Cavite Explosion

Another tragedy for Pinoys. Amidst economic scares, this thing should happen. I am sympathetic to those affected and I hope they get back on their feet soon. To the families of the dead, I extend my condolences.
This tragedy makes me wonder how this happened. I am very much sure that in the ensuing investigation after all the commotion, turuan na naman yan. Safety standards are quite low in our country. I fear more now especially in these times of economic downturn. I am sure most companies would have cost-cutting measures planned. And most of these measures would probably lead to downgrading safety, especially in low-profile companies. I hope this tragedy does not happen again. It's hard to ask at these times but safety first before profit.

We watched Slumdog Millionaire weeks before. This lunar new year holidays, I bummed myself out and found myself watching an episode of Wowowee. Then it hit me how similar the hosts of shows that give away money behave. Almost all episodes show the host making fun of contestant's poor fortune and commoner looks to provide humorous content to their shows. I just hope these so called contestants do still have dreams other than being chosen as "lucky" contestants in these gameshows. In these time of mass lay-offs, I hope Juan dela Cruz would find a way to find a job or start their own enterprise. This is what is needed for our country to rise. Not putting our hopes in winning a gameshow. As Dely Atay-Atayan famously exclaimed, "John, Magsumikap ka..."

Pinoy Heroes

Nice. This is one of those videos that are like "sapul hanggang kaluluwa". Too bad that those people that should watch this video are too manhid already. I have the same sentiments as these OFWs. Mind you, these are OFWs who would have stayed at home if there are better opportunities. OFWs who don't forget their root. Not "migrants" but OFWs. This is an "in your face" video of how they actually feel. I talked to a lot of OFWs where I am now and they would give anything just to have a stable job back home. I know all their sufferings in their work; the discrimination, the low pay (based on foreign standards) , the loneliness. "Masuwerte ka estudyante ka dito" is what they always say to me. They don't need a heroes' welcome. What they would be happy about is to see when they step out of the airport are changes. Changes in the country that would give them a chance to work at home and be with their families. I just hope that in the near future (hopefully in the upcoming elections) a new bayani would rise up. A hero that is located at home and improving the country for the future. So that our current heroes can finally go home.

Cheesy First Love

Pinoys are the cheesiest people in the planet as can be seen in this advertisement of McDonalds. I don't exactly know when this ad came out. I just saw it yesterday at a pinoy video streaming site. "Huling El Bimbo" was the background track and it caught my attention. The cheesiness is so high one can either turn into something gooey in nature or puke all the cheeseburgers, fries and sundae ice cream one has eaten in his/her entire life. For most pinoys, it would have been the former. Even the most brutal and macho kabaros would give a smile upon watching this ad. That's one of the things I love about pinoys. In a relationship, romanticism is one of the key items to make it work. I've talked to some foreigners in my stay outside of the country and they usually say they like Filipinos because they are hopeless romantics. Try strolling around malls and public areas, and you'll see the place populated by corniest couples doing their things. Maybe you'll see me and cookie. I'm proud to say, "Corny kami, ano pake mo!"

Its the return of the comeback! LoL

I was happy hearing the news about the reunion concert part 2 by the Eraserheads. I was watching the news (24 oras) from a streaming site, listening to "common" Pinoy news (robbery, etc) when BOOM, the news anchor announced that the most influential band in the Philippines would be having their second reunion concert on March 2009.

After that my brother messaged me through Yahoo saying he will go. DAMN YOU! I won't be able to attend again similar to the original reunion concert. There's no way for me to go back to Pinas at that time. I wish it would be held in December so I can have the opportunity to reminisce while listening to their song. But if that happens, a mass protest bigger than EDSA II or III combined would be mobilized by the fans. I guess I'd have to satisfy myself with youtube videos again.

So for the loyal fans of Eheads, support the concert. This might be the last as mentioned in the article(I DO HOPE NOT). And please take good videos and upload soon (Para sa masang di makapanood) . I'll be waiting!!!

Seven Pounds . . .

I am thankful I was very busy the night I decided to watch this film. I have a habit of checking movie information on google or wiki before watching a film. Kinda weird, I guess, but that's me. Anyway, I was busy that time so I did not check the details of the movie. Lucky for me since this movie is all about the "catch".

This movie is actually well made. Though it may have been a box-office hit. Probably because it was shown during the festive season, and frankly, this is not a movie that can make you feel the holiday cheer. This movie is about someone who due to guilt decided to end his life while making 7 people happy. The guilt was from being the person responsible for an accident that killed his fiancee along with 6 more people. The start to middle of the movie leaves one guessing what are the relationships of the characters to Tim's (Will Smith) life. By the middle of the film, you begin to connect the 911 call at the start of the movie and the movie title. This movie was nice, in my opinion. Though critics gave this low ratings. Well, they're professionals, I guess, so props for that. However, the sense of not knowing anything about the movie is important to the enjoyment of watching this.

However, a question I would ask (and I'm sure it has been asked a number of times) is do we see Tim as a hero for saving people's lives even if it means committing suicide? Do hopelessly depressed people have a justification to commit suicide if they can donate organs/help people in the process of doing so?

I'm not implying that the movie is morally wrong. This movie is a fictional story that made me think. In the world, suicide cases have risen in number noticeably. Depression is continually spreading like a plague. It made me think of a theory that depression might be the end of human race. The disease that would kill us all. Well if that ever happens, we Filipinos might be the one of the last race to perish.

And if we do perish, we might die laughing...

Undisciplined Devotion

I was watching SAKSI from a streaming site and I can't help but comment about the Black Nazarene Procession that is celebrated every year at Quiapo Church, Manila. In this occasion, millions of devotees endure claustrophobic situations and human stampede just to get a chance at touching the statue with their hankerchief , and/or be able to pull the carosa. In this event, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people get injured. This year, about 200 people got injured. Luckily, unlike in previous years, no one died.

There were comments in the video I was watching debating on whether to be ashamed of this practice or not. I take the side of those ashamed. Don't get me wrong. I'm not ashamed of the devotion. I don't have anything about the devotion part. I actually admire them because, in these times when the economy is poor and finding some money for food is as difficult as enduring the Quiapo procession, they were still able to have a strong faith in God. My father also has a devotion to the Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran so I understand the feelings of these people. What I cannot understand (and what I am ashamed of) is the lack of discipline. Do they really need to push and injure each other? Is it the devotion or the violence that gives them hope? Its like the survival of the fittest in the Safari. In the Spanish times, this is valid. We are now in modern times. A system can be implemented (knock, knock people from the gov't) that can efficiently control the crowd so that all can wipe, touch or pull the carosa. A system that would be fair to everyone.

I admire devotion. But I'm tired of injuries and death. I honestly believe that even God might be looking at it the same way. Death or injuries in this is not doing it for God, it is doing it for ourselves. I'm ashamed because this shows a lot of ourselves as a Filipino. Even for this event we are undisciplined. In addition, those few who are disciplined enough, can't help it but be carried by the flow because they're stuck in the middle, pushed by the selfish, undisciplined people. I hope next year there would be fewer injuries. Fewer casualties. So that we can start focusing on achieving our goals rather than tending the wounded.

Ploning

"Wow"
This was the first thing me and cookie exclaimed after finishing this movie. One word that can summarize everything that we feel for the movie.

No offense to anyone but when I first heard about the movie in Inquirer, I was quite indifferent about it. Well, maybe I was looking down a little on it. Well, can you blame me? For my taste, there were only quite a few Pinoy movies that actually made me feel proud to be "pinoy". Maybe because Philippine films can be so low budget and most stories are shallow. The last pinoy movie that I really liked was Jose Rizal by Marilou Diaz-Abaya starring Cesar Montano. However, this "like" was more for the screenplay and directing rather than the story itself. We all know our national hero's history and all (Still, nice movie though). The rest of the movies, in my opinion, are mediocre at most. I am not a movie critic. I judge a movie only by two things: 1) effects and 2) predictability. I like a movie where I cannot guess what is going to happen next. I mean, I am a viewer not the director. Sorry to say most of the Philippine movies are predictable.

Ploning has some level of unpredictability to me. From the opening scene, with the haunting song of Ploning, my attention was immediately caught. Dante Nico Garcia and company did a marvelous job hiding the key elements of the story. I was like, is Muo Sei really Thomas? Sure at 1/4 of the movie, he is revealed to be Rodrigo which one can guess to be Digo. But call me stupid, but the other events I was not able to predict. It was like a slow joke building up to a sensational punchline.

Also, one thing I like about this movie is how the actors did their job. Although I'm not a fan of Juday, she did quite well. The rest of the cast was simply amazing. What's different in Ploning from other Philippine movies is that the way actors acted was so so natural. It was as if you're watching an animal planet hidden camera observing how Cuyonan people live. It was surreal. The child Digo played by Cedric Amit was like seeing your brother or nephew from a video camera recording. Bibo, ika nga.

Finally, Muo Sei, with his distant looks, makes you feel that you want to go home. This movie made me remember of the native province of my parents, Lubang. Like my father always told us, no matter where he is, he will always want to contribute to Lubang. No matter how small the contribution. This makes one remember our roots and the happy times we spent at home.

This movie get 5 thumbs up from me. I hope they win the Academy award (I think). I'll be cheering for this one. Good luck guys.

This is absurd

Something crazy happened today. I mentioned in the previous post that I already quit WoW (at least for now). This morning, my college friend and WoW gamer YMed me about seeing my toon in Azeroth last night? HOLY COW! So despite my bumming schedule, I accessed my account to clear the mystery. Lo and Behold, some shitty guy charged my account with their own credit card. So naturally, I AGAIN cancelled the subscription. Lucky for him I was in a good mood or I would have changed the subscription to cover my account for 6 months recurring. Sheesh. So I cancelled the subscription, changed everything, email etc. After that I emailed blizzard in a semi-irrate manner. I was hoping to have a peaceful life after WoW. But even if I already cashed out, some dumb person would still have the nerve to charge up my account (I'm guessing that the credit card wasn't even his/hers) and somehow get my items. TOO BAD FOR YOU, I ALREADY GOT HACKED BEFORE QUITING!

This entry I guess is a statement for my earlier entry. I was right to stop playing this time. For good? We'll see...

The Why's of Quitting WoW...

The first reason why I started blogging was because I stopped playing WoW. Since I don't have anything interesting to do with the free time I gained for quitting WoW, my guardian angel (cookie) forced...errr... suggested to spend my idle time on blogging.

Playing this game has slowly turned to something of a frustration to me instead of an enjoyment. So for this entry, here are reasons why you should quit WoW. No offense Blizz...

• WoW is a game of wasted time. If you actually think about it, your actual playing time in WoW is about 30-40% of what you paid for. Why? Because 60% of the time you spend on log-in queues, maintenance days, rolling restarts and more importantly TRAVEL TIME. I'm not actually sure if maintenance days or restarts are reimbursed but even disregarding that, log-in queues and travel time can still account to 50% of your paid game time. Businesswise, Blizz ppl are geniuses. It is a "world" so of course travel is essential. But on the otherhand, I have wasted a lot (and I mean a LOT) just to get some deer antlers for a quest. Sheesh...


• Security in WoW is TERRIBLE! I have been hacked 3 times in 2 years of playing the game. Hacked meaning I lost items, gold and practically speaking precious time because some smart-ass players got to my email. Well, sure I got exposed to viruses. So not entirely their fault. And I honestly cannot dedicate my PC for pure WoW gameplay so I'm sure to be infected with some viruses once in awhile. But I know millions of users are the same as me. I did what security bulletins suggested. I cleaned my PC, installed several anti-virus programs and firewall softwares. The only advisory I did not follow was to not access third party websites which in my opinion is absurd (by the way I never access gold seller websites and add-on sites) . The security bulletins from blizz ain't enough. Surely some other ways are implementable.


• Support is lacking for some countries. There I was hacked and all. Still I didn't blame Blizz. So I decided to take some action on my own. By the third hacking incident, I was quite sure that security advisories were not enough to solve my problem. So I decided to purchase the well publicized Blizz authenticator. Wait for it.... this is not purchaseable in the country I'm at.

There are other minor issues also but I don't want to nag about those. These three are enough reason for me to call it quits. WoW can be really fun and addictive. For me it was a stress-reliever after work. I may play again in the future (maybe if I can order the authenticator) but, for now, Arthas would have to wait.

Oh and another thing, damn blizz for nerfing Locks!

Pasakalye...

This entry has long been overdue... After almost a month of bumming around, nakapublish na rin kami ng isa. This blog is about our daily adventures, escapades, and numerous failed attempts at greatness... Sa madaling salita, ito ay isang portfolio ng aming mga karanasan, obserbasyon at opinion. Hindi kami mga bihisa sa pagsulat at hindi namin hinahangad na maging isa sa mga sikat na bloggers. Salamat sa pagbisita. Follow us into our world of Nips.