz says that his vigorous and vicious condemnation of gays,lesbians and transgendered people is not supposed to incite hatred and intolerance—or to be precise, that he is not invoking a blanket condemnation of all gay people. He only objects to some, not all. For example, he has nothing but the most generous and respectful thoughts for those who conform to what he finds tasteful and tolerable behavior. And what is tasteful and tolerable as far as his wounded sensibilities are concerned? A minority meekly and absolutely surrendering to the tyranny of the majority, a sub-culture reduced to the subhuman, in which the individual is instructed to live out, every day, a total repudiation of the self. Cruz demands the elimination of a diverse and rich culture—one that is as much a mirror of society’s larger complexities as it is an alternative to some of the worst instincts and features of the broader culture for which he has stepped forward as spokesman—because the minority displeases and disgusts him.

He would have me, and everyone else like me be a slave, a fugitive, a hypocrite and, most of all, a coward. And I find that disgusting. I find it neither reasonable nor acceptable. I do not even find it understandable. Cruz does not understand us, does not want to, would be unwilling to. Yet he says he hates only some, not all, of us, and expects “some of us” to embrace and thank him?

For what? That he reserves his scorn only for hairdressers and fashion designers? That he respects me, the writer, but heaps abuse on someone else because that someone uses slang I don’t use, speaks louder than I do, wears what I don’t wear—and those superficial differences are the things that guarantee me (and those who behave otherwise) Cruz’s respect?

I will not embrace him, not for that, much less shake his hand or offer him the opportunity for civilized disagreement. For he is blind to the civilization to which I belong, and to the fundamental identity I share with those he despises. Whether we have a little learning or not, whether we speak in the same manner or not, regardless of what we wear and what mannerisms we choose to exhibit, we are the same, for in the fundamental things—those we choose to love, to have relationships with and with whom we aspire to share a life marked by a measure of domestic bliss and emotional contentment—there is no difference. To permit Cruz to make such distinctions is to grant him and all those like him an intolerable—because it is fundamentally unjust—power to define myself and those like me.

When he casts the law as an instrument for prosecution, persecution and discrimination, he must be fought. That he discredits polite behavior by portraying civilized discourse as a fancy disguise for his uncritical obedience and intolerant enforcement of uniformity; that he defames religion by turning it into an ideology of hate; that he makes a mockery of filial piety by insisting that tyrannical instincts should be cultivated among the elderly and enforced upon their direction—these should inspire not pity for his moral dementia; these must provoke anger. And condemnation.

To be different is to be held in suspicion. The nonconformist is a subversive. Subversion and rebellion make societies become more generous, more diverse, more compassionate—and an individual more free. For the inability—or unwillingness—to see rebellion as a virtue and not a flaw is what provokes the uncomprehending hostility that makes the anxious herd stifle dissent and stamp out anything different. But humanity is not a herd, and being human demands a vigilance against the kind of provocations that start stampedes.

I will respect anyone’s convictions, but only to the extent you will respect mine. Goodwill inspires the same; tolerance results in cooperation. But I will not be told whom to love, whom to be friends with, what culture to represent, what mannerisms and interests to adopt and, much less, discard. I will not modify my behavior or limit my pleasures merely to please Cruz or bigots like him. The respect gays, lesbians and transgendered people experience is a brittle kind, but hard-won. Far more has to be won, in terms of actual legislation or in every sphere of our lives where discrimination virtually takes place every day.

The behavior Cruz finds so obnoxious is the price he and everyone else must pay for the pink triangles of the German concentration camps, the labor camps and prison cells of Soviet Russia and Communist China and Cuba, the merciless beatings and taunts endured by so many over so long a time. It is his punishment for representing a society whose instincts remain fundamentally murderous toward anyone different. If he weren’t such a hate-monger, he might realize it’s no punishment at all, and that society is all the better for the increased prominence of gays.

Hate-speech as journalism

(Published on Page A14 of the August 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IN his Aug. 12 column, Isagani A. Cruz ranted about the terrible vulgarity of gay hairdressers and effeminate schoolboys and he warned the Philippine nation lest it loses its masculine virility. (In 2003, he targeted gays on TV shows in a somewhat less hysterical article.) Cruz waxed nostalgic of the simpler days of his youth when hardly a gay could be spotted on the streets of Manila. Was he born during the Spanish Inquisition?

Cruz offered apologies to the "decorously discreet" homosexuals he respects -- among them the "less than manly" dress designers (who are acceptable as long as they manage to repress their "condition"). If he had the guts he would also have apologized to the distinguished heads of several major Philippine corporations, Catholic and Protestant priests, movie stars, famous athletes, military men and millions of Average Filipino men and women who are active homosexuals and lesbians enjoying their "condition" just fine.

Cruz launched himself into plain, old-fashioned bullying and gay-bashing, while trying to pass off hate-speech as respectable journalism. Social commentators are welcome to criticize gay culture all they want, we criticize ourselves mercilessly at times and accept criticisms from straight friends and honest critics when appropriate.

But Cruz is not a friend or thoughtful critic. He is a bigot and a hate-monger. He singled out the most vulnerable members of the gay community -- the youth and transgendered and the marginalized workers among them -- who have few options when dealing with their sexuality. He growled about the "homos" in religious processions and asked if the Philippines would be converted into a nation of "sexless persons." He fumed that some people are advocating that homosexuals be given equal rights as "male and female persons."

He menacingly boasted how gays were "mauled" in the 1970s when his five "macho" sons were in school. Despite being a former lawyer, he conveniently ignored the fact that violent gay-bashing is considered a serious hate-crime in most civilized nations.

Sadly, Cruz's self-righteous tirade is pointed to a direction where so many Demagogues and hate groups have gone before. The Church in the dark days of the Spanish Inquisition proclaimed homosexuals an abomination in the eyes of God and sent hundreds of thousands of gays to be tortured and burned alive. Offending men were tied together and burned like faggots of wood, hence, our modern-day nickname "faggots."

The Nazis used gas chambers and the Red Guards in Shanghai used baseball bats because they felt bullets were too expensive to waste on "bourgeois degenerates." The American Klu Klux Klan castrated and lynched gays. And now Islamic fundamentalist death squads in Iraq and Iran are beheading gay men and lesbians in the name of their "all-merciful" God.

JONATHAN BEST, Tambo, Parañaque City

Homophobia?

2006-08-16T03:12:51Z

As a legal luminary, I have high respects for former Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz. I mean, his textbook is what we used for our Political Law class.

I never realized that for a someone whom we expect logic, open-mindedness and intelligence, he could write something illogical, poorly research (or nothing at all!) opinion.

The guy must be turning senile!

'Don we now our gay apparel’
By Isagani Cruz

Published on Page A10 of the August 12, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

HOMOSEXUALS before were mocked and derided, but now they are regarded with new-found respect and, in many cases, even treated as celebrities. Only recently, the more impressionable among our people wildly welcomed a group of entertainers whose main proud advertisement was that they were “queer.” It seems that the present society has developed a new sense of values that have rejected our religious people’s traditional ideas of propriety and morality on the pretext of being “modern” and “broad-minded.”

The observations I will here make against homosexuals in general do not include the members of their group who have conducted themselves decorously, with proper regard not only for their own persons but also for the gay population in general. A number of our local couturiers, to take but one example, are less than manly but they have behaved in a reserved and discreet manner unlike the vulgar members of the gay community who have degraded and scandalized it. I offer abject apologies to those blameless people I may unintentionally include in my not inclusive criticisms. They have my admiration and respect.

The change in the popular attitude toward homosexuals is not particular to the Philippines. It has become an international trend even in the so-called sophisticated regions with more liberal concepts than in our comparatively conservative society. Gay marriages have been legally recognized in a number of European countries and in some parts of the United States. Queer people -- that’s the sarcastic term for them -- have come out of the closet where before they carefully concealed their condition. The permissive belief now is that homosexuals belong to a separate third sex with equal rights as male and female persons instead of just an illicit in-between gender that is neither here nor there.

When I was studying in the Legarda Elementary School in Manila during the last 1930s, the big student population had only one, just one, homosexual. His name was Jose but we all called him Josefa. He was a quiet and friendly boy whom everybody liked to josh but not offensively. In the whole district of Sampaloc where I lived, there was only one homosexual who roamed the streets peddling “kalamay” and “puto” and other treats for snacks. He provided diversion to his genial customers and did not mind their familiar amiable teasing. I think he actually enjoyed being a “binabae” [effeminate].

The change came, I think, when an association of homos dirtied the beautiful tradition of the Santa Cruz de Mayo by parading their kind as the “sagalas” instead of the comely young maidens who should have been chosen to grace the procession. Instead of being outraged by the blasphemy, the watchers were amused and, I suppose, indirectly encouraged the fairies to project themselves. It must have been then that they realized that they were what they were, whether they liked it or not, and that the time for hiding their condition was over.

Now homosexuals are everywhere, coming at first in timorous and eventually alarming and audacious number. Beauty salons now are served mostly by gay attendants including effeminate bearded hairdressers to whom male barbers have lost many of their macho customers. Local shows have their share of “siyoke” [gay men], including actors like the one rejected by a beautiful wife in favor of a more masculine if less handsome partner. And, of course, there are lady-like directors who are probably the reason why every movie and TV drama must have the off-color “bading” [gay] or two to cheapen the proceedings.

And the schools are now fertile ground for the gay invasion. Walking along the University belt one day, I passed by a group of boys chattering among themselves, with one of them exclaiming seriously, “Aalis na ako. Magpapasuso pa ako!” [“I’m leaving. I still have to breastfeed!”] That pansy would have been mauled in the school where my five sons (all machos) studied during the ’70s when all the students were certifiably masculine. Now many of its pupils are gay, and I don’t mean happy. I suppose they have been influenced by such shows as “Brokeback Mountain,” our own “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (both of which won awards), “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and that talk program of Ellen Degeneres, an admitted lesbian.

Is our population getting to be predominantly pansy? Must we allow homosexuality to march unobstructed until we are converted into a nation of sexless persons without the virility of males and the grace of females but only an insipid mix of these diluted virtues? Let us be warned against the gay population, which is per se a compromise between the strong and the weak and therefore only somewhat and not the absolute of either of the two qualities. Be alert lest the Philippine flag be made of delicate lace and adorned with embroidered frills.

The guy is completely a jerk!

What is he suggesting, that we stop gays from expressing themselves? That we forever put every gay into the closet so as just to conform with what they want in the society? That gays would be to careless as to dishonor our flag? That by being a gay is a sign of weakness? That gay could actually control their preference?

This jerk treats gay as if we are a social disease!

I got so irritated reading his work and really, I would want to throw him at the rising magma of Mayon Valcano!

Quiz Time

2006-06-28T02:00:30Z

I am really bothered by my online quizzes results. First on the question Which Walt Disney Character is my alter ego, the result was I would be "Sleeping Beauty"!

You scored as Sleeping Beauty. Your alter ego is Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever.

</td>

Sleeping Beauty

81%

The Beast

69%

Goofy

63%

Cinderella

56%

Donald Duck

44%

Cruella De Ville

38%

Peter Pan

38%

Pinocchio

38%

Snow White

31%

Ariel

25%

Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?
created with QuizFarm.com

Imagine that, me as Sleeping beauty! And look at how they decribe me, my beauty is enchanting! (Wala nang kokontra!) On the next quiz on which mythological creature I would be, i turned out to be a mermaid! My GAD!!!!

You scored as Mermaid. Mermaid: Mermaids are also known as Sirens. These creatures were beautiful women who tricked sailors into becoming completely entranced by their haunting voices and found death soon after. Not all stories of Mermaids are about gentle loving sea people. They are mystical, magical, and extremely dangerous. They have a way about them that brings anyone they are around to seem enchanted. They are very mysterious creatures and to meet one... Would mean certain Death. Let the song of the Sea fill your soul, for you are a Mermaid.

</td>

Mermaid

92%

Angel

75%

Dragon

50%

WereWolf

42%

Faerie

42%

Demon

What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!)
created with QuizFarm.com

See I could either be a mermaid or Sleeping Beauty! Gad! I am beautiful!

Bwahahahahaha!

Okay! Okay! I am just bored!

Gay President?

2006-03-16T03:00:46Z

A question was posted at the forum section of guys4men (a gay site) and the answers were interesting.

The question was, "What if people like us would become President (of the Philippines) what would be the first three things that you will implement immediately after assuming office?"

Some answers were obviously gay.

*Marcova will replace Rizal

*lahat ng Goverment Establishment kulay pink at may name ko Hervee (all Government Establishment will be painted pink and with my name Hervee on it)

*change the police uniform to something more comfy and fashionable.

While some answers were really interesting

*raise the salary of the police force.

*adopt sustainable developmental policies that involve three key dimensions: the environment, the economy, and the society

*increase funding for education and enhance the business potential of the country .

*outlaw squatting, and ensure implementation.

*computerize Filipino passport, it's a shame, it's only us who are not yet computerized ( haven't travelled abroad, is this true people? - JoshuaGomez)

*an ultimatum dialogue with separatist insurgents. if no positive results - - eradicate them all.

*bitayin lahat ng KURAKOT (hang all the corrupt officials).

You, what will you do if you become the President of the Republic?

Japanese Proverb

2006-03-09T05:27:07Z

IDOL

2006-02-24T05:13:57Z

One of the reasons I am watching the season 5 of the American Idol is this

I mean, Oh my God! This guy is just HOT! Talented and HOT (did I say teh word hot twice?) Yes, he is hot! (Oh! I said it again!)

See more of this hot guy here

GADDD!!! I am dripping . . . with sweat! HEHEHEHEHEHE!

Trienta

2006-02-14T02:26:08Z

February 12 passed by without much funfare. It seem like an ordinary Sunday (well it is for most of the people), except that I turned 30 on that day.

I really don't know what with is the age 30. For many, to be 30 is old (your almost way out of the calendar).

But do I consider myself old? Honestly, no. I feel like I am 25 years old. And this I said without any tinge of exaggeration. I always feel that youth is a state of mind, so I won't be limited with thnigs that I do just becuase I am 30. There is much to be explore when you're 30.

And yes! At 30 year old I feel good, I can lift a 100 pound bench press with 12 repetition and 3 sets. At 20, to lift a 40 pounder took a lot of effort.

I am 30 years old, so what?!!! Hehehehehehe!

That Word "Nice"

2006-02-10T03:11:24Z

I love this! Culled from one of the Letters to Editor in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Two young women met years after their high school days. The quiet one inquired about what the sophisticated one had been up to. The latter regaled the former with fantastic stories about how she was living the high life -- fancy clothes and cars, this bling and that bling and other worldly pleasures. To every claim of luxurious and "soci gimik" of the sophisticated one, the quiet one would just say, “That’s nice.”

Then it was the sophisticated one’s turn to ask what the quiet one had been doing. The quiet one replied: “Oh, not much. My parents sent me to Switzerland to study.”

“And how was that?” the sophisticated one queried with a noticeable lack of genuine interest.

“Oh, very boring, really. The only thing the teachers kept hammering on us was never to say “shit” and say “nice” instead.

PROUD TO BE PINOY!

2006-01-27T03:32:52Z

Stories of Filipinos doing great aborad is really heartwarming. Here's a story from today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer about Auraeus Solito, director of "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maxamo Oliveros", the first Filipino Film to compete in the Sundance World Cinema Competition (dramatic category).

Only in Hollywood : The blossoming of Auraeus Solito
By Ruben V. Nepales
Inquirer

PARK CITY, UTAH--BECAUSE HE ALMOST missed the opening of the Sundance Film Festival--and probably also because of jet lag--Auraeus Solito, director of "Ang Pagdadalaga ni [The Blossoming of] Maximo Oliveros," was feeling a bit down on Sunday evening.

But the warmth, cheerfulness and hospitality of Filipino waiters in the Chinese restaurant where a reception for Asian Pacific filmmakers was held buoyed the spirits of Auraeus (and ours as well). Auraeus was the most applauded among the Asians introduced as members of the Sundance Class of 2006.

Wearing Mangyan jewelry and a scarf fashioned from Mindanao cloth, the director was a refreshing presence that night in this beautiful snow-covered city. The filmmaker--he will always hold the distinction of having directed the first movie from the Philippines to participate in Sundance's World Cinema Competition (Dramatic Category)--even found something spiritual in the snow blanketing the hills and rooftops.

Auraeus could have been more exhilarated had he and his companions--"Maximo" producer and screenwriter Raymond Lee and Michiko Yamamoto, respectively, and writer Jessica Zafra (who told us she was here only as a "sabit")--been allowed to attend the film's press and industry screening on Friday morning (Jan. 20). Those involved with a film's production can't attend said screenings. We guess the reason is to avoid the impression that the filmmakers' presence can influence the viewers' reaction.

What some of the folks who watched "Maximo" told me after the screening would surely warm the hearts of Auraeus' group. John Polly, managing editor of the New York-based Genre magazine, said as he came out of the Yarrow Hotel theater, "I liked the movie ... it was not done in the typical melodramatic way."

Lawrence Ferber, a freelance entertainment writer also from New York, said, "I loved the movie--it is complex but in a good way."

Strongest endorsement

The strongest endorsement came from David Magdael and Winston Emano, Filipino-Americans who have come to Sundance for the past five years. David and Winston are partners in the publicity firm, TCDM and Associates, whose Sundance clients this year include "Maximo's" competition rival "Eve & the Fire Horse" and the documentary "Wordplay" (the latter is generating a lot of good buzz). For the record, these guys are not handling "Maximo" so their comments, which they e-mailed to me later, are noteworthy.

David wrote: "The way the story is told and the film's pacing, down to the long pauses, lend the film more depth. Audience reaction is positive, with a number of buyers taking in the press screening.

"It is great to see a film from the Philippines that has substance and quiet beauty in telling a very simple, yet universal story line. The scenes between Maximo and his father are tender and priceless--given that the father is the neighborhood mafia king and Maximo is a 12-year-old gay boy who wears make-up and girly outfits. The relationship between Maximo and his brothers is even more illustrative of blood being 'thicker than water.' Maximo takes care of his brothers and his father with such devout commitment--cooking, cleaning, sewing and braiding one brother's hair.

"This film is proof that there is a ... burgeoning independent film movement [in the Philippines], with directors like Auraeus Solito taking risks both technically and story-wise. It is refreshing to see a film from the Philippines that is not based on a central melodramatic story line and with actors who are not overacting or merely mugging for the camera. Also, the fact that the director shot 'Maximo' digitally promises new hope for Philippine cinema, as this makes filmmaking accessible to more Pinoy artists.

"For this to be the first selection from the Philippines at Sundance is outstanding. It is a film that all of us Filipinos can be proud of, and hopefully will support when it comes out in [US] theaters.

"Congratulations to the filmmaker, the writer and the wonderful cast! I look forward to more stories from this writer and director and more roles for the actor who played Maximo."

Winston commented: "'The Blossoming of Maximo Olivares' is such a rare treat ... It is a textbook example that, given the opportunity, resources and support, Filipino filmmakers and Filipino films can not just compete on a world class stage such as Sundance; they can shine outright.

"It made me proud that the film had been selected for competition; it made me that much prouder after I watched it alongside a full room of press and industry professionals who laughed when I laughed, and who were moved when I was moved.

"It's a mix of refreshment and relief to see in an international festival a Filipino film that does not rely on a story line about macho dancing masseurs to be selected. Director Auraeus Solito and writer Michiko Yamamoto make for dynamic creative combination and the performance of young Nathan Lopez is a tear-inducing revelation."

Winston added: "Four Filipino filmmakers have preceded Auraeus in receiving a prestigious Sundance invite. They are: Q. Alan Brocka, Rod Pulido, Mark Decena and Ramona Diaz (Pinays Christina DeHaven and Maricel Pagulayan were producers of Sundance entries). But 'Maximo' is the first one originating from the Philippines."

Glowing description

"Maximo" was glowingly described in the festival's film guide. N. Bird Runningwater, one of Sundance's Native American Initiatives programmers, wrote: "Just like the flower in the opening scenes, 12-year-old Maxi is a beautiful accent in the gritty underworld on the outskirts of Manila, where he lives. Living with his outlaw father and two older brothers, Maxi dutifully infuses with love everything he does for them--from cooking and sewing to braiding his brother's hair.

"As part of an impressive ensemble cast, newcomers Nathan Lopez and JR Valentin exuberantly inhabit their roles as Maxi and Victor. With its vibrant cinematography, simple scoring, and vast emotional scope, Auraeus Solito's directorial debut as a dramatic filmmaker seems itself like a flower amid the grit of most contemporary cinema."

N. Bird was also quoted in Variety as saying, "Be sure to see 'The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros' in World Cinema Competition."

After the reception at the China Panda, we braved the wintry chill and walked to the nearby Yarrow Hotel for a chat with Auraeus. As we shivered even in the short walk, Auraeus, Golden Zenith awardee at the Montreal World Film Festival gushed, "This is my first winter. Napakaganda pala ng snow dito. Parang spiritual."

In the hotel lobby, he reflected on his making it to the Sundance Class of 2006.

"I am spiritually strengthened and humbled," said Auraeus, who is proud of his Palawan tribal roots. "I felt the love of all the Filipinos at the restaurant where we had the Asian party. That is the reason I do films. We may be a poor country but we are not poor in spirit."

At Redford's table

Auraeus was thrilled to share a table with Robert Redford at the latter's brunch reception for the filmmakers. (Robert's 25-year-old Sundance Institute is behind the festival.) Still, meeting the Pinoy waiters was a bigger thrill for him. "When they gathered around me," he said, "I could feel their positive energy. I was down and depressed because I was tired. I just arrived from Okinawa. My flight was delayed and would have taken another day, but I insisted that I had to be here on the 19th, no matter what. Hindi ko tuloy nakita si Jennifer Aniston (whose movie 'Friends with Money' opened the festival).

"At the restaurant, nakakita ako sa wakas ng kanin!"

This Asian Public Intellectual Fellow of Japan's Nippon Foundation revealed, "This is such a blessing. My friends from the Philippine Science High School who are living in the US helped [bring me here]. I don't even have a credit card. I was really touched by that."

Who would have thought that "Maxi" could take Auraeus this far? After Sundance, he said, "I am attending the Rotterdam festival and then the Berlin Festival."

As we write this column, four more screenings of "Maximo" have been scheduled. It is competing against 15 other films, including "Solo Dios Sabe (Only God Knows)," which stars Diego Luna of "Y Tu Mama Tambien." The awards night will be on Saturday, Jan. 28 (Sunday in Manila).

What are his thoughts on the awards night? In his typical simple way, Auraeus replied, "Kahit ano ang ibigay sa akin ng Lord, masaya na ako."

NEW SU PRESIDENT

2006-01-24T07:04:27Z

Just in case you did not know, the Board of Trustees of our beloved school choose Ben Malayang to succeed Dr. Agustin Pulido. Dr. Malayang is the elder brother of Ian Malayang.

Here's a story from the Dumaguete MetroPost:

Malayang is new SU president
by Alex Pal

The Silliman University Board of Trustees, meeting en banc in Dumaguete
Saturday, has selected Dr. Ben Malayang III as the 12th University President, to replace Dr. Agustin Pulido when his term ends on March 26.

Malayang, 52, emerged as the choice from a field of 16 nominees, after a
rigorous selection process which took almost one year.

Malayang, a member of SU High School Class of 1970, graduated BA Philosophy
from the University of the Philippines, MA Philosophy of Science and Ethics from Ohio University, MA in International Affairs from Ohio University, and Ph.D. in Wildland Resource Science from the University of California.

He is presently a Professor of Environmental Science and Management at the
University of the Philippines' School of Environmental Science and Management and consultant of the United Nations Development Programme. He is considered an international authority on environmental management.

Malayang was also formerly the Undersecretary for Environment and Research,
then later for Field Operations of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Professor Malayang's expertise includes environmental governance and multilateral environmental agreements, political ecology (focus on forest and water resources and biodiversity) and biosafety.

Prof. Leonor Magtolis Briones, chair of the SU Board of Trustees, said Malayang got the required 2/3 vote of the Trustees during their December 19 meeting in Manila. "While the Securities and Exchange Commission only requires the selection of a president by a simple majority, the trustees felt that it was necessary for the new president to get at least 2/3 of the votes so he could be assured of strong support from the Board," Briones said.

Briones said the Board decided to adopt a different process in the selection
of a University President, from the previous practice of leaving the job to a selection committee.

"This method of selecting a president as a committee-of-the-whole, was open
and allowed the community a chance to participate in the process," Briones said.

SU Trustee Felipe Antonio Remollo said the Board's confirmation of Malayang's election was unanimous.

During a convocation at Silliman last November, Malayang had outlined his program for the University in the event that he is selected president. He said he would work to attain the mission and vision of the University as outlined in SUMMA, or the Silliman University Mobilization for Mission Action.

This target, which was formulated in the 1980s, sees Silliman as a leading Christian institution of learning in our country and in Asia, pursuing a triad of functions of teaching, research and extension, and which has a clear program of academic thrusts and development priorities that seek to add to Silliman's strength from where it is already strong.

Malayang said that to achieve SUMMA, there has to be collective governance in Silliman. Collaborative programs among academic units in the University should also be widened. The University should also get aggressive on building partnerships with others.

SWEET REVENGE SWEET VICTORY

2006-01-23T09:53:25Z

If there is one thing that Manny Pacquiao did (other than winning of course!) was to unite a deeply divided Filipino Nation even for just a moment. The A, B, C, D, E crowd all gathered in front of the TV set to cheer their boxing idol. Even members of the National People's Army, the Moro Islamic liberation Front and the Magdalo group of the Armed Forces were either glued to their TV or listening to the radio and hear what happened to Pacquiao. Every one, from President Arroyo to Ka Roger of the CPP/NPA sent their congratulatory message to Pacquiao for winning the rematch (check the story here).

It was such a sweet moment for every Filipinos (boxing loving and those who are not really a boxing fan) seeing their fellow Filipino avenge his lost ten months ago. Pacquiao was relentless in his assualt againt the Mexican legend Erik Morales, so relentless was he that Morales knelt down before him (literally!) on the 10th round of what was supposedly a 12 round fight. It was Morales first ever knockout.

For country that is in dire need of glory, Pacquiao's victory was truly a great one. You can see that on how the people at Rockwell joined the crowd at Plaza Miranda cheered and jump in jubilation after Pacquiao was declared the winner. It was really a sweet moment to watch that it made me teary-eyed - - and so were many others.

*****

At the expense of being labeled as a "kapuso", hvaing no choice but to watched the fight at ABS-CBN channel, I couldn't also help but give this observation.

ABS-CBN must be in dire need of money. Since ABS-CBN and Solar Sports have the exclusive right to air the fight yesterday. The fight was delayed telecast at ABS-CBN and knowing th captive audience, it was laden with too many commercial. What could have been an at most four hours TV show was was stretched to almost 8 hours! (Reminds me of the Oscars as aired by RPN-9)

At 1:30 p.m. I already received a text message that Pacquiao won on the 10th round by knockout. At 1:30 p.m., ABS just started first round of the Morales-Pacquiao fight. ABS started airing shots from Las Vegas as early as 9 a.m.

But what really caused my eyebrows to raise was the placement of ad of "Pegasus" (yes that girlie bar frequented by corrupt politicians and government officials and ulta-rich guys in Quezon Avenue!) in between the rounds of the fight. On a primetime, ABS placed an ad of Pegasus! Yes, the viewers were pre-dominantly male, but do you really have to place an ad of a girlie bar where quite a number of those who also watched are kids, wives and women!

Shameless isn't it.

BROKEBACK IN MANILA ON FEB.15

2006-01-18T02:30:55Z

Finally, the movie that I've been waiting for will hit the screens in Metro Manila on February 15. I just hope that MTRCB wont do anything crazy this time (like forcing the distributors to cut some scenes) so we could really see the movie as it is and see why critics have been raving about this movie. In case you still don't know, it won the Best Motion Picture-Drama in yesterday's Golden Globe Awards.

Meanwhile, I would like to share this satiric Op-Ed written by Comedian Larry David, published at the New York Times on January 1.

COWBOYS ARE MY WEAKNESS
by Larry David

SOMEBODY had to write this, and it might as well be me. I haven't seen "Brokeback Mountain," nor do I have any intention of seeing it. In fact, cowboys would have to lasso me, drag me into the theater and tie me to the seat, and even then I would make every effort to close my eyes and cover my ears.

And I love gay people. Hey, I've got gay acquaintances. Good acquaintances, who know they can call me anytime if they had my phone number. I'm for gay marriage, gay divorce, gay this and gay that. I just don't want to watch two straight men, alone on the prairie, fall in love and kiss and hug and hold hands and whatnot. That's all.

Is that so terrible? Does that mean I'm homophobic? And if I am, well, then that's too bad. Because you can call me any name you want, but I'm still not going to that movie.

To my surprise, I have some straight friends who've not only seen the movie but liked it. "One of the best love stories ever," one gushed. Another went on, "Oh, my God, you completely forget that it's two men. You in particular will love it."

"Why me?"

"You just will, trust me."

But I don't trust him. If two cowboys, male icons who are 100 percent all-man, can succumb, what chance to do I have, half- to a quarter of a man, depending on whom I'm with at the time? I'm a very susceptible person, easily influenced, a natural-born follower with no sales-resistance. When I walk into a store, clerks wrestle one another trying to get to me first. My wife won't let me watch infomercials because of all the junk I've ordered that's now piled up in the garage. My medicine cabinet is filled with vitamins and bald cures.

So who's to say I won't become enamored with the whole gay business? Let's face it, there is some appeal there. I know I've always gotten along great with men. I never once paced in my room rehearsing what to say before asking a guy if he wanted to go to the movies. And I generally don't pay for men, which of course is their most appealing attribute.

And gay guys always seem like they're having a great time. At the Christmas party I went to, they were the only ones who sang. Boy that looked like fun. I would love to sing, but this weighty, self-conscious heterosexuality I'm saddled with won't permit it.

I just know if I saw that movie, the voice inside my head that delights in torturing me would have a field day. "You like those cowboys, don't you? They're kind of cute. Go ahead, admit it, they're cute. You can't fool me, gay man. Go ahead, stop fighting it. You're gay! You're gay!"
Not that there's anything wrong with it.

METROSEXUAL BASHING

2006-01-16T01:54:18Z

I know dyames_d_lawyer would love this.

Culled from the premier issue of Men's Health Philippines Magazine

METROSEXUAL? NO THANKS
Our straight man turns a queer eye towards the latest trend, and decides he’s not ready to mousse, moisturise or exfoliate just yet
By Joe Queenan

No trend has come and gone faster than the “metrosexuality” craze that erupted last year. Metrosexuals, so the theory went, were an entirely new breed of straight, urban young men who unhesitatingly drowned their bodies in raucous cologne, who obsessed about body hair, who spent an enormous amount of time and money shopping for chic, upscale clothing, and who were not afraid to be confused with gay men.

True, to the uninitiated this sounded suspiciously like every cool waiter in Cape Town, but those in the know insisted that metrosexuals were not in fact snooty busboys at trendy bistros. They were in fact a new, improved kind of manly man. It’s just that they spent more time exfoliating.

When I first heard about the metrosexual craze, I thought it was yet another example of media hype. But one day the local gangsters who were repaving my driveway turned up reeking of an extremely esoteric cologne. Then the plumber who dropped by to replace my defective U-joints spent the whole day creaming his hands with moisturising lotion while listening to the soundtrack from Amélie. And then at a touch rugby game on a scorching late-summer afternoon, the teams were divided up not by “shirts” and “skins”, but by “hirsutes” and “exfoliateds”. Oh, no! I couldn’t believe it. Metrosexual dementia was invading my refined, low-key, super-non-cutting-edge suburban hamlet!

Puzzled, I decided to investigate the phenomenon. Devouring newspapers, magazines and Michael Flocker’s hastily assembled Metrosexual Guide to Style, I learnt that members of the new tribe had cobbled together their mix-and-match personalities from traits shared by soccer star David Beckham, noted thespian Antonio Banderas, rock singers David Bowie and Sting, director Guy Ritchie, and politician Al Gore. According to Flocker’s book (which begins with the suspiciously gender-neutral word “Hmm”), metrosexuals were a subversive force poised to rise above the rules of society, to “shatter them, and subsequently change the course of history”.

These hypershopping, hairless Robespierres were men of “stellar character” whose spiritual antecedents ranged from Mozart to Gandhi to Picasso, but apparently did not include Beowulf, James Brown, Shaka Zulu or Jonah Lomu. They were men, or quasimen, who were clearly in touch with their feminine side and who piously monitored any disturbing developments (fraying, sagging, stains) in their underwear drawer. And, according to reports in the New York Times, they were poised to take over the world.

Before long, the prospects for a global metrosexual coup d’etat seemed in place. Justin Timberlake had a monstrous hit record. Veteran heterosexual Harrison Ford began sporting an earring. Eminem performed with Elton John. For one sweet-smelling moment, it seemed as if every male on the planet was exuding something pungent, citrusy, woody or musky.

Then, unexpectedly, all the air went out of the balloon. David Beckham, who had worn out his welcome in England, got banished to Spain. Antonio Banderas made a couple more atrocious movies that tanked at the box office. Justin Timberlake got pelted with bottles at an outdoor concert in Canada and had to be defended by cada-verous, nonmetrosexual Keith Richards. Guy Ritchie married a woman who had once voluntarily gotten into bed with Sandra Bernhard.

Far more damaging to the prospects for a metrosexual putsch was the speed with which the trend was seized upon by the masses – including those guys in my driveway – and turned into something vaguely ridiculous. Before you knew it, the revolution had consumed its own children. Or been consumed by its own children. Or something equally fatal.

In retrospect, it is not clear whether metrosexuality was a naturally evolving trend that quickly reached the end of its life cycle or one of the biggest hoaxes of the past half century (see Vanilla Ice). Let us not forget that the men’s movement of the early 1990’s was originally canonised by the media, who then, as now, thought they were in the presence of a dramatic zeitgeist shift ushering in a watershed era of male demureness. With lots of tribal drumming in the sweat lodge. But then it was revealed that the men’s movement consisted almost entirely of middle-aged misogynists, and the craze abruptly expired.

The fate of the metrosexual movement is eerily similar. Originally a satirical concept dreamed up by a British journalist in 1994, the derisive notion of metrosexuality was deliberately perverted into an urban myth in a desperate attempt to get young men to buy more merchandise. Retailers had reason to be concerned, for no matter what anybody said or did, heterosexual men of all ages have traditionally refused to shop. To the average man, it’s time that could be put to better use drinking, fixing up their cars or fantasising about Jennifer Love Hewitt coiled like a python. Preferably around Sarah Michelle Gellar. So there was always something contrived, something statistically suspect about the breathless reports of a metrosexual craze.

For example, at the very same moment that the New York Times was hyperventilating about hip young males forking out over R1 000 for blue jeans, USA Today was publishing a troubling report that the largest group of male clothing buyers consisted of ordinary guys who liked khakis and loose-fitting shirts and who “tend to buy out of need, such as replacing a frayed shirt or stained trousers”. This was chilling news.

If USA Today was correct and most men were still enthralled by khaki, how were the outnumbered fashionistas going to seize the palace and proclaim a metrosexual republic? It was enough to make a young urban man with a refined aesthetic sense write home to Mother.

Further fuelling such discontent were approximately 97 million baby boomers, who annex (and thereby destroy) everything. They quickly developed a cognate concept of the “midlife metrosexual”, donning earrings and humming the theme song from Will and Grace. What next? Metrosexual car dealerships, metrosexual bike shops and even metrosexual garden services? Metrosexuality, which had started out as something edgy and exclusive, was now being sold in every mall.

Another major cause of the metrosexual implosion was the inevitable collision with the fat community. Sensing that the metrosexual powers-that-be were seeking to marginalise them, the fat community began developing its own subculture. Pro wrestlers began appearing in the ring in microbikinis, bathing their bodies in cold cream to easily avoid the grasps of their opponents. The term “metrosumosexual” soon entered the vernacular to describe heterosexual men who did not mind people thinking they were fat.

Ultimately, metrosexuality was done in by its own inherently flawed logic. There simply weren’t enough warm bodies to man the barricades. While it was true the nation abounded with young, urban males who obsessed about clothing and body hair and who did not mind being thought of as gay, this was because they were, in fact, gay. Metrosexuality was the cultural equivalent of The Blair Witch Project, a case of fleeting mass delusion that left everybody feeling horribly embarrassed after it was over. Personally, I can’t wait till my chest hair grows back.

BUKIDNON HOLIDAYS

2006-01-12T08:18:04Z

This is a little bit late but still worth the read.

After a traumatic flight to Cagayan de Oro (CDO), the nine days that I stayed in the Bukid over the holidays turned out to be was great! I came back to Manila, five pounds bigger but well rested and happy.

I left for Bukidnon on December 23. As usual, my 9:30 Cebu Pacific flight was delayed. The plane took off at around 10:20 a.m. We left Manila with a very good weather. But 30 minutes before we are about to land in CDO, it was already cloudy. I started to worry. Back in December 31, 2001, our plane was forced to land in Mactan because it was impossible to land in CDO due to poor weather condition. At that time, I ended up celebrating my New Year's Eve on board Cebu Ferries.

Located 187 meters above sea level, a slight change in the weather would cause the visibility of the CDO's airport to become poor. Our plane attempted to land twice but only to end up drastically “climbing” since the pilot could not see the runway. We were forced to land in Mactan.

While in Mactan, we were just told to remain in our seats to wait for some update regarding the weather in CDO. Reporting an improvement of the weather (visibility is already at 5 km from 2 km), we took off at Mactan at around 2 p.m. Once again the plane attempted to land only to “climb” again. The pilot told us that we will stay on air for 20-30 minutes on air. On its fourth attempt, the plane finally was able to land. As soon as the tires touch the runway, every passenger burst into an applause and was cheering everybody. I cried and so was my seatmate. It was such a relief! (back in the 90s, a classmate in grade school was one of the casualties when Cebu Pacific flight to CDO crashed in somewhere Claveria, so you can just imagine my fear).

We arrived CDO almost 4 p.m. already (from an 11:30 a.m. expected time of arrival). I headed straight to Agora Terminal to take an aircon bus to Valencia, Bukidnon where my mother's driver was waiting for me.

Christmas eve I spent in house in Don Carlos with my mom and my two younger sister. Earlier, I sent a text message to Dyames telling him how I feel weird while buying some ingredients for a salad in the Public Market (there is no supermarket in Don Carlos). People were staring at me. I was a new face to them and in the sea of brown and dark complexion people, I with a very fair complexion would probably be an oddity. I asked Dyames, “should I wave at this people like a celebrity?” But sanity caught up with me and instead of making a scene I was just smiling and told my sister to hurry so that I can go home.

After going to Church on Christmas Day, we went straight to Malaybalay to meet my sister and her Kids. My mom is also meeting her brothers and sisters for some family business (they need to discuss where to place my Tito who is currently admitted to a mental facility in one of the towns in Bukidnon).

My mother and Joanne (our youngest) left for Don Carlos the following day, I and Beulah (my other younger sister) stayed in Malaybalay until the 27th. We stayed at my Ate's place. Dec. 26 and 27 I spent playing with my niece and nephew, watching TV and in the afternoon tried to lift some weights in a small gym which is attached to a coffee shop selling all the sweets and pastries you need to avoid (what a nice way to work out!). My mom picked us up on the 27th.

December 28, I joined my mother and some of her office staff to do some Charity work in Sinuda, Quezon, Bukidnon. This is a place near the Bukidnon-Davao boundary. We distributed gifts to kids of the members of the Matigsalud tribe. These are the kids who would stand beside the road and would extend their hand at some passing vehicles hoping the passengers would hand over some food stuff or money to them (they live just beside by the now well-paved Bukidnon-Davao road).

My Mom (in lavender) handing out the packed goodies to the Matigsalud kids

I took time, of course, to pose with the kids, my mom beside me.

I was at first hesitant to go since all I really want to do was to sleep and catch up with things I missed on TV. But since going with my mom would make her happy, I went. I did not regret it. Just seeing the happy smiles of these kids is enough to make my day.

And as an added bunos, I've got to enjoy the sceneries and the fresh mountain air.

Saw the fog at my back? its 12 noon already with the Sun up, but the fog is still there

With my Mom's staff and officemates, taking a pose after having lunch

December 29 I went back to Malaybalay to meet my high school classmates. Over two bottles of tequila, red horse and sinugbang baboy (pork) and tuna, lechon manok and kinilaw na tuna, we reminisced the good ole days (as usual), laugh at the crazy things we did before, update each other about what we are doing now and had a good time.

Since the girls didn't make it this year(two of them are pregnant with their nth kid), it was an all boys party. It was really nice seeing my classmates once again. I was happy to see them matured and show concern for each other. Yes, the banters (I love the word kantyaw than its English counterpart) are still there, but you could actually see that they have grown (most of us are turning 30 this year).

Russel, the naughtiest of our classmates even surprised me. Since by 11 p.m. ( we started at around 7 p.m.) I was a bit sleepy already, they lit me lie down in hammock (we were having bonfire at the backyard of my classmate Paul). It was really cold at night in Malaybalay (high altitude and pine trees), I was waken up from my short nap feeling somebody was put some sheets on me. I was surprised to find Russel actually removed his sweater and used it to cover me from the cold. I actually saw his face few inches from my face and smiling at me. For the record, he is straight but that was really sweet of him to do such thing.

Me and Earl, no that smoke is not an effect, Paul was smoking when he took the picture.

The 4-Faith boys, Edward, Me, Earl, Russel, Rico, (seated) Paul and Ronnie.

December 30, we were in Don Carlos again for my Grandfather's death anniversary.

December 31 we went back to Malaybalay for my nephew's dedication. Joseph Edgar is my Ate's second child. I was one of the Ninongs. The Edgar in his name was a tribute to my late father Edgardo.

My cute nephew Joseph Edgar.

Joseph's 8 year old ate Roxanne. This girl is smart.

After many years, we celebrated New Year with our family complete. My sisters, my niece and nephew, my mom and Rodolfo (father of my Ate's kids) celebrated new year together in my Ate's house. I was so happy and I so was my Mom whose joy really is seeing her kids and grandkids complete. We did not prepare anything for new year, there were already plenty of food left from my nephew's dedication. With some cakes and wine, we welcomed the year inside the house and just watching the neighbors lit those firecrackers.

I was really enjoying my vacation, but then some good thing has to end. And so by January 2, I left for CDO. The following day, I took the 7 a.m. Cebu Pacific to manila. At this time, the weather was good.

Off to the Bukid

2005-12-22T02:06:03Z

I know, it has been ages since I last updated my LJ. No, I wasn't really busy. just plain lazy to write. Quite a number of things I already started to right and all I haven't finished, just saved in my PC.

For now, however, let me great you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I am off to the Bukid tommorow and will be back here in Manila on January 3.

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

2005-11-21T07:17:23Z

Have I told you that I am happy with what is happening now with the independent-digital movement in the Philippine Film Making Industry? Digital filmmakers, with its little budget, did not invest their meager budget on talent fees of big stars (who were not really good actors!) just to insure a good box office result, instead they focused more on the story and placed actors whose first love is acting rather than the glitters of showbusiness (you know what i mean).

So with the advent of indpendent-digital movies these days, good films have emerged, new names in filmaking came into view. They were so good that they did not only earn awards locally but also abroad. There was "Masahista", "Tuli", "Ilusyon" and "Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros".

I am most excited to watch Pagdadalaga, unfortunately it was only played in selected theaters (CCP and UP Film Center) a few months ago before the film was sent to Montreal Film Festival.

The producers, however, decided that this great film deserves a regular theater run and so it will finally be shown on regular theaters this November 30 (Dyames we haven't set a date yet when we will watch this film). Finally i can catch this.

Here's an article by Rina Jimenez-David to tickle your interest on the film.

At Large : Maxi's story
Nov 19, 2005
Updated 02:34am (Mla time)
Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

COMING-OF-AGE is a staple theme in storY-telling. Indeed, some of the best short stories, novels and films have revolved around a young person's transition from childhood, the moment the scales of naiveté and innocence fall from a young person's eyes and he or she discovers life and reality in all its complexity, pain and beauty.

"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" joins this long list of coming-of-age tales, but for "Maxi" it is a coming-of-age not just in terms of his emotional maturity and budding sexuality but also in relation to his family and to the reality of their situation.

Maxi is a 12-year-old gay boy raised lovingly, if brusquely, by his family of petty crooks. Ever since his mother died, Maxi has taken over the "mommy" role in the family, cooking for his father and two brothers, laundering, darning, cleaning up and even looking after the children of neighbors.

Though teased relentlessly by his family and neighborhood thugs ("Here, this is your tip, use it to buy your sanitary napkins," his father joshes at one point), Maxi enjoys an amazing amount of acceptance and fondness, his swishy ways, love for flower-printed outfits and colorful hair accessories notwithstanding. He spends his days, aside from looking after his family, earning tips from his customers in a numbers racket, watching DVDs of local films and taking part in mock beauty contests with his other gay "boylet" friends.

Into this quiet, idyllic existence steps Victor, a good-looking, clean-cut policeman who comes to Maxi's rescue when he's set upon by drunken "istambays." Suddenly, Maxi's world finds a new focus, and through dint of devotion and persistence, the boy succeeds in making friends with the macho cop. But even innocent romance must find its foe and in "Ang Pagdadalaga" the main obstacle to Maxi's love proves to be his family.

* * *

WHO will Maxi choose? Is it at all possible to continue being a friend to Victor while remaining loyal to his father and brothers?

This becomes Maxi's central dilemma, and as the story unfolds, it becomes distressingly clear that one choice necessarily demands abandonment of the other. How Maxi resolves this thorny situation, and finds the means to move on from tragedy, brings the movie to a most satisfactory conclusion.

"Ang Pagdadalaga" is set in familiar territory -- an urban poor enclave of rundown structures, narrow alleys, creeks choked with waste -- that was the natural milieu of social realists like Lino Brocka and his disciples. But while the Brocka school of gritty realism mined such a setting for socio-political conflicts, "Ang Pagdadalaga" uses it as a backdrop for a story that is as sweet and simple as Maxi himself.

This is a statement in itself, for what I glean from Michiko Yamamoto's script and Aureaeus Solito's direction is an assertion that even in the most sordid and seamy of neighborhoods, innocence can thrive, love of all kinds can flourish, and wisdom can emerge. Amid the corruption and criminality that surrounds him, Maxi proves that one boy can prove the skeptics wrong, and that happy endings are possible in even the most distressing of circumstances.

* * *

I MUST say that "Ang Pagdadalaga" deserves all the accolades it has reaped, including Jury Prize for Best Picture in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Best Picture in the Montreal World Film Festival, and Best Picture in the ImagineNative Film Festival in Toronto.

Nathan Lopez's win as Best Actor in Cinemalaya is also well deserved, for he gives Maxi a touching vulnerability without turning him into a swishy stereotype. The gays at the preview I attended were, of course, the most volubly appreciative of his portrayal, with many later exclaiming that they envied Maxi his loving upbringing, apparently a luxury rarely enjoyed by gay men growing up.

But the movie was also well served by the rest of the small cast. Soliman Cruz as Maxi's father, a small-time crook who's a kingpin in his little corner of the world, is a revelation. He shows touches of vulnerability as he cuddles his gay son, and pained dignity as he explains to his son, who cries that all he wants is a peaceful life, why he chose to be a snatcher, determined that he would never again be put in a situation where he could do nothing to save the life of a family member.

Ping Medina and Neil Ryan Sese as Maxi's older brothers are also quite effective. I was most touched by the scene in which Maxi confesses his spurned love for Victor to his hoodlum brother, who provides both gentle comfort and gruff advice.

JR Valentin as Victor, the honest cop who in the end cannot resist the blandishments of power, provides a refreshing counterpoint to all the toughies in Maxi's life. I found him a bit too wooden for comfort, although his stoicism provides contrast to Maxi's adoration.

* * *

"ANG Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" was recently granted an "A" rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board, joining two other independent digital movies "Ilusyon" and "Big Time" (way to go Kyen!) as among the best films produced in this country this year.

I'm told that ufo Pictures, the outfit of independent filmmakers behind "Ang Pagdadalaga," spent so much on converting from digital to film format that they will need to make a bundle at the box-office to recoup their investment. The tax rebates care of the "A" rating help, but what they really need is moviegoers' patronage.

Do watch "Ang Pagdadalaga," not only to remember your own coming-of-age, but also to herald the coming-of-age of young, independent, free-thinking filmmakers who are the hope of Philippine cinema. It opens in theaters Nov. 30.