Where's the thank you?

I am happy Efren Penaflorida won the CNN Hero of the year award. His intention to educate the street children is noble. But lest he forgets, he won the award because 2.7 million Filipinos voted for him. Without those 2.7 million votes, the award must have gone to somebody else, even if he was already able to educate all the street children of the Philippines. Yet, I never heard him say thank you to those who voted for him in his interviews. What I hear him say is, "there is a hero in each of us". All I really want to hear from him is something like, "thank you to all those who voted for me. Without your votes, I could not have won this award. I would not have been a hero. So, it's really you who are heroes." Instead, he says thank you to the members of his company and to its volunteers, which I am sure do not amount to 2.7 million people.

Read Sense of Gratitude & Why the CNN Hero of the Year is NOT my Hero.

Into the Depths of Hell

The sex video scandal involving Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. is going out of proportion. I am sure Dr. Hayden himself did not expect that his hobby of taking video of him and his sex partners would make him notorious to the point that his medical license is in jeopardy. He did not expect to be famous. But thanks to Dr. Vicky Belo, Dr. Hayden Kho who was once so famous is now sooooo infamous.

It was written in "Love, lies & Lipo" by Jo-ann Maglipon and Anna Pingol for the March 2009 issue of Yes! magazie that Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. (Hayden) had numerous affair with women even while he and Dr. Vicki Belo (Vicki) were still "on". Vicki received information about these affairs through anonymous text messages, which she ignored upon assurance from Hayden. But one of Hayden's buddies was "wronged" (woman related, of course) by Hayden and sought refuge from Vicki. Vicki gave that guy the key to Hayden's condominium, and he stole Hayden's personal computer and journals to look for "evidence" of his "crime".

I cannot help but theorize that if Dr. Vicki Belo did not violate Dr. Kho's privacy by giving the enemy of his boyfriend the key to his boyfriend's apartment, Dr. Hayden Kho would not have been into this mess.

I would like to believe that videos, such as the one that made Hayden notorious, if shown between friends, have the effect of multiplying pogi or machu points among peers. Otherwise, if it is shown in public, the effect is disaster. Dr. Hayden knows about this, of course, that is why I do not believe that he was the one responsible for the publication of this videos. Neither are his sex partners in those videos. In the first place, it was apparent that they were not aware that they were being filmed.

So, who was responsible for the publication of this videos?

I can't think of anyone but the guy to whom Dr. Vicki Belo gave the key to Dr. Hayden Kho's apartment. He was the one who was wronged by Dr. Kho. So, he has all the motive.

And if you ask me who started this scandal, I would answer that it was not Hayden. Yes, he filmed his sexcapades in violation of the rights of his partners, but he did not publish them. It was Dr. Vicki Belo's grave mistake of delivering his boyfriend into the hands of his enemy that started this scandal.

A woman can transform a man to become more than what he dreams to be, just like Dr. Belo's role in the life of Dr. Kho. But if she is not careful, especially in times of grief, a woman can also deliver her man into the depths of hell, like where Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. is now.

In defense of Hayden Kho/Judging Vicki and Katrina

You must have taken hold and read the article titled "Love, lies & Lipo" by Jo-ann Maglipon and Anna Pingol for the March 2009 issue of Yes! magazine. Yes, the article is focused on the three names I mentioned in the title.

The article is of course well researched and extensive, therefore very long.

Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. (Hayden) had numerous affair with women even while he and Dr. Vicki Belo (Vicki) were still "on". Vicki received information about these affairs through anonymous text messages, which she ignored upon assurance from Hayden. But one of Hayden's buddies was "wronged" (woman related, of course) by Hayden and sought refuge from Vicki. Vicki gave that guy the key to Hayden's condominium, and he stole Hayden's personal computer and journals to look for "evidence" of his "crime".

Also, in one of the "mini" break-ups of Hayden and Vicki, Hayden went to Katrina because he needed someone to talk with. That nothing happened during that talk, Katrina emphasized that she and Hayden talked in the car. According to Katrina, Hayden wept and was overly devastated ("...nag-usap kami sa kotse, 'tapos umiiyak siya. 'Tapos, parang devastated na devastated siya").

Then Katrina spilled that Hayden was scared to lose Vicki as he thought he had nowhere to go to to practice his profession ("...hindi niya kayang mawal a si Vicki sa kanya,kasi paano na lang pag nawala si Vicki? Paano siya magtratraabaho, e, wala na siyang puwedeng malilipatan").

Three paragraphs before the end of the article, it says:

"Friends who have been witness to the Hayden-Vicki three-year romance believe him. They say that the man has his warts and all, but he really did seem to love the lady. He actually trusted her with his life's plans, derailing his love of medicine for the celebrity life that the lady mapped out for him and which he ended up embracing..."

Yes, Hayden had been unfaithful to Vicki, and that wasn't fair. But I do not think what Vicki did to Hayden was also fair. In fact, it was foul. How could Vicki act as if she owns her boyfriend's condo and have it ransacked by someone else, especially the enemy of her boyfriend?

Can the means justify the end? St. Agustine said no.

Indeed, no one can be with the man or woman he or she distrusts. The good news with Hayden-Vicki saga is that, Vicki Belo is also as untrustworthy as Hayden Kho.

The same with Katrina.

When a person comes to lay bare his heart to you, may that person be a sinner (like your kabit) or saint (an innocent friend), you have the obligation to keep his words secret because those words and the meaning behind them are sacred. You have no right, no matter how hurt you are, to divulge them to any other person for whatever reasons.

Omar Sortijas, Katrina's confidante, is no exeption. Omar had no right to peer into the private property (cellphone) of Hayden. What disturbs me is, he has no qualms of revealing his worse character flaw on national media. In the same article he was quoted:

"Isang time, nasa bahay kami, nandoon kami sa kama (with Katrina)...Nakuha ko cellphone (ni Hayden). Pakialamera kasi ako sa kanila. So pinapakialaman ko 'yong cellphone, 'tapos binabasa ko. Oh, my god, may pinanggalingan siyang bahay ng another girl..."

People like Omar Sortijas and Vicki Belo should be in jail for theft. They steal information, and stealing is a crime regardless of the material stolen or the purpose for which it is stolen. As to Katrina, she is nothing but a swindler. The information Hayden divulged was not hers. It was only entrusted to her. As such, she had no right to give it away, like she voluntarily did in her effort to save her reputation.

Hayden maybe unfaithful. Yes. But isn't he just a reflection of the kind of people (Vicki, Katrina, Omar) who surround him?

Eraserheads' 'Final Set' a rip off

One of the best and the most original bands of the Philippines, the Eraserheads, is ripping their fans off with their "Final Set" concert on 7 March 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. They have not finished one concert; now they are again asking their fans to pay another sum for the same concert with a different title.

Fans of Eraserheads were promised a 30 song concert August 30 last year at the Fort in Taguig but the band was not able to continue after 15 songs because Ely Buendia, the band's vocalist, had to be rushed to the hospital for his heart ailment.

In my last post about the Reunion Concert, I observed:

Concert or no concert, what happened to Ely was very unfortunate. People were glad to hear the news he had recovered. We hoped he continues to get better and keep writing songs for the world to enjoy. However sympathetic I was to Ely's condition, I could not agree with the action the organizers had taken to address the crowd in reaction to what happened. I mean, I do not think apologies served as a balm to heal the crowd's disappointment for the abrupt end of the reunion concert they had so long anticipated and were so excited to participate in. I believe the organizer's should have either refunded one half of the ticket price, or advised the audience to keep their tickets for the concert to be used as a discount "card" for the next concert (of Eraserheads, should there be any in the future, or any band with the same organizers). And of course, the band members should have taken only half of the talent fee they ought to receive. They performed only half of the job, anyway.

I am sure what happened to Ely was not one of his choosing. But I am not sure if that event could not have been avoided. According to an Inquirer report, “He had a slight attack because of stress due to the recent passing of his mother (Lisette Buendia), and their sound check which lasted till 3 a.m. today (Saturday),” said MTV Philippines and Radiohead director for marketing Ronald Esguerra in an interview with INQUIRER.net.

A love one's passing away causes emotional stress. This fact should have been enough reason to postpone the concert. They would have done a favor to Ely and the fans of Eraserheads. In the alternative, considering that Ely had undergone angioplasty surgeries, the foregoing circumstances should have prompted him, his band mates, his loved ones, or the organizers to prohibit him from staying until 3 am on the concert day to set up the sound system. That he suffered a heart attack because Ely stayed until 3am the day before the concert is (an excuse that reflects irresponsibility and lack of professionalism).

Inquirer Libre reported yesterday (10 Feb 2009) that when asked if those who attended August 30's concert could avail of the discount for this set, Ely Buendia replied:"Ask the producers."

Such a dismissive response to a valid question. Why not simply answer "no"? Is it because when he answers "no", he will be made to explain why and it is not so much answering "yes" or "no" that he dreads but the fact that he will be made to explain the answer?

It is indeed very hard to explain, especially if he and the rest of the band members took the whole talent fee even if they performed only half the job. It will reveal their lack of sense of justice and consideration for their fans.

Excuse me, Mr. Cuñada, the producers for the "Final Set" are not the same producers of the August 30 concert. Why should the new producers pay for the short comings of the first producers?

Good question and you have a point. But I am not talking about the producers. I am talking about the band members themselves.

And since when did it become funny or cute to tease the fans they short changed for 15 songs by joking that maybe this time they will perform 16 songs and there will be group hugs, as Marcus Adoro said?

The fans do not owe anything to Eraserheads. In fact, it is the Eraserheads who owes so much from their fans. How can Eheads rip off the very people who are loyal to them?

Surely, Erserheads does not just bring in the music and the noise. It also brings disappointments.

Karylle, Marian and Ding-dong

Karylle's face is all over magazines. This morning in the Sunday Inquirer magazine, she is the cover. Last night somewhere, I also saw her face on the Star Magic January 2009 issue.

I always had this suspicion that the break-up of Karylle and Ding-dong was because of Marian Rivera. Of course, I am not saying Marian stole Ding-dong from Karylle like someone would still a property. No. As the Star Magic article puts it, it happened gradually. As Ding-dong team up with Marian clicked and so they became famous, Marian and Ding-dong spent most of the time together, and Ding-dong and Karylle less and less time.

Karylle says she is not blaming anyone but I do not believe her. If she is not blaming anyone, why is she so hurt that she does not even want to be friends with Ding-dong? There should be a reason for a woman to hate the man she had spent so many vacations with with her family.

Of course, the reason is: Ding-dong and Marian carried their love team off the set and on to real life.

I can understand also why Marian and Ding-dong have to lie to the people. It is not good PR for a man to exchange a woman for another--especially when you are dealing with famous and equally beautiful and talented women. So as with the woman: it is not good PR for her to be involved with a man known by the world to be linked with another woman.

In interviews, Marian has to make a straight face in denying her relationship with Ding-dong. Of course she is always able to pull the acting off. That people are almost always silent does not mean they believe her. Actions speak louder than words.

Only in Wowowie

For decades, Eat Bulaga has reigned the noon time show in Philippine television. When Eat Bulaga transferred to GMA 7, ABS-CBN fumbled for a substitute. Among the substitute shows, they tried Magandang Tanghali Bayan. When it failed, ABS tried changing the hosts, etc...but it has never captured the Filipino audience the way Wowowee does with its Willie of Fortune segment.

Willie of Fortune is a game in Wowowee where six contestants, in three pairs, vie for a chance to win the jackpot involving large sums of money. A melody plays and the contestants name the title of the song. The first one to correctly identify the song title twice, or the contestant who can tell not only the title of the melody but can also sing the song with the correct lyrics moves on to the final round.

Before each pair starts to play, Willie "Poppie" Revillame, the host, introduce the contestants by letting them answer questions mostly about personal and professional life.

Like this afternoon, the second to the last male contestant was asked by Willie what he was doing for a living and who he was with. Red said he was a call center agent and he was with a male friend. When the "friend" was shown on TV and was asked to say something about the contestant, he bid Red good luck, and reminded him to do his best for "their" future without batting an eyelash.

Now the studio audience were all giggling and screaming and mocking them. But Red's friend was not a bit disturbed, embarrassed or ashamed. He seemed deaf to the audience reaction. When he was told to go on with what he was saying, Red's friend who turned out to be his lover for four years now, expressed his love and devotion to Red.

As to Red, he thanked his lover for all the love and support he received. Red also narrated that before he met his man, he was someone who had no direction in life. But now that he has found him, he finally understood the meaning of life and how it is to live.

Red also addressed his mother. He thanked her for loving and accepting Red and hoped, now that his mother knows the real "he" her mother's love for him will continue and even grow more deeply.

There was also this episode where the contestants where people who were married for forty years and more. There was a man who abandoned his wife for another woman, then abandoned that woman to come back to his wife. And the wife was still there waiting for him after all those years of heartbreak and despair.

There was also this old man who refused to admit an affair. Despite the many slips he made and the obvious but unconscious admission on his part during the interview with Willie, he still insisted that he loved only and only his wife.

Now, after the interview, each contestant is required to perform. He/she may sing, dance, or whatever talent he/she possesses. Since during the interview, the host and the contestants have established the fun, the sweet, the bittersweet and the weirdness of life, no body expects them to have a stunning performance. So, no matter how out of tune is the singing (which is usually the talent), people still love to see the performance.

Of course, there are bland interviews but great talent. There are also days of bland interviews and bland talent, or days that Willie's comments, especially when he insists that women should tolerate the infidelity of their man, take the luster out of the show. But the "bad" days are over compensated by the good ones.

That Filipinos love to sing is a given. That hundreds endure the long line and the hours of waiting to be auditioned to qualify as a contest for a shot at the money most can only dream of, is another given. But neither the singing nor the money involved make the audience around the world love to watch the show, especially the Willie of Fortune segment. Rather it is the wonder an audience derive from witnessing the unfolding of the persona of a true Filipino, the nobility and boldness of the human spirit and the universality of emotions of love, regret and longing.

The stories the Willie of Fortune contestants tell remind me to look at and examine if I had been too hard or too critical about myself.

I see in those contestants my reflection, my brothers', my sisters', my community of imperfect individuals', the soul and the face of my wounded Country. I see my cultural identity flashed before my eyes on prime time tv.

Only in Wowowee.

Carmina Villaroel is a hero

One of the most popular names in the Philippines now is Bebe Gandanghari.

Bebe is a female name, and Gandanghari is the combination of two Filipino words "ganda" meaning beautiful and "hari" meaning king. Loosely, the surname means king of beauty.

There is nothing so special about the name since Bebe is a very common nickname in the Philippines, and Gandanghari is a family name that is very long and has a tendency to call attention upon it's bearer. But Bebe Gandanghari caught the attention of the Philippines because this female name is used by 1. a once hunk actor; 2. who used to be married; 3. and who belongs to a clan known for being macho.

Bebe Gandanghari is now the name of Rustom Padilla, the brother of Robin Padilla, one of the most popular action star in the Philippines.

How this change came about, Endemol, the franchise owner of the reality "Big Brother" show has a role.

Rustom Padilla was one of Big Brother's house guests in Pinoy Big Brother celebrity edition, where Rustom revealed that he belongs to the third sex.

The revelation did not shock the country since the rumor that Rustom is gay had been circulating in tabloids and showbiz gossips for so long a time. His revalation only served to confirm the rumor and elevate it into a fact. But the revelation attracted sympathy for Robin Padilla who never missed an opportunity to defend his brother, Rustom, from being called a gay.

Bebe Gandanghari declares Rustom Padilla is dead. So, let us bury him, she said. When asked for her reaction, Rustom's ex-wife actress and talkshow host Carmina Villaroel said, since it is Bebe who says Rustom is dead, so he is.

Filipinos find Rustom amusing. He was not contended with revealing he is gay on national tv in a show with very high ratings, he also changed his name and appearance from a macho male to a sexy Bebe Gandanghari.

But with all this national amusement about Rustom Padilla=Bebe Gandanghari, one person does not get the publicity she deserves. Her name is Carmina Villaroel, actress, talkshow host and ex wife of Rustom Padilla.

My aunt who used to have a store where she read the newspapers and tabloid she sold, is a fan of Carmina. She noticed Carmina's silence at the height of her controversial split with Rustom long time ago. My aunt said, she never read a word about Carmina revealing Rustom's sexual preference as the reason behind the separation, nor did she read Carmina saying a word against Rustom. She gave Rustom the respect that he deserved.

Her conclusion was, Carmina is a decent and an admirable woman. She embodies the values of a true Filipina who is temparate and modest. One word best describes her. And that word is: hero.

Carmina Villaroel is a hero.

She has since married Zoren Legaspi, also an actor, with whom she has two children. Her family appears on TV endorsing Nido, and other products. Carmina is also one of the hosts of "Sis" a daily talk show in GMA 7, the second largest TV station in the Philippines.

Do you want to have fun and can tolerate a little ego tripping? Read my comedy skits.

Beautiful Pokwang

One of my most favorite comedians is Pokwang. Strangely, I find her beautiful.

The movie Shallow Hal comes to mind, where Hal was hypnotized by an Indian while they were stocked in an elevator. When Hal went out of that elevator, the world was never the same again. He thought he saw people just as he saw them before the hypnotism. He never knew what he was seeing was no longer the physical attributes of people but their character. He fell in love with a very large and fat woman. But because he was hypnotized, he "saw" the woman had a body of a commercial model. He could not believe the lady could take a large shake in one gulp. When they went to bed, he was so surprised by the size of the pantie of his mate.

Indeed, I might have been hypnotized by Pokwang that I find her beautiful. But isn't a woman who is not afraid to look ridiculous to make her fans laugh beautiful?

I could see that Pokwang loves her job so much that I also love seeing her. The different costumes she wears every day in Wowoweee are outrageous. Where can you find a talent such as Pokwang?

I also like the jokes of Pokwang. She is witty, poker faced, and effective. Most of all, she does not laugh at her jokes before her audience do. When she tries to redeem a corny joke by making a funny face, I could not help but laugh at her.

Yesterday, Pokwang was in the news. She was launching her album. The news story of her opened with her rolling from a flat form to the floor. People were laughing at her. I laughed too. Towards the end of the news, Pokwang was singing. Then she pretended that her throat was dry and she was about to cough. Of course, it was her ploy so that her audience would discover that she was lip syncing.

If asked to choose between Pokwang and Ai-Ai, I would choose Pokwang, with all due respect to Ai-Ai and her fans. Ai-Ai is not very effective to me in delivering jokes. She has a broad and wide smile that kills the suspense in a joke. Her smile gives the impression that she laughs at her jokes before her audience do. Her facial expression is not so varied as Pokwang's so that Ai-Ai only has two facial expressions: when she is smiling and when she is not smiling.

People may disagree with me by saying Ai-Ai's movies are blockbusters, a testament to her talent as a comedian, while Pokwang have yet to star in her own movies.

Ai-Ai becomes funny in movies not because she is funny but because she is placed in a funny situation; so that the audience laugh not so much because of Ai-Ai but because of the funny situation she is in. If given the chance--perfect material, co-stars, right director and enough budget, Pokwang's movies will someday become a blockbuster too.

Ai-Ai was also in the news yesterday. She was given a bonus by her network because her new movie Ang tanging ina ninyong lahat is the top grosser, second only to Kris Aquino and Claudine Barreto's Sukob.

I hope the people who developed the concept of the movie and the screen writer/s are also given the bonus. Writers, actors and actresses including the directors could not live without each other. They must also share the gift.

Do you want to have fun and can tolerate a little ego tripping? Read my comedy skits.

The misfortune of a KC Conception

I do not need to say this but let me say it anyway: KC is beautiful. She is intelligent too, sensitive and I believe also thoughtful.

Not once did I see her embarrassed about her Mom's comments. One time, on TV in one of those birthdays I forgot whose--or was it Mega's wedding anniversary, I forgot--she sat beside Mega when her mother made a comment that KC was dating many men. I saw KC's mouth open in embarrassment and her mouth remained open as she was not able to defend herself. But the news and the camera was focused on Mega so that part of the interview was not pursued.

I also remember her attending a concert and she was with a foreigner who was courting her. Later she said she did not like the guy.

One of the best decisions Sharon made for her was to send her outside of the country to study so that KC could live a normal life. She learned to wash her clothes, cook, go to the market by herself. She has become so normal that, in an interview, I heard Sharon complained about KC complaining that she has so many alalay following her around and she had to be reminded by her mother that this is no longer France.

Indeed, in the Philippines, KC is living an abnormal life. Yes, she is a celebrity and as one she is supposed to live an abnormal life expected by and of the celebrities themselves. But there are some aspects of her that separates her from the rest, that makes her not only a celebrity but perhaps a super celebrity. For one, she is the daughter of one of show business' one of the most handsome and sexy men, Gabby Conception, and show business' Mega Star Sharon Coneta. Also, who among our celebrities have studied in France?

She must have learned and assimilated the French way of life that not only her but all of us also have to adjust to her. Surely, Sha cringed seeing her daughter wear a blue dress with a deep V neckline so deep it revealed not only her cleavage but also the base of her breasts. Or during the photo shoot of her first team-up with Richard where KC appeared so close and so sensual with Richard, Sha could only bite her lip and tilt her head.

Of course, as to the first, it was fashion. She was comfortable and she looked great/gorgeous. As to the second, it must have been the French way of wearing ones heart in ones sleeves. But I just have this wholesome image of KC that I feel violated when she reveals some of her skin, and I feel jealous when she flirts with Richard.

I do feel sad for KC when I think of her status as a super celebrity. All eyes are fixed on her; she is desired by most men not because of who she is as a person but who she is as a celebrity. She is on a pedestal and bellow her men grovel for her attention.

As all of us, KC also longs for someone to see and treat with kindness her vulnerabilities. Putting her on a pedestal is giving KC the kind of attention that prevents her from having a deeper and meaningful relationship with you. The more popular she is, the greater is her sense of isolation and loneliness despite being in a multitude. This sense of isolation and loneliness are the culprits for most of the celebrity suicides.

Surely, Richard is a great relief to her. But Richard is not enough as he alone could not carry the weight of the world that is KC. Even Richard adulates KC, otherwise, why would he court her? As such, Richard only takes care one aspect of KC's life, her love life. KC needs to have more friends to interact with. She needs to have an environment where she will be treated as an equal like the rest. She needs her space to commit mistakes, to discover herself, the world, people around her and what they mean to her. An altar is a very small place for all these needs. She needs the whole world and I give it to her.

She wants to wear dress with deep plunging neckline, go ahead. Enjoy yourself. Forget about destroying my wholesome image of you. As to my jealousy, I know where to replace it. You want to date someone else other than Richard while you are not still committed with each other, why not? You are KC and almost every bachelor of this country wants you. Besides, as I said, you need more friends.

But your world is not as simple as it may seem. You are surrounded by people--Sharon, Gabby, Kiko, et al-- who guarantee your success, but these same people are synonyms of pressure that may not be necessarily good for your health.

This is the misfortune that despite her success, despite her popularity, she cannot escape nor can KC face alone.

Do you want to have fun and can tolerate a little ego tripping? Read my comedy skits.

Tragic article

There is an announcement of a book in page C3 of The Manila Standard Today today. It says that a Margarita Marquis has written a book Moudifa! Airhostess sa isang walang layang bansa.

The title of the article is "Airhostess' tragic tale". So, I was expecting to learn what tragedy this lady encountered that prompted her to write the book. I kept my patience upto the last word of the article waiting for a revelation that somehow would tell me what kind of tragedy she encountered in the Middle East while she was working there as a stewardess that may interest me to buy the book; but believe me, there was none.

All the article says is that Marquis would like to share it with her fellow Filipinos. Her purpose in writing the book was not "to scare of blame anyone; rather, it was to educate and infrom others of what awaits them when they go to work in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia where she was based."

Did she broke her polished nail while carrying a tray as she served food in the plane while it was on the air, for example? Did her skirt fall down the aile of the plane when she demonstrated how to wear a life jacket or pull the oxygen mask that automatically hangs overhead when there is a plane emergency?

Did she step on a king's toe and killed his nails? Did she dive on the aile nose first when tripped on a shoe on her way to assist a passenger?

Was she harrassed because of those? Was she incarcerated? Et cetera, et cetera...

Instead, the article was immediately defensive by saying the author did not write the book to scare anyone from going to the Middle East, nor to judge other people, etc. But, let me repeat, what is so scary about her experience in the Middle East and what was that pageant she judged, only the unnamed author of the article know, or do not know.

Well, at least I know Moudifa! Airhostess sa isang walang layang bansa is the book title; Margarita Marquis is its author; her porpuse for writing the book was not "to scare of blame anyone; rather, it was to educate and infrom others of what awaits them when they go to work in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia where she was based; that the dramatist and Palanca Hall of Famer and lawyer Nick Pichay translated the book into tagalog.

If people forget to buy the book, it will be because of announcement that runs like "Airhostess' tragic tale".

Tragic.

Boring movie, exciting food

HBO showed this boring movie starring Catherine Zeta Jones called "No Reservations" where ten minutes into the movie I still had no idea what was going to happen nor did I care. It was all exposition: she was a chef, the kind of chef that quarreled with the costumer who did not like her cooking; she had a sister with a daughter who were coming over to her. On their way, they met an accident and the mother of the child died...

Was it a tragedy or a love story? It's trailer suggested it was a love story the reason why I was excited to see it. Besides, I miss Catherine since Zorro and the other film where she partnered with an old famous actor whose name now escapes me and they were thieves trying to take advantage of the Y2K to execute their biggest mission ever.

I switched to Discovery Travel and Living where Bizarre Food was airing and the host, Andrew Zimmem was in Samoa Island located in the South Pacific and midway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

I was not able to see what he and his host were eating in a hut. But after an advertisement, he went fishing for blue fin tunas. They filleted the tuna and ate it raw. He was served the eyeball, was instructed to put drops of lemon on it and was asked to sip the eyeball. Which he graciously did, as he always do.

I like this Zimmem. He is cool and he never ever say no to a challenge. He eats whatever is there to eat served or showed by his host. I have never even seen him cringed when faced a delicacy no matter how bizarre. Were he to join Fear Factor, he would surely win any challenge that involves food.

I love fish and I was salivating when they showed the filleted tuna. It was so fresh I wanted to share their food.

Next, he went to a clam farm where he also ate a fresh clam. I ate a clam once in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. There, I also ate live shrimp and fresh squid dipped in vinegar mixed with minced ginger and onion with a little salt.

The taste still lingers in my mouth.

'The boatman' and our college professor

Way back in college, I had a disagreement with my college "Film Art" professor because he ordered a halt to our viewing of "The Boatman" directed by Tikoy Aguiluz midway through the movie.

I felt insulted because prior to the screening, we discussed the guidelines in reviewing a film. Watch the movie from the beginning to the end and know the director's background were some of the things I still remember.

When the movie was showing sex scenes and all, suddenly the projector stopped and the lights went on. We wondered what happened. When our professor stood in front of the class, he said he decided to put a stop to the viewing because people might accuse him of allowing his students to watch pornographic film. Also, he did not want to be blamed should one of our classmates gets pregnant for watching films like "The Boatman" the director's cut.

I objected, of course. What were we in one of the best schools in Western Visayas for? Were we dumb? Apparently, that professor of ours thought so. Did he forget that we were already 18 years old and we were studying the medium itself? That he would be blamed should one of our classmates gets pregnant was a reason that drove me nuts. How do professors get their Phd, I wondered.

Of course, not all my classmates sided with me and even those who sided were scared to speak out for fear that our professor, the notorious-terror teacher, would give them a grade they will forever and ever regret for the rest of their life. Some of my classmates accused me I was only deprived so I was hungry to watch the fucking scenes all through out.

After the class was dismissed, my professor approached and asked me what was my problem. I did not have any problem and I told him so. With that he went away.

I was writing in the college paper and I decided to dedicating my column about what happened and my thoughts about it as a sign of protest. None among my adviser, my editor-in-chief, my managing editor wanted to publish my column which was written in Hiligaynon, the language of people living in Iloilo, Capiz, some parts of Bacolod and Mindanao.

I was so frustrated and angry I challenged our editor in chief to a fist fight. Gladly, he was cool headed and we might have ended up shaking each other's hands, I do not remember. I still have the cut-out of that column somewhere inserted in one of my files.

I have not changed my position on that incident. What my professor did was an exact contradiction to what he was teaching us--to watch a film from the beginning to the end before reviewing it. For that, he himself should be dragged back to elementary where he could re-learn about the power of words and the need for consistency.

The films we were watching were decided and lined up at the beginning of the semester. Why "The Boatman" was still on the list and was allowed for viewing only to be stopped at the middle is something that makes my blood shoot straight from my heart to my head even until now, almost 8 years have passed.