Kapihan sa Kanto

For those of you who are curious about what I look like (especially with my new haircut), according to Buddy, this is it.

You can call me Dora.

I kinda like it :)

You should see Spanglish (written and directed by James L. Brooks, starring Adam Sandler). It's a finely wrought film. The narrative sucks you in, so smooth is the storytelling. The characters have dimension, I think basically because they are truly interesting to begin with: Mexican mother starts work as housekeeper for a white family (a top notch chef father who prioritizes his family despite his fame, an agressive and overbearing mom, an alcoholic grandmother, a chubby too-good-to-be-true cheeky daughter, a nondescript son, and a playful labrador), brings her daughter in to spend summer with the family. She wants to preserve her daughter's heritage, but can't cage her in it. White mother loves the Mexican daughter and all she is that her own daughter isn't. Father falls for the housekeeper (of course). Grandmother and white mother suddenly find a moment of bonding after years of dysfunction. And then, to top it off, it's a funny movie.

I think that was the secret ingredient, the humor. But really, humor can only buy you off for a while. Towards the end of Disc 1 of your VCD, you start to want something more. Spanglish delivers that. It breaks the stereotypes you will expect of it, and it'll teach you things in the more unexpected places. And it'll show you what America is like, some of America at least. The people are so real, so human, and their story is so every-man's story. There are no Barbies and Kens, and there are no dazzling happy endings. At the same time, it is also beautifully unreal.

This is the kind of candid look that the Hollywood lens allows us to see from time to time, and which makes America a little less hopeless for me.

Makes me think twice about what grace means to me in daily living. Does grace figure in my journey? It's about time it did.

My observation of Christendom is that most of us tend to base our personal relationship with God on our performance instead of on His grace. If we've performed well -- whatever "well" is in our opinion -- then we expect God to bless us. If we haven't done so well, our expectations are reduced accordingly. In this sense, we live by works rather than by grace. We are saved by grace, but we are living by the "sweat" of our own performance.

Moreover, we are always challenging ourselves and one another to "try harder." We seem to believe success in the Christian life (however we define success) is basically up to us: our commitment, our discipline, and our zeal, with some help from God along the way. We give lip service to the attitude of the apostle Paul, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10), but our unspoken motto is, "God helps those who help themselves."

Para sa inyong mga in lab at nangangarap ma-in lab o di kaya'y sadyang sirang romantiko lang (tulad ni Boy Okoy na magb-birthday na!)... Heto ang sa inyo at sa akin.

Free in You
Indigo Girls

And I'm free in you
I've got no worries on my mind
I know what to do
That's to treat you right
And love you kind
Thank you ever on my mind
Love is just like breathing
When it's true
And I'm free in you

Hindi si Peps ang may inareglong kasal -- si Peps ang nag-seg prod ng feature na "Inareglong Kasal" sa I-Witness. Basta, panoorin n'yo nalang nga. Pinagpaguran ni Peps ang debut niyang 'to, yiheeee! Panoorin natin lahat --

Inareglong Kasal
I-Witness ni Sandra Aguinaldo
Lunes (Agosto 1), GMA 7, 11:30pm pagkatapos ng Saksi

Ang kasal ay isa sa pinakamahalagang okasyon para sa magkasintahan. Simbolo ito ng habambuhay nilang pag-iibigan at katapatan sa isa’t isa. Pero ano kaya ang pakiramdam kung ikakasal ka sa taong hindi mo pinili at hindi mo rin lubusang kilala?

Sa kultura ng mga Maranao sa Lanao Del Sur, usong-uso pa rin hanggang sa ngayon ang "karangaya," isang tradisyon kung saan pinagkakasundo ng dalawang pamilya ang kasal ng kanilang mga anak. Tradisyon na raw ito ng mga Maranao bago pa man dumating ang Islam sa Mindanao.

Minsa’y batang bata pa ang mga ikinakasal. Sa I-Witness ngayong Lunes, kikilalanin ni Sandra Aguinaldo sina Fajad Mangotara at Olily Hadjimalic, mga batang sa edad na anim na taon ay mag-asawa na!

Hindi pa nagsasama sina Fajat at Olily at di pa lubusang naiintindihan na sila’y magkabiyak, pero tila nakatakda ang kanilang tadhana sa isa’t isa.

Ang aktuwal na seremonya ng "karangaya" o pag-iisang dibdib naman ni Saminoden Pandapatan at Waheba Amirol ay makukunan din ng I-Witness.

Ipakikita pa ng programa ang mga inareglong kasal para mawakasan ang rido o away sa pagitan ng dalawang angkan. Sina Ibrahim at Johanifah Razul, ipinagkasundo ng mayor ng kanilang bayan para tuldukan ang rido. Napatay kasi ng pinsan ni Ibrahim ang kapatid ng ama ni Johanifah, na naging simula ng madugong away sa kanilang mga pamilya.

Pero hindi lahat ng mga anak, pumapayag sa ganitong kasunduan. Si Minang Sharief, isang propesor sa Mindanao State University, hindi pumayag na makasal sa kanyang tiyuhin nang ipagkasundo siya rito ng kanyang mga magulang sa edad na trese. Ayon mismo kay Minang, naging simula raw ito ng pagbabago ng paniniwala ng ilang mga babaeng Maranao sa "karingaya".

Ang tradisyon ng inareglong kasal, at ang mga isyu at kagandahang nakapaloob dito ang di dapat palampasing paksa ng I-Witness ni Sandra Aguinaldo ngayong Lunes pagkatapos ng Saksi.

Nagpagupit ako ng buhok. Balik high school na naman ang tabas ko. Para sa inyong kilala ang buhok ko noon, o ayan, nagbalik na naman.

In fairness, I kinda like it! Sabi nung bading pagkatapos ng aking 30-peso haircut, 'yaaaan... 1950's ang look! I didn't know whether or not to take it as a compliment, pero sige na nga.

Tutal pagod ako sa pakikipagsiksikan sa LRT, at sa pagkakaligaw ko mula sa pagbaba sa Monumento station straight into Ever Grand Central (bad idea pag umuulan at matao sa loob) kung saan paikot-ikot ako naghahanap ng Exit. Tinago ata nila ang mga Exit sign sa lugar na 'yon. Di pa natapos ang biyahe ko. Nilakad ko mula Ever hanggang sa lampas Jackman dahil may mga MMDA railings at di ka makasampa sa jeep hangga't meron non. Matapos ang ilang saglit ng eternity, nakasakay din ako ng jeep na Malanday. Pagkaupo ko, nagbayad ako, sabay hawak ng mahigpit sa bag at payong, at nagpa-hele sa uga ng jeep. Paggising ko, bababa na ko.

It wasn't so bad. Sa totoo lang, enjoy ako mag-commute at maglakad. Kung saan-saan ako napapatingin, kung anu-anong napapansin ko. Masarap tignan ang mga tao, ang mga lugar-lugar, ang mga kung anu-anong nakakalat sa daan. Punong-puno ng flavor kasi kahit saan ka tumingin. Love ko talaga 'tong Pilipinas.

Because my insan is a genius at blogs and comment boxes, she recommended Haloscan and I succumbed. Hehe :-) Now she will make magic with my comment box. Abangan!

That when someone gets home at 5am from work, the world will allow her to sleep the entire day. But nooooo...

Times of need are times for praying, not complaining. Complaining says to God, "You aren't taking very good care of me." Prayer says to God, "I may not understand what's happening, but I trust You to take care of me."

Saw "The Island" with Ethel yesterday at SM North. Hindi ako natutuwa sa P91 na binayad ko sa newly renovated na sinehan (mas mahal pa sa cinema 1 nila, P120). Masakit kasi sa likod, parang bitin yung upuan kaya pag nag-slide down ka para maka-sandal ang ulo mo, medyo walang suporta sa lower back mo, mangangawit ka rin kahit gano kaganda ang pinapanood mo.

Pero natuwa ako sa pelikula. Ma-aksyon, nakakagulat, ilang beses ako medyo umigtad sa upuan (as Ethel would recount after the movie).

Muntik na namin panoorin ang Lasponggols, kaya lang naisip ko sayang naman baka di namin ma-enjoy eh gustong-gusto ko talaga manood ng sine. Maganda kaya 'yung Lasponggols?

Grabe si Scarlett Johanson, parang dalagang dalaga na. Sa "Lost in Translation" medyo nene pa.

P.S. Sabi ko na nga ba may sex scene eh! Sabi ko na nga ba talaga.

Nakapag-kape na 'ko. Nagsimula nung July 9, sa shoot namin sa RMAF. Naki-sip ako sa kape ng boss ko. Grabe, parang isang napaka-meaningful at bittersweet reunion ang feeling ko sa sip na 'yon.

Tapos nung ikalawang linggo ng July, isang kape na ang ininom ko habang nag-CG kami nina Dem at Ynek. Eto na. Talagang isang buong kape na. Mainit, maitim, mapait. Ang sarap.

Since then, naka-isang kape pa ata ako. Pero hindi ko na hinahanap-hanap. Hindi na kailangang magsimula ang isang araw nang may isang tasang barako. Pwede nang magpatuloy ang pag-inog ng mundo kahit walang caffeine.

Masaya pala.

August 26.

Abangan :-)

What do you blog about at a time like this? Check it out, with some good links to click.

I'll be on 702 DZAS on Friday for the let's-turn-the-mic-over-to-the-youth Fridays of "Family Matters," 9:30-11:30am.

If you want to eavesdrop, turn the dial on your radio, or click on the web.

"Lasponggols," one of the finalists in the full-length feature category of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2005, will be shown at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from July 13 to 16. It is a black comedy about two film workers who pretended to be directors (famous yet unrecognizable) when they accidentally ended up in a secluded barrio.

"Lasponggols" stars Dwight Gaston as Raffy, a clapper, and Jeffrey Quizon as Dido, a utility boy. They introduced themselves to the townsfolk as Direk Erik Matti and Direk Jon Red, respectively, in their attempt to elude a group of armed men who are chasing them for the film equipment they were carrying in their production unit van. As they make the villagers believe that they were shooting a film, the sleepy rural town becomes a microcosm of the local film industry.

"Lasponggols" is scheduled to be shown on July 13, 6:30 p.m., at the CCP Studio Theater; July 14, 10 a.m., at the CCP Little Theater; and July 16, 9 p.m., at the CCP Little Theater and CCP Multi-Purpose Hall. It had a jam-packed sneak preview at the CCP Dream Theater last June 17.


... Pero 'wag kayo diyan manood, P100 ang ticket diyan. Baka mas mura kung sa UP Theater, it will be shown on July 22 (Friday). Sama kayo sa 'min ni Ethel.

Was at SM North yesterday with my CG to see Monster In Law (pretty funny movie, Jane Fonda is terrific!), and guess what I saw? A huge poster of "Ang Sablay at Pasaway" starring Ethel Booba and of course, Mikey Macapagal Arroyo.

You'd think in the midst of his mom's job crisis, he'd find better things to do.

Ang babae, kahit na maraming sinasabi, minsan ay wala talagang sinasabi. O iba ang sinasabi. Maaaring ikwento niya sa kapitbahay o kaibigan kung paano siya napaso ng mantika habang nagpiprito, o kung paano tumigil ng pagtulo ang tubig sa gripo habang naglalaba.

Pero hindi ang mga ito ang kanyang gustong ikwento. Ang totoo, kung ano pa talaga ang dapat niyang ikwento, ay siya pang hindi niya nasasabi.

It's that time of the year.

Bukas, sasamahan ko ang mga Payatas kids na susubok maging UP student. Magsu-submit na sila ng UPCAT form nila. Medyo mas mabusisi kasi may Income Tax Return (ITR) pa silang kinuha galing BIR para lang patunayan na less than P100,000 ang family income nila, para di na sila magbayad ng P450 UPCAT fee. Eh P150 din ang pagkuha ng ITR sa BIR... kaya ang na-diskwento nalang nila, suma-tutal, P300. Pwede na rin kahit hindi libreng-libre tulad ng dapat.

Ayun, na-turn down daw si Jhanna nung isang araw nang mag-submit siya, dahil dapat daw ITR ng tatay niya ang isumite niya, hindi 'yung sa nanay niya. Eh nung panahong kumuha kasi sila, nasa-ospital ang tatay niya dahil inoperahan. Kung kukuha ng isa pang ITR, another P150 na naman.

Kaya tumawag na ko sa UP. Gumamit na ko ng konting masscom chika-ness. Konting paawa effect. And then konting human rights, those-who-have-less-in-life-should-have-more-in-law speech. Finally, pwede na daw kahit ITR ng nanay.

I was able to secure this assurance through a 10-minute phone call. Samantalang sila Jhanna, pabalik-balik at di na magkandatuto sa pag-intindi kung ano ba talagang katibayan ang kelangan para lang mapatunayan na mahirap nga sila at di nila alam kung saan huhugutin ang P450 para sa isang kapirasong papel.

Naisip ko tuloy, kawawa naman 'yung mga marami na madaling masindak sa red tape at kung anu-ano, dahil hindi sila sanay. Dahil minsan siguro, iniisip nila wala naman silang K na magtanong, mag-inquire, o makipag-usap sa mga supervisor para makakuha ng matinong sagot. Madalas kasi, kinakailangan pa ang special blend ng katarayan, konting ingles, medyo pa-cute minsan, o kaya paawang anak ang effect, o kaya good citizen of the country and watchdog of the government. Hindi puwede 'yung tonong Payatas, 'yung puntong public school, 'yung simpleng isang tanong, isang sagot. Sa wikang ingles, ika nga, gimme a break. Bago ka mabigyan ng break dito, dapat alam mo 'yung special blend. Dapat ang tono mo, tunog may karapatan.

Eh lahat naman tayo may karapatan, a.

Oo nga, pero pag nag-ingles ka, akala nila mas may karapatan ka na.

At kung mas marami kang ingles na alam kesa sa kanila... aba, diyosa ka na.

This is how I would sum up my War of the Worlds experience, if I had the words for it. And Cineplex 10... I'm getting a la-z boy for myself someday. I also had two tumblers of popcorn, and a headache after from all that grease.

Anyway, to the review. I enjoyed A.O. Scott's review, mostly because he echoed my thoughts (yes, he echoed mine, and not the other way round...) Anyway, just to give you the gist of what he said, and to sum it all up in the neat little way in which he did, here are the last two paragraphs of Scott's review:

There are scenes and images in "War of the Worlds" that are especially stunning for seeming completely effortless. The first alien attack, in which a lightning storm from above is followed by the emergence of the tripod vessels from underground; a panicked crowd scene at a Hudson River ferry landing; a devastated suburban subdivision into which a plane has crashed - all of these are reminders of how sublime, how aesthetically complete, a few moments of film can be.

"War of the Worlds" is perhaps best appreciated as an anthology of such moments, bound together by a serviceable, if familiar, conceit. The film also allows Mr. Spielberg to indulge in the minor vice of self-quotation. An alien thoughtfully fingers a bicycle wheel, perhaps thinking of his benevolent kinsman E.T. The ear-splitting signal that the attack vessels emit sounds a bit like the first two notes of the "Close Encounters" siren song. An alien probe has the long, twisty neck of a "Jurassic Park" dinosaur and the eyeball of the surveillance spiders in "Minority Report." All of which serves as a reminder - perhaps superfluous - that this is only a movie, and a lesser Spielberg movie at that. But "War of the Worlds" also succeeds in reminding us that while Mr. Spielberg doesn't always make great movies, he seems almost constitutionally incapable of bad moviemaking. It's not much to think about, but it's certainly something to see.

Ever since my appendectomy, I've had the urge to count recent firsts. So permit me once again:

1. First time to jog post operation. Pagkasuot ko palang ng aking gear na shorts-tshirt-sportsbra-rubbershoes-ponytail, na-excite na ko. Unang mga jogging steps ko palang, feeling ko kayang-kaya ko na mag-marathon sa saya. Nakaka-miss din pala. Got the UP acad oval in 23 minutes. Walk-run-walk-run para di naman mabigla. After one round of running, I walked another round to cool down. By the time I got back to the car, halos di na maka-step forward yung paa ko sa pagod! Pero sulit naman. Tapos lamon kami ng mga kaibigan ko sa Gerry's pagkatapos.

2. First time to buy two blouses in a week. Oo, blouse talaga. Hindi t-shirt, pramis. Yung una, with the help of Ethel. Yung pangalawa, by myself nalang (aren't I so proud). Both from Surplus Shop. Okay dun, try ninyo.

3. First time to apply for a job, have a job interview, get a job on my own. Ang galing! I applied for a part time editorial job for a children's IT textbook. They took me in as the writer and designer of the games/exercises on the accompanying interactive CD of the textbook, para naman daw mas challenging para sa 'kin. I'm pretty psyched, it sounds interesting. Will know more in the days to come.

Cineplex 10, here I come! I'll tell you kung sulit ang P299 mo sa isang pelikulang papanoorin mo. Stay tuned.