Born this Way: Maria Aragon and Dave Karofsky

I know there is some serious buzz about this girl, Maria Aragon, all over the internet. Then few days after I first heard her name, she was featured in The Ellen Show. Yeah, she is the buzz now and just few hours ago, I visited her infamous video and immediately fall in love with her. Her Lady Gaga's Born This Way cover is awesome that I have raped, molested, abused the reply button several times that the music becomes "embedded in my subconscious". For more, this girl is Filipino! So after listening to the song,  I researched the chords of the song and by studying the progression she used in the video, WHOA! I can play the song in my keyboard! Yey!

More on to this song, rumor has it that our Glee Resident Bully Hottie Dave Karofsky will be singing this Lady Gaga song on his coming out scene. Checking the Glee Wikia website, there is no yet revelation on which episode will Dave be featured again (Quite honestly, I am missing him since the Thriller episode. He is just so adorable.) I, rooting for the Kurtofsky love ship, is very excited to hear Karofsky sing this song- better yet, in front of Kurt. However, the rumor is still a rumor as when Max Adler was interviewed he said that

"We are sworn to secrecy by the producers and they will have our heads if we reveal anything," 

So we are still left on the hanging. (I still hope he does sing the song).

PS. Why do I love Born This Way. It is so GAY. Hence, Lady Gaga
Here is Lady Gaga's Cover for her latest album. Isn't she great(er than Britney)?

Adding Another Meaning to EDSA

Amidst the celebration and concert along EDSA right now, Gang Badoy posted in her blog about one of her student in the death row. The post contains three snippets of a yellow, torned sheets of yellow paper-- a journal--- describing a reflection of one of the people in the death row during Echegaray's execution (5 Feb 1999). I am reposting the blog. (Click here to view the original post).
***

Death and Freedom in February

By gangcentral

I’ve been teaching Creative Writing in the Maximum Security Prison in Muntinlupa since July 2007.    Among my students are inmates of Building 1.  Building 1 used to be called the ‘death row’ until the death penalty was repealed in 2006.   Two days ago an inmate from my class came up to me and whispered that he was going to give me something at the end of the class.  I nodded at him thinking it was either a note, a small gift (for they are thoughtful like that every now and then) or maybe a request for help for medical assistance.   To my surprise, he handed me three yellowed, torn and stained sheets of paper.  He whispered that those were his notes from February 5, 1999.

The significance of what he said didn’t strike me until I realized it was his journal entry from the day someone from his building, from 5 cells down the hall, was executed.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

-end of journal entry post-

Last October, while discussing the death penalty with my class, I decided to ask a couple of former death row inmates if they remember the day the law was repealed.  They described how they felt when they realized they will no longer be executed but their sentences changed to reclusion perpetua instead. (WATCH VIDEO HERE)

—-

Many have asked me about my stand on the death penalty and I noticed that my answer changes depending on the time I am asked.  My answer varies, too, depending on the crime and the accused involved.  But certainly this is not justice.

If you ask me today, I still don’t think it should be restored – not while our law enforcement is so wanting, our investigation and evidence-gathering so unscientific, our methods for extracting confessions questionable, our courts so flawed, we can’t afford it yet.

I am involved in some of the work of the legal communtiy who pushed against the death penalty, I have a good friend who was murdered – so if you had asked me around the time of his murder, I’d have said yes to the death penalty.  But –  I have longtime students who have murdered, raped, carjacked, dealt drugs, stole and damaged both people and property and I am witness to their sincere effort to eke out a new existence even while inside prison.  I am their teacher and I have read their writing.  So if you ask me again, my answer is no.   I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to explore this issue from many vantage points.

So if you ask me today, my answer is no.

—-

I suppose it was fitting for me to post this on the 25th anniversary of the EDSA revolution as it serves as an analogy to those days.  While we may have escaped the death of our democracy, 25 years after – we realize that we are still imprisoned and struggling still – to be free.   I suppose those days were a matter of life and death for many, also ~ from all sides.

Today, I am thinking of choices and freedom instead.

-Gang Badoy

25 Feb 2011

Rock Ed Philippines

***

I was teary eyed reading the memoirs. The gravity of emotions are not based in the intricate flowery modifiers, nor within some symbolic metaphors. The sheer transparency of simple words touched my heart as I was reading this honest narrative. The piece is poetic in nature: its simplicity reveals a yet another dimension on the thin line between life and death. It is indeed a wake-up call for us who waste time  sitting in front of our computer, lambasting people here and there, and involving in some facets of corruption.


The memoir is more than a perspective on death penalty. This memoir is an expression itself-- unafraid yet all the while sincere.

This blog post adds another meaning to what happened 25 years ago along the then Highway 54. Our parents-- the precious generation-- fought for the freedom of our country from the cruel corrupting hands of a dictator, and collectively while peacefully, they have passed down to us the freedom to express ourselves without fear of having persecuted. But then again, this people behind bars, who most of them had suffered the consequences of their crimes (or in some cases, suffered the consequences of their alleged crimes), have repented and are wanting to start a clean slate to the world, struggle for their own freedom. This brings a new perspective to EDSA- we struggle for own freedom-- literally or symbolically. 

I love GTWM

Yes, I love the show so much. My day is never complete without listening to the crazy sex questions posted in the show.

Nuff said.

Listen to the show. Weeknights. 9-11PM. 

Got love/sex/relationship problems? Call 6596969. Abroad? Skype them goodtimeswithmopodcast (and be greeted by Bikini Girl Kat!).  Callers get  a Philipps GoGear Mp3 Player

And a chance to win gadgets such as Blackberry, Nokia, Lenovo Laptops etc.

Didn't made it to the live stream? Download the show in iTunes. Or here (avec Video). Or here (Audio only)

When Amnesia Becomes an Excuse

Listening and watching to the live stream of the Senate hearing on alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines is like sitting in a law school lecture. There, senators interrogates-- and sometimes in showing off-- the AFP officials on how come they amassed such amounts of wealth from their meager (relatively speaking) salaries as a soldier. There, we could see Miriam Defensor Santiago hurls fiery and wittingly funny statements hence serving her another set of death threats for her breakfast. There, we saw how Antonio Trillanes misaligned his choice of words that would (indirectly) yield to Angie Reyes's dramatic suicide a cote de his mother's grave. And there, annoyingly, we could see how these crocodilius generals, especially Carlos Garcia, resort to their safest excuse not to "incriminate" themselves by resorting to a peculiar situation involving selective amnesia.

"Nakalimutan ko po. (I have forgotten)" "Hindi ko po alam" (I do not know). "Wala po akong matandaan na binigyan ako ng 50 million pesos". (I could not remember that I was given 50 million pesos). That is all we can here from these gahamans when confronted with questions pertaining to properties and bank accounts which are allegedly coming from their intricate corruption through the AFP funds.

Today in the senate, Ret. Gen Jacinto Ligot, the then AFP comptroller during Angie's time, was on cross fire. Senator Drilon presented the deed of sale of a certain property in Essenza Towers in Bonifacio Global City which was sold to Limot este Ligot's brother-in-law by Ligot himself. When asked to confirm whether it was Ligot's signature on the document, the bucktoothed replied "It seems to be my signature", implying that someone used his name and forged his signature to close that 25 million peso sale. Also presented in the hearing was the 135 million withdrawals of Ligot and his family and his not filing of income tax return for years, (which he reasoned out that he hasn't any income for those years. No income your face Ligot!)

How annoyingly they can get when answering these question. I agree with Sen. Estrada's remark. These people are already caught red-handed with these evidences yet they could still sit upright in the senate hearing and lie with their ugly faces in front of the public. Yes they are technically still innocent but you can see through their aura's that they are trying as hard as they can to confuse the public even more. What is irritating more than hearing Garcia saying "I invoke my rights against self-incrimination"? By God, ang kakapal ng mukha.

The public knows that the evidences and testimonies presented in the probe are sufficiently strong enough to convict these generals, contrary to the prosecutors arguments. The only question here is that, will the senate do something about this after the investigations. The public do really need some action going and wants these faces behind bars the soonest the possible. I just hope that there is a way for these general for them to remember the things they have done so that justice may be served. However, I could not deny that it is entertaining to see these generals' faces when confronted with a fact. They never failed to give me a good laugh.


PS. Could I just commend the senators, especially, Sen Drilon for doing his homework. Cheers to you Big Man!

Dan + Blair = Dlair

Watching Gossip Girl has never been such a kilig more than ever. I mean, seeing Dan and Blair flirt through fight with each other is so cute. I really hope that GG writers will pursue this coupling.

Photo Courtesy of fuckyeahdair.tumblr.com

"I, Blair Waldorf, need Dan Humphrey's help"

Kilig. Dan regains his hotness back after being dumb following Serena's ass. And all I am waiting for now is for them to kiss! Lonely Boy and Queen B for the win!

Oscar Best Picture Nominee: The Social Network
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg. Andrew Garfield. Justin Timberlake. Arnie Hammer
Directed by: David Fincher
Produced by: David Fincher. Scott Redin. Dana Buinetti. Michael De Luca. Cean Chaffin. Kevin Spacey


Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%


Synopsis: This film follow the founding of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a socially awkward resident of a Harvard Dormitory, had an inspiration from his breakup and what should have been an online bitch fight, he developed the world's greatest online phenomenon. But the road to heaven is not too easy as he faces charges of copyright infringement from Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Arnie Hammer) while he endangers his friendship to his co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

Facebook is indeed the world's greatest online phenomenon to date. This generation has been a witness how Facebook (alongside with Twitter) revolutionized social networking from a simple connecting medium for friends and families to a platform of idea exchange and civilian journalism. I mean, Facebook and Twitter made it easier for news to travel and so on and so forth. The expected exponential growth that of Facebook, far more successful than Friendster during the early 2000s, raises curiosity to the persona behind this huge success. Indeed, Mark Zuckerberg is on the it-list as he amassed fortunes worth billions in less than 10 years.
Therefore, it is no surprise that The Social Network, loosely based from Ben Mezrich's novel The Accidental Billionaires, become the buzz and a hit on the blockbuster.

Quite honestly, I didn't find the movie that great. Partially because I like underdogs more (This move swept the Big four awards- there are only two others) but I just think that the movie is too over the top-- purely depending on the success of Facebook to generate ticket revenue. To be fair, I'm a fan of non-linear timeline: I mean, it takes too much effort and great creativity to create a story without confusing the audience. However, I found the film boring (Watched it in three breaks) because I was annoyed with Jesse Eisenberg's blabbering. I just see the movie as plain blabbering of Zuckerberg-- tactlessly bashing people, carelessly endangering friendship and back-stabbingly pretending to be a great ass.

Given that and of the primary principle of  fairness, I have to say that Eisenberg's acting really worked on me. I mean who else can act like that and have me smirk randomly whenever I hear him in my mind blabbering about the cup size of the girl who broke up with him ("Cup B, as in barely anything there" hilariously annoying).  I would not have any guy like that character dating me. Eisenberg is a natural actor, though, the script really flows within him (But not that great to overcome Colin Firth for the Best Actor Award). I should say also that the rest of the cast did very well in the acting, especially Andrew Garfield, oh god he is hot. It is fair to say that the motivations of all the characters are pretty well established that the believability of their acting is strong enough to persuade the audience. Note that siding on which side is hard enough.

It is just I heard so much about The Social Network that it was kind of implanted to my subconscious that this movie is highly commercialized/sensationalized. As I said, I am for underdogs so given the warm receptions of the audience and the critics, this movie would not disappoint if ever it wins an award. It is easy to say that The Social Network is not my cup of tea (So does Facebook).

Other Oscar Nominations:
Best Actor. Jesse Eisenberg
Best Cinematography. Jeff Cronenweth
Best Director. David Fincher
Best Film Editing. Kirk Baxter. Angus Wall
Best Sound. Ren Klyce. David Parker. Michael Semanick. Mark Weingarten
Best Adapted Screenplay. Aaron Sorkin

Oscar's Best Picture Nominee: The Kids are All Right
Starring: Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko
Produced by: Jeff Levy-Hinte, Gary Gilbert, Jordon Horowitz, Celine Rattray


Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%

Synopsis: Nic and Jules has the perfect family: their daughter is going to college with academic honors on her back, finances are strong, and they are just plain happy-- but the thing is, Nic and Jules are a lesbian couple. Given there unconventional family structure, Nic struggles to keep her family together as their sperm donor enters the scene and tries to win the favors of her wife and her children.

In these times when the society's dealing with homosexuals are relatively tolerable compared to previous era, everything is not just about a question of whether one is straight or gay, it is also a question of love (I have taken this quote from the French Film Juste une question d'amour). Love, as it is right now, is about who one is and how she sees herself from within. Although the present society prefers heterosexual relationship, it is not that unusual for us seeing a girl and a girl kissing or two men walking hand in hand.

A homosexual relationship is not easy to maintain-- I for one is a witness to this situation. For one thing, you are judged to be immoral and deviant and so many embarrassing (and most often than not, insulting) names. For us homosexuals, we are still persecuted at a certain extent. It is hard to tell the world that you love another guy, much more to show the world how you love the guy. Another thing in homosexual relationship is about insecurities- jealousy doubles its own chance. The Kids are All Right  explores the insecurity a homosexual (for this case, a lesbian) deals with her insecurities while maintaining the family she built for the last 18 years of her life.

Conflict started when Nic (Annette Benning) and Jules's (Julianne Moore) children met the guy who artificially inseminated the lesbian couple. Paul (Mark Ruffalo) hangs out with the two children too much and become attached to one another, especially Laser who just found a father figure from Paul. Things became worse when Jules started sleeping with Paul. Annette Benning's attack on the keen observer physician lesbian character flows directly from the characters motivation. Every time you see her in the screen, you can always feel the aura of insecurity she feels when Paul is around. Two thumbs up for the character.

Watching it, it is hard to identify at first whether Nic is too insecure or Paul is meddling with the family affairs too much. In Nic's point of view, Paul is a virus invading her family. On the other hand, Paul grasps the chance to change his life by connecting with his biological children. The competition between the two is subtly intense because they are two person from the opposite poles: Nic is firm with the rules for her children, Paul is loose; Nic is critical towards  Jules while Paul appreciates Jules' talent. Nic's character is troubled enough- he is loud, annoying and hypercritical in every sense- but we are gladly walkthroughed by the script towards her inner frailty when it comes to keeping her family as close as possible. Towards the end Nic won my heart and sympathy as Paul proved himself in the wrong side of the track.

This movie tackles the idea of traditional family values despite the unconventional family setting that Nic and Jules have. Trust is of the essence, as in any other kind of relationship, and it takes time and effort to make a marriage work. The good thing about this movie is that its warm atmosphere all through out somewhat resembles the warm atmosphere that a family should have: where everybody is free to think, to love and to be oneself.



Other Oscar's Nomination
Best Actress- Annette Benning
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo
Best Original Screenplay: Lisa Cholodenko. Stuart Blumberg

Yey for me last night!

Just want to share:

Last night, I called the show (Good Times With Mo the Podcast) to ask for an advice on how to win back my ex-boyfriend. I will not delve in to the details on our breakup but I will just tell you that it hurts me so much without him for these past few days. Luckily, Mo is got soooo mabait and he and Rhian gave me a valentine's package from Quickdelivery.ph and to ask my ex out. Yey for me!





I invite you guys to listen on weeknights 9-11PM starting next week. Got a love/sex/relationship questions? Don't be shy and ask them out to the Philippine Genius Mo Twister and Dr. Gan Montenegro. Each caller wins aPhilipps Go Gear Mp3 Player from Tradeport.com (and the cool thing is that, they will deliver it straight to your home) and a chance to win  cellphones, laptops and GC's from Fridays and SanMig Light.

****
PS: Yesterday is a very awesome day for me: I saw my first love, my happy crush texted me and I got a chance to win back my love of my life.

Oscar's Best Picture Nominee: The King's Speech
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Produced by: Iain Canning, Emilie Sherman, Gareth Unwin


Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%

Synopsis: . His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) has to overcome his insecurities to deal with what his royal duties imposes on him but the greatest impediment to his public duties is his speech impediment. He must deal with his stammering first in order to face the challenges imposed by the Abdication of his brother, the former Prince of Wales, and ultimately leading his country to war against Hitler as King George VI. This is the story of how "Bertie" found a way to overcome his speech impediment and most especially, found himself a friend.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Duke of York stammers. He can't even say a sentence in a single blow that is why he was left standing behind the microphone on his first broadcast-- leaving him humiliated in front of his father's people. In the first scene, I cannot help but to sympathize to the stammering and the sense of desperation is obvious in the face of the Duke and the Duchess (Helena Bonham Carter. Yes, Bellatrix Lestrange). This leads to the therapy sessions with Lionel Logue, which is so confident of his methods that he even insisted to be in first-name basis with the Prince-- a serious protocol breach.This device to create the equality inside the confines of Logue's consultation room works in two different levels: One it establishes the authority of Logue from the Duke's behavior and as a presage to a relationship deeper than a doctor-patient corroboration.

It is hard enough for Bertie to become a stammering prince, so what more when his brother abdicated the throne (King Edward, played by ) and the royal duties to become a King and Emperor of the British Empire would be too much for him? It was explained that the stammering is acquired (Prince Albert does not stammer when he talks to himself) and it roots from his strict controlling father (portrayed by Michael Gambon) and on how his defects were corrected. He was forced to be a right-handed and forced to wear painful metal splints to correct his bow knees.

The therapy sessions involves series of motor exercises which includes rolling and waltzing and shouting in the window. It is an unusual method and it was revealed the Lionel was not a medical doctor but a failed actor who treated shell-shocked victims form World War I. This confrontation, the climax of the movie, revealed the strengths of both actors as they deliver the lines so powerfully that it doesn't just evoke the confirmation of the success of the therapy (King George said, without stammering, "I have voice") but also a sense of release not only from the insecurities of Prince Albert but also on the superficial protocols. This had me a change of heart and now I am for Colin Firth for the Best Actor award (Sorry James Franco, you are still hot anyway).

Again, subtleties works best for me. What strikes me the most are several explanations of the current behavior of the present monarchs. For one, during a scene where the Princesses of York (the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret Countess of Snowdon) asked the Duke to tell them a story. This particular scene reminds me of the movie The Queen starring Hellen Mirren where it was shown the Queen's love for dogs (there are dogs beside the Princesses). Another thing is about how the Duchess (Bellatrix Lestrange for Best Supporting Actress!) strict abidance of the protocol (obviously manifested by her partiality towards Wallis Simpson, and the scene with Myrtle Logue when she teaches Mrs Logue on how to address her). This reminds me of an anecdote I read about the Countess of Snowdon and her very strict nature when it comes to protocol (it must be noted that the young Princess Margaret calls her father Your Majesty in the film). Indeed, the late Princess must be inherited these behavior from her mother.

I am always amazed by the intricacies of the british monarchy---especially it's complex protocols most specifically in the title and styles. The British Monarchy is the most interesting family for me, having ruled in an unbroken chain for centuries. With The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen, and The Young Princess on my movie repertoire, The King's Speech is yet another great addition to the history of motion picture as it is compelling and inspiring at the same time.

Other Oscar Nominations:
Best Actor (Colin Firth)
Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush)
Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter)
Best Director (Tom Hooper)
Best Film Editing (Tariq Anwar)
Best Art Direction (Eve Stewart. Judy Farr)
Best Costume Design (Jenny Beaver
Best Sound Mixing (Paul Hambling, Martin Jensen, John Midgeley)
Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat)
Best in Cinematography (Danny Cohen)
Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler)
***Note: TKS has the most nominations for this year's Oscar's

Oscar Best Picture Nominee: 127 Hours
Starring: James Franco
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Produced by; Christopher Colson, Danny Boyle, John Smithson
Adapted from: Aron Rolston's Between a Rock and a Hard Place


Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%

Synopsis: A happy-go-lucky son foes out trekking in a a wide canyon alone... without telling anyone where he is going. Trapped with a  boulder blocking his arm to move, he has no choice but to resort to a desperate measure in order to survive.

Movie critic Matt Kelemen says that 127 Hours "... maybe a total contrast with [Slumdog Millionaire], but in terms of artistic innovation, it is a greater achievement." Indeed, given the awesome cinematography to visualize Aron Ralston's (Franco) hallucination is a great device to put an action on a seemingly stationary character stuck in between rocks. Yes, if you are looking for an action pack trekking experience, this is not the movie for you; but, I assure you that when I say that this movie is action-packed, it is definitely thrilling.

The film revolves around the story of Aron Ralston and his 127-hour stranded moments in between two rocks with a boulder blocking his hand. Equipped with only a cheap swiss knife, a head light, half-a-bottle of water and some biscuits, he has no choice but to witness his own slow death. Amidst of fading hope and desperately resorting to drinking his own urine to quench his thirst, he hallucinates and entertains himself with his camera and some skits. It is funny how the plot is extended to include the bubly side of James Franco (Can I just say that he is HAWT?). His charms juxtaposed to his acting prowess makes him deserving for the Best Actor Award.

Three years after the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Producer-Director Danny Boyle goes back to the Oscar scene with this compelling story. With the gruesome and visual amputation climax, an audience could either pass out or at least feel the pain of desperation. Indeed, a very amazing creation and not a movie for those who can't take blood.

Other Academy Awards Nominations:
Best Actor. James Franco
Best Adapted Screenplay. Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
Best Original Score. AR Rahman
Best Original Song. AR Rahman, Dido and Rollo Armstrong
Best Film Editing. Jon Harris

Oscar Best Picture Nominee: The Black Swan

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, VIncent Cassel

Director: Daren Aronofsky

Producer: Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%

Metacritic: 79%

Synopsis: A young talented prima ballerina struggles with her insecurities especially with her understudy.

Subtleties in the movies make one good. A perfect combination of symbolisms, irony and natural drama would make a movie stand out among any other. The best movies don't rely in the script to achieve a specific reaction. Most of the time, as it is in real life, reactions-- specifically, emotions--- originate from subtle forces acting on the subject. Indeed, BS quenched my thirst for subtleties and it's outstanding performances and mind-puzzling scenes made me want this movie to win the Oscars for Best Picture.

Natalie Portman portrayed the prima ballerina Nina Sayers whose ballet technique is outstanding yet it is rigid.  She is compared with her co-cast and her understudy (Mila Kunis) which on the other hand has the fluidity and a slight touch of carelessness. For this specific production, Natalie Portman, in fact, trained herself in ballet and professional ballerinas and danseurs praised her technique. Performances in this film is even comparable to what we can see on live stage. Not only that NP praised for her astonishing ballet but also her portrayal of the troubled protagonist. Her acting is so natural that motivations are clearly established (except for one thing, we will go back to that). She deserved the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and so as the Oscar's Best Actress.

Given the genre of the movie, the psycho-drama is creepily enticing. The horror is sublime. We cannot see the traditional cunning and conniving evil but we definitely sense its presence. The evil is within oneself, says this movie, that we should be afraid of what we can do to ourselves. The appearance of the feathers in the final performance, the stabbing scene and the mysterious scratch marks (although it can be helpful if the script clarifies  the reasons for this) are hair-raising enough to invoke a deep form of fear. The film could be confusing but it encourages the audience to think.

Good movie, Highly Recommended.

Other Oscar's Nominations:

Best Director

Best Actress

Best Cinematography

Best Film Editing

Coming Next: 2011 Oscar's Nominees for Best Picture

Am I a movie critic? No. But I'll try to put my two cents on the nominees. 

This year, the Academy nominated 10 films for the Best Picture Category-- 5 more than the usual 5 nominees of the last years. Fair enough, because 2010 was a year of great movies. The nominees for 83rd Academy Awards for Best Pictures are:

• The Black Swan. Medavoy. Oliver. Franklin
• The Fighter. Hoberman. Lieberman. Wahlberg
• Inception. Thomas. Nolan
• The Kids are All Right. Gilbert. Levy-Hinte. Rattray
• The King's Speech. Canning. Sherman. Unwin
• 127 Hours. Colson. Boyle. Smithson
• The Social Network. Rudin. Brunetti. De Luca. Chaffin
• Toy Story 3. Anderson
• True Grit. Rudin. Coen. Coen
• Winter's Bone. Rosselini. Mardigan-Yorkin

Up next are my individual movie reviews for the nominees.

Crap yet there is a potential

Three years ago, we have a different principal: Strict and very traditional yet very good school administrator. By traditional I mean that she was very conservative on every aspect thus it was never allowed for the students to perform something which depicts anger or with a hint of sexiness. You have to cover every bit of your body with cloth, that is why there are no beauty pageants in the school. But now, the new principal (although his administrative skills is very much hated and there are issues concerning against him) is a little bit loose when it comes to those kinds of things. Currently, the school is doing annual beauty pageants, field trips, JS prom and all other things we were not doing way back. As for the arts, modern dance is now encouraged so still as the folk dance which dated way back the antiquity of our batch. Yesternight, I attended the Cultural Presentation of my high school for the Barrio Fiesta of Pulong Buhangin, Sta. Maria , Bulacan. I could tell that they are up for that specific night and they toiled days to  prepare for the production. I couldn't say the production is astounding nor it can pass my taste (The students, and also the teachers need a crash course on basic back stage management and on how to control your mouth), but they did a job well done. In all fairness to them, it is wonderful to see how modernization was obvious in the program compared from our traditional and boring stuff we do three years ago (which on a biased point of view, we kicked ass. Hello, we are the "golden batch") .

The whole experience was fun. Having to mingle with my ex-teachers, seeing old classmates and friends, finding cute high-school guys (with abs!), and meeting interesting faces. One performance caught me there is the fire dancing. Again, I am not impressed with the performance itself but on how much skin it was shown. The guys only wore boxers and the girls are flaunting their curves. By God on the High Heavens, that scene is far from tolerable and would easily send the ex-principal in fury. But no, the new principal is gay and from that it is implied that he likes the scene very much with that smile painted all over the face. Everything else is plain and boring, the whole production didn't impress me at all.

 Having been exposed to a variety of arts, and to point I am not a know-it-all, there performance last night was nothing compared to what I have seen and experience. First, the production team is totally disorganized-- it will be best if there is a central person to manage and delegate stuff. Backstage traffic was outrageous, every one is speaking loudly and everyone is all over the corridors (There is no dressing rooms pa nga!). The stage was undefined, how come CAT cadets allow small children running in the performance area? The mics are too low in volume to think that they are performing in an open-space. In short, everything is very amateur and inexperience is pretty much obvious.

The good thing about the production last night is on how the "arts" on our dear old alma mater is being extended. This could mean that the teachers and the student would continue to explore their potentials so should there ever any other school production, they will be better than yesternight showcase of crap.  I would advice them to do some research and watch more interesting stuffs. Enough of that crumping and modern dance, that is so  passe, Showtime has a lot of that already and even Vice Ganda is having enough of those stuffs. Find more ways to be creative, that is the key. Yet, despite of the tedious performances yesternight, they did the job done.

Funny Commuters

Commuting is very tiring: Squeezing your way through mass transportations, boring your way through the EDSA traffic, contaminating your lungs with smog notwithstanding free unwanted face powder every time smokebelchers pass you by. There are a lot of ways a commuter can describe the stress commuting induces. As for me, it drains me farther after the toxic of school. Look, what will you feel after taking a two-hour exam then when you sardined yourself through MRT the man beside you smells like sinigang. Hahahah. However things could be fun in commuting. Today, while going home, three scenes caught my attention.

The first one was a man, at least on what his formal business attire could say to me. We entered the MRT on Ayala Avenue and as it is expected, we should squeeze through the sardine-like train to avoid the EDSA rush-hour traffic. So we are standing station from station, our bodies bumped to each other many times (he is good-looking by the way) and he was texting. I dunno but for some reasons, without any intentions to pry (or maybe there is, I keep on denying it), I saw he's texting some named Sir Jeffrey. The message read (NV): "Mahal nasa train na ako, malapit na ako. I love you po". Processing this particular scene, many possible theories came into my head, but given my scientific background, Occam Razor's Principle says to me that he is gay. So we girls, we come to a conclusion that, "Aanhin pa ang gwapo, kung gwapo rin ang hanap." (What we'll do to a handsome man if he looks for another handsome man.)

I got over the gay guy from the train, so I went down North Avenue Station, walked from Trinoma to the bus stop in SM and boarded the bus. The bus is fairly deserted and it is unusual for the rush-hour to have a bus hardly half-full. So I sat by the left side of the train and seated beside the windows. Opposite my seat is a couple, the guy is from FEU (noticed from the uniform) and the girl is a saleslady (note the varicose veins behind that skin-toned stockings). It is approximately one-hour ride from SM North to my home in Bulacan and we passengers occupied like almost one-fifth of the seats and we are staggered everywhere. I am a keen observant myself so I noticed it when the couple transferred to the back seats which no one is seating. As a malicious person and I concluded that my senses are right because upon looking at the mirror (Not to check if my face is oily again but to spy on the couple) I saw the couple lip-locking and tongue fighting at the back seat. I suggest these two persons should flick their channels to ETC 21 and wait Tyra Banks to say "Too much PDA, GO GET A ROOM".

Ten minutes away from the stop, there was also this putaching looking lady two rows up but on the other side of the bus. She is awfully dressed and heavily made-up. The hair was pony-tailed on one side and I can imagine her waiting in Cubao overpass for drunken and ill-smelled customers who only come at night. We are nearing our stop and she prep herself up. It is kinda weird because the bus is homebound but she put another layer of lipstick to her kalyo-infested lips and  sprayed a mist of perfume (In fairness to her she has a nice perfume) to her cloth-scarced dress but what annoyed me the most is that the smell of her hand lotion. It diffused in air and its like there is a funeral on going inside the bus. Oh well, I can't blame her she looks like a putaching.


It is funny seeing these kinds of people while commuting. You don't really know if they made your busy day a little lighter or they made it worse. As for me, I just had a very funny commuting experience