W-Works

newest endeavor... before i finally shut down this personal blog. i am starting a new blog just focused on feminisms...

Music in Film

Been immersing myself on film books... I am quite excited that I would be able to teach Music in Film to U.P. Film students next semester. Well, I am no Ryan Cayabyab or Jaime Fabregas but I do know some tricks to composing for film and would love to share these to younger generations. Nah, we will not jot down music notes here (I am not into this), it will have more workshops and on-the-spot composing and emotion-sensitivity-creativity musical imagination enhancements chuva whatever. In this class, you do not have to read music, you just have to be able to imagine, sing or play it. Believe me, mas mahirap gawin ito for most people. Gotta go back to reading now.

blurb burp

Seeing the MTV Music Awards, right in the heart of America land, the global index and template of civilization, lifestyle, culture and what-have-you for punggok (short) brownies like the mixed up schizophrenically confused Filipino nation--I keep wondering where we (if our generation lives long) and hyper-driven-for- success younger generations will end up aside from worsening illusions of special missions in life to be great and just simply great.

Everything great has to be grand. Especially for the glitter-obsessed blacks, whites-whanna-be-blacks, blacks-slowly-becoming whites hip rap artists.

One great thing about the show was that Pink, the trannie-like innovator of the stupid girl video, won for best pop video. Another was Al Gore burping his own stuff on climate change. Kahit papaano, these two were winners.

Concert for Eve September 12

Love is all about respect and tolerance.
Discrimination sucks.

Here is Eve-olution Concert 2006! click>>

Something from the organizers:

"Eve-olution is a play on the words Eve, evolution and revolution. The intention is to project the image of the woman as continually evolving, and simultaneously, of the woman being at the forefront of the gender “revolution”. The Eve-olution (Celebrating Women) concert intends to establish a fund for women’s causes (and for this year the beneficiaries will be women living with HIV/AIDS and survivors of violence against women), as well as to provide a creative venue for projecting women’s issues and concerns. Women’s groups can explore the possibility of Eve-olution being an annual activity to carry out these objectives. "

"The premiere of Eve-olution this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Philippines’ ratification of the U.N. Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The concert will therefore particularly highlight the gains that women have achieved to date and the challenges that women continue to face today. The concert mood shall be generally celebratory. Still, the concert will feature songs, dances, poems and videos performed by various artists and performers conveying messages related to women’s causes, such as: Equality between men and women benefits all; Women’s rights are human rights; and Women, organize... Exercise our rights! "

SEPTEMBER 12
U.P. Theater
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City

what makes me happy

happiness is
a cup of freshly brewed coffee
chirping birds on a gentle morning light
a breeze of clean air
an hour or two or more of my exercise
a nicely done anti-stress massage
the scent and taste of hot real green tea in my teacher's house
a return of Xena the Warrior Princess television series
unlimitext
a bar of chocolate in my down moments
freshly baked spanish bread
an intelligent and relaxed conversation
music tripping in a cool and cozy sensurround room
crystal clear river full of fish to hunt
tequila
tequila
tequila

sometimes, we have to remind ourselves what makes us truly happy

peace photo contest, join na!

I am sure I do not have to elaborate on the peace situation in the Philippines.... calling everyone who believes in the possibility of a peaceful Philippines... join na.
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Call for Photo Works for the Visions of Peace Photo Gallery

September is National Peace Consciousness Month and the United Nations celebrates September 21 as the International Day of Peace.

In pursuance of promoting public consciousness on peace possibilities in the country, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Monitoring Committee (GRP-MC) is coming up with a peace photo gallery,which will be launched within September/October 2006.

GRP-MC is inviting students, professionals, photography enthusiasts and others to submit photo works exploring themes related to peace.

Works can explore answers to questions such as:
How do we achieve peace in the Philippines?
What is your vision of peace?
Where or with what does peace start?
What will make peace possible in the Philippines?

Photos may vary in size from 4 x 5 to 15 x 17 inches, in black and white or colored.

Persons whose works have been selected for exhibition in the GRP-MC peace photo gallery will receive Php 2,000 to 5,000 cash plus certificate. Those whose works have not been selected will receive a special prize token and certificate.

PLEASE SUBMIT EARLY.

With your submission, attach a piece of paper that indicates:
Your Name
Age
Address
School or Organization (if any)
Contact Numbers (landline, mobile phone, fax, etc.)
The date and place you took the photo
A short description of what the photo wants to tell

Send photos to
Photo Contest
GRP-MC Secretariat
6TH Floor Immaculate Conception Multi-Purpose Building
41 Lantana Street, Cubao 1111 Quezon City, Philippines

Submissions will be accepted until 21 September 2006.

For inquiries, email < jmcgrp.comm@ yahoo.com> or < info@grpmc-jmc. org>, or call (63-2) 725-4621.
============ ==============
Secretariat of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Monitoring Committee (GRP-MC)
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
6TH Floor Immaculate Conception Multi-Purpose Building
41 Lantana Street, Cubao 1111Quezon City, Philippines
Telephone: 63-2-7254621
Fax: 63-2-7253430
Email: info@grpmc-jmc. org; jmcgrp.comm@ yahoo.com
Website: http://www.grpmc- jmc.org
==========================

Sa labas ng kahon

Huwag mo akong ikahon
Na parang regalong may takdang sukat at hubog

Huwag mo akong ituring na isang drowing
Isang tanawing di na magbabago at di maglalaho

Ako ay tubig na patuloy ang daloy
Kahit anong subok ay di madadakot

Huwag mo akong ituring na isang iskript
O karakter na maaring iguhit

Hindi ako maniquin o manikang papel
Na maaring lagyan ng label

Ako ay hanging umiihip at humahambalos
Na di maaring mayapos

Huwag mo akong
Isilid
Sukatin
Timbangin.

Huwag mo akong ikahon.

Bleeding Heart

My heart bleeds red and sorrowful
My body shaking and my head circling
My vision is blurred by a hale of tears
Justice is promised by the liars

I am drained of waiting
I am nourished by indignance
Even Jesus had a righteous anger
Against those who profit in God's name

What shall it profit a man if he gains
the whole world and loses his own soul?
What shall it profit thee if you kill your enemy?
Only more enemies, more to kill lest you be killed first.

What shall it profit thee?

hitting the target and evading the point

Pow! And counting....

Not just between the blues and the reds, with the "unintended civilian casualties." I also see those who worry everyday whom to ask for rice or bagoong, where to find a doctor, how to get medicines, and so on. I wonder how much rice and kilometers of irrigation canals that funds spent for war materials can buy and construct?

You mean silence the enemy and we will all be happy? Sorry, I am not convinced, and that does not mean I am your enemy, silly. And please, if I am not on your side, that does not mean I am with the other side. Dualities have long been debunked, the world is round not flat. Try drinking more bilog.

The great war tactician Sun Tzu said, " All warfare is based on deception". In our case, we claim to desire peace but contending forces intend to achieve it through armed confrontation. And everyone knows that the path towards peace is through common ground of values, not deception. The Cordillerans have long applied this since the advent of the "budong" or peace pacts.

But deception rules; common sensical peacemaking is evaded.

Bloodshed on both sides of the fence. National brain-drain is not just through migration.

Philippine Idol-ing

Hay, finally got back to this blog after more than a week of playing slave para mabuhay. I just came back from a weekend meeting.. . and happened, by chance, to watch the show Philippine Idol aired over ABC 5.

Watching Philippine Idol is watching how we are, as a country, in cultural identity and mindset-- brown hilaw and Sharon Cuneta-Bukas Luluhod ang mga Tala* believers dominated the kind of performances and mindsets (some were interviewed) I saw.

We are hilaw but we do not like hilaw, meaning something that is supposed to have been cooked but was not well-cooked. It is like rice that has finished boiling and cooked outside until you see the insides, just like an identity that is at nowhere, nasa alangan. Kung hilaw ka na naghihinug-hinugan, tatawanan ka lang, kahit wala kang natirang pamasahe pabalik papunta sa probinsya nyo. Ay, pasiyensa na kamo day. Dili ka ma-accept.

As always, those who have crossed or can cross over as singer-dancers who pass the accepted pop standard of how a performer should look, sing and move pass the audition. But I do appreciate that the judges Pilita C, Ryan C. and Francis M. accept Bisaya performers. They event accepted one transgender, I think she is pre-op. They accepted them even if it is obvious they won't pass another audition. Please do prove me wrong.

Philippine Idol is not just about finding the Philippine Idol and that's it. It is also shows how dyslexic we are in cultural identity. While the show's intellectual property holder knew how profitable it is to expose people's feelings of triumph and defeat as well as bravado and absurdity, even often make fun of misplaced ambitions and characters, the show franchise in the Philippines shows who we are and what we are, in the singular and plural senses.

Sometimes we see blind, sometimes cross-eyed... sometimes, we see that we refuse to see our seen and obvious selves. Keep on watching Philippine Idol--labanan ng mga hilaw at hinog, good luck na lang sa mga sunog at dugyot. Hiram lamang ang ating katauhan.
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*tomorrow the stars will kneel down

essay competition: human rights and democracy

Everyone, you are invited to join this essay-writing competition:

"The Ateneo Human Rights Center in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is sponsoring an essay-writing competition on the question: Does the universality of human rights require a particular type of democracy?"

That is a very interesting and tricky question, isn't it? Should I give my real answer or the answer wanted of me? Hehe. Join tayo.

View details.

Template of Beauty

I watched the replay of Ms. Universe 2006, held in the global hegemonic USA, in Los Angeles. All beautiful women, fitting the standards of the 'thankyou doc' beauty industry. The small waistline that was rare before --and owned by a select few like wonder woman Linda Carter-- is now a common thing; high noses, cheeks-skin-legs in wood varnish finish, most candidates speaking in English with accents spiced up with native tongue slur. Different nations but same built and walk and poise.

Ms. Universe is supposed to be about representing one's country and nationality but here we are watching a bunch of beauties with relatively different origins but something tells you they all went through the same beauty global business machinery. Wide smile lips, eyes wide open, long -thin arms and legs.

It is bothering that candidates are too thin for comfort. I think I saw someone about to faint! Where were the Gloria Diaz days when contestants were genuinely bubly and alive?!

Where were the days beauties were representative of their people's natural features? More than half of the contestants have obviously mixed with the conquistadores bloods. Ms. India, Ms. Argentina and the likes look more like Farah Fawcett than native beauties!

Carson of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, features as one of the hosts, overshadowing his partner host, a former Ms. Universe-USA. Carson, noticing the the contestants' hairs even commented that there are so many contestants with blond hair. Lots of Farah Fawcetts in the bunch.

Bikini hypno
Okay, the bikini portion parade of bodies with only the suso and pekpek covered was so hypnotic it made me stop thinking. Top that with a barrage of corporate sponsors-- Skin White (especially for black and brown skins!), Fitness (or thinness) from Nestle, Xenical weight loss, Cover Girl make up.

Bland
The stage design and the evening gown colors are just so bland, like food without garnish. Kulang sa asin, sili at bawang! Tastes of the shwe-shwe ruled the night. Boring... Hmm.. no wonder, my friend just told me the gowns, just like the swimwears, come from one designer. Monopoly spares no design.

Origins
I decided to look up Ms. Universe's origins and it says, shortly in one paragraph, that the beauty contest originated from a "bathing suit" contest in Long Beach, California spearheaded by Catalina Swimwear. Ms. Universe is all about swimwear and bodies, that fuzz about humanitarian service is an add on to give the contest a diplomatic flavor. The one-para history did not indicate the year of that Long Beach contest. It did not trace how this bathing suit contest became a global addiction.

Q andA
Eventually, the top five finalists were USA, Switzerland, Japan, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Japan. Each contestant plus Ms U 2005 wrote a question in pieces of paper raffled in bowl.

Switzerland answered something about the importance of not losing one's family. USA answered that her desire to always do something, to help, correct and get disappointed with herself if she fails is perhaps one of her biggest flaws. Japan said something very intelligent, she spoke against violence and the male tendency for it. I forgot what Paraguay said. Puerto Rico, whose question was from Ms U 2005, defined success as achieving one's goals and that obstacles make you stronger.

Puerto Rico bagged the prize. The girl with the overused answer to the simpleton question won. So that is it. Do not expect something deeper in purpose. Latina beauty pageant schools know this. Ms U is a parade of women vying to be the ideal that the beauty and glamour mega industries dictate. Do not go for deeper transformative service, especially now that nation-states are in war. Do not even speak against any sort of violence. You can be beautiful and self-mutilate all you want, but never be too intelligently provocative. That is the way to win the pageant.

Duh- duh- duh- dumb.
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P.s. Our very own Ms Philippines won Ms Photogenic. Thanks so much to online voting that empowers us text and internet savvy Filipinos. Trunezz!

Bench sitter

Government has declared a state of war, the rebels refuse to yield. Hopes for peace talks are unsure. The President is scheduled to deliver a state of the nation address today. I fear watching another confrontation between anti-Gloria rallyists and police. In the streets and in the mountains, the scent of bloodshed haunts us. When will all these fighting stop? Up to when do we just watch the government troops and the left kill each other in a war of propaganda, guns and pride? Where are throngs of feminists who always have something to say? Where are the non-violence advocates? Where are the anti-war advocates? Where are we? Where am I?

asserting feminism

One reason why we should go to womyn's nights is the reality that patriarchy is very much alive and feminism in being declared dead.

If feminism is dead, we do CPR and revive it. If it is stuck along with the oldies who won't let go of their privileged feminist privileges, we grab our duties and continue working towards a world where respect for different genders is not a privilege, not just a right, but a natural state of mind.

Have you ever experienced being ignored by two men talking and exchanging toasts and boasts even if you had something important to say and what you say actually determines the two's conversation? Have you ever been assessed based solely on how your hair looked, what make-up you put on and what dress you wore that day? Did you have to be offensive just so you could defend yourself? Did you have to be twice as good so you could be treated as an equal?

No matter what frustations we have with Feminism-- in its many contradicting variations-- we still need it. It is still relevant. We have to hang on to it.

e-poster and official invite for womyn's night

See the official announcement at http://dahondahondyaryo.blogspot.com

Womyn's Night @ Penguin on 19th July

19th of July is another night of womyn's music and poetry. Isha, homegrown talent mix of Tori Amos and Madonna (ayus ba Peach? hehe=) with a Pinay angst, sings and plays the keyboard with a guiarist in tow, and Carol Bello Bandidas, an all womn group of Carol--cute vocalist of Pinikpikan (hihi! kapalmuks), famed low-profile guitarist Teta, and other girrls Divine, Kwami, Frances, Jhen (used to be with U.P. Kontragapi), and Malou (percussionist na kasa-kasama ni Cynthia Alexander, dati rin with Joey A.), perform original and cover songs with a set of percussions and guitars.

Amidst all the violence in this world and this country, there are womn who would like to have time to just sit back, relax, have wine or beer or tequila and just be with other womn and friendly people and men.

Not just referring to the violence such as the bombings and the never ending internal and international conflicts powered by arms trade, we also refer to rude stereotypes against certain genders such as that grimy liar Heads and Shoulders commercial 'Uy, Ay--Uy ang ganda, Ay hindi pala (Oh Beautiful, Oh Not)--packed in a whole music video with all male members Brown Man Revival and Sugar Free singing about women who are beautiful but aren't because they have dandruff. After the tiring clips about women with dandruff, Angel Locsin of Darna comes in with dandruff free hair. The commercial was so f*#@ing long. .. the advertisers failed this time. "Because far more men than women have dandruff, some researchers think male hormones may play a role in dandruff. Men also have larger sebaceous glands that produce an oil called sebum." (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00456.html)

Of course, we protest the political killings in this country that is supposed to be democratic and respectful of people's right to their own opinion and persuasions.

Why Bandidas.., because we rebel against all forms of discrimination, violence against women, negative stereotypes, double standards, objectification, and commodification of womn's bodies. But that does not mean we don't like sex or men or dykes or femmes or bis or trannies, baby.

Yeah. I like my own pussy but dominant images such as the Pussy Cat Dolls are a confused bunch of hot felines. I like to be confused sometimes but not be swallowed by it and stuck my pussy into it. The lead singer Fil-Am's lips look like very much like a vagina without pride. But then again, we are not against sexual freedoms. We love sex, we love freedom. In a world where speech and suppression of it is power, I want my lips to look like my vagina and also be a wellspring of thoughts, insights and aspirations too.

Okay, so much for this juicy angst. See you on the 19th of July, 9 p.m. --girl boy bakla tomboy tomgirl tomtom tung and so on. Penguin, also known as Rock Ola Cafe is near Remedios Circle in Malate, along the corner of Changko Khuya Restaurant (or a name that sounds like this).

Bring 150 pesos entrance fee and you get one drink free; bring a poem/song or two or just speak what-have-you.

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P.S. I have been trying to post the event poster to no avail...will try to post it again later.

amidst the crossfire

To live amidst armed conflict is no life cliche'. Just a few weeks ago, I saw that people who have lived amidst violent political struggles for so many generations, like most humans, never get used to violence.

Group A of the two warring groups in my adopted hometown, or more precise to say the town that adopted me, almost opened fire against suspected enemies Group B. Occasional firing had been going on outside the residential areas since mid morning of that day. But in the afternoon, Group A sent grade and highschool students and teachers either running towards their homes or hiding inside school buildings when the group announced that suspected Group B members are inside the community.

I saw the kids crying like they wanted to go back into their mothers' womb, parents scrambling for their children. People, faces in deceivingly quiet panic, in nervous calmness shut close nipa windows.

Open fire inside the community did not happen that day. The municipal police chief told Group A that the latter just mistook some community residents for Group B members. Not surprising since they also mistook the police chief, who walking to his house from his farm somewhere in the mountains, as a Group B member shortly before police chief slid into his uniform.

What could have happened if Group A was right and they opened fire at Group B within the community? What could have happened if group A was wrong and still opened fire?

As always, between warring groups, the civilians in the middle always bear the unjust burden of running/hiding for their lives.
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The flower in the picture was a witness.

maari bang ilaga ang baril at ihain sa hapag kainan?

pasintabi na lamang po. nais kong magsulat sa tagalog-filipino. nababagabag lang ako sa mga balitang nasagap sa telebisyon. isang bilyong piso ang ilalaan para palakasin ang AFP, kasama na ang mga armas na bibilhin, para sugpuin ang mga rebelyon.

kung nais talaga ng gobyerno na magkaroon ng kapayapaan sa bansa, bakit baril, at hindi pagkain, trabaho at kaunlaran ang paglaanan ng pera? kung ang mga perang ito ay tulong mula sa ibang bansa, sa bansa o mga bansa rin bang iyon bibili ng armas? bakit di paglaanan ng pondo ang mga krimen tulad ng kidnapping, dangerous drugs trade? kawawa mga kaibigan kong intsik, laging takot makidnap.

ni hindi talaga tayo natuto sa turo nina kristo at buddha, atbp., hay.

ayon pa sa balita, unavoidable daw ang civilian casualties? o Diyos ko (talaga pong dasal ito) ilayo nyo po kami sa masasama. iligtas mo po ang bayang 'Pinas.

kahirapan ang problema ng bansa. cure the illness, not just the symptoms.

Mga readings at websites kung trip nyo magbasa:

news:
http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=79751
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=79440

nonviolence:
http://www.gandhiinstitute.org
http://www.nonviolenceinternational.net

Bagulbol sa araw ng kalayaan/Griping on independence day

Last week, nag-nenok ako (i got) two doves from a wedding reception in Makati. Our band played for the newly-weds and their guests. The couple released 100 doves; not all doves were able to fly away to freedom. I think half of the doves stayed on the tree branches and some even hopped around the floor.

So I got those two doves and brought them home. But the two are like chickens, they do not fly. They flap their wings once in a while and walk around the house, pecking here and there.

Bandmate bassist Louie Talan said maybe it is because they have been in the cage all their lives and released only when bought for wedding receptions.

So I call those doves chicken.

They are just like us, aren't they? When we celebrate independence day, do we really feel that independence? Do we really fly? Or do we take the stairs, or any device to pretend that we are actually using our wings to reach our dreams?

Is it real peso appreciation if it comes from foreign direct investments in the form of investments on detructive large-scale mining, displacing communities and livelihoods? Or portfolio investments that can actually leave the country in a snap?

Do we get elected because we truly deserve it or because we took the stairs of goons, guns and gold?

Why do we love New York up to now?

Is a victory sign atop a pile of dead activists a symbol of truimph of peace?

Just how do we reach our dreams? Do we walk around and peck at other people?

The symbol of our independence are still doves. But they are doves like my chicken doves. I just hope it won't take another 400 years to teach them to fly.

Disturbing the peace

Peace itself as a concept is an ambigious, vague and elusive word. I realized reading and talking about it is way much easier than struggling for it.

How do you speak of peace if the gun is pointed into your mouth?
How do you tell people to speak if silence is survival?
How do you speak of rights, if all the time is spent looking for food?
How can you be secured of the rule of law in a schizophrenic land?
How long can you convince a person trained to trigger the gun not to shoot?
How do you call for lasting truce among parties determined to outwin each other?
How can I ever stop my armed offender with a plough and prayer?

So many questions. So many answers. But violence eventually persists.

Enough is enough is enough

What is a copycat? According to Miriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, copycat: one who adopts or copies the behavior or practices of another. What is plagiarism? The same reference says, plagiarize: to steal or pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own.

More than a decade in the music industry allowed me to see just how many musicians are not just copycats but are actually plagiarizers. Being a copycat is not really bad, because it means recognizing who the original is, and acknowledging being inspired by or imitating that original. In many ways, it is good for both original and copycat.

To be a plagiarizer is unforgivable. Whew, I have seen guys who would steal your ideas right before your eyes. Even if you make them know that you are not happy with them doing that.

Being a woman who has to be twice as good just to be on equal footing with the man is already a burden. But not to be adequately recognized, if not unrecognized, for artistic and creative agency, for so many times? ...."Enough is enough is enough is enough..."

The wanna-be Britney Spears are truer than the pretentious trailblazers.

Missing Magdelene

(Goddess Sheelah Na Gig, photo by Gareth Lloyd Hughes, http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=2150&L=0)

All that religious experts' fuzz about the religious fiction book of Dan Brown made more people even more curious about the worship of God as female. In some archeological books, the utter devotion of the Roman Catholic religious to the Virgin Mary is traced to Goddess worship of much older times, preceeding the worship of God as male.

Virgin Mary could have been part of the many transformation of the Goddess in many cultures, transforming partly as an adaption to the reign of male-dominated cultures-- She is Iambe or Baubo, Sheelagh/Sheila/Sheelah Na Gig, Quan Yin, Isis, Iris, Gaia, Bathaluman (Filipino Tagalog), and so on.

Some Goddess names are found in this site: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/goddessnames.html

I am now curious what part of the Goddess that Mary Magdalene fills in. If Virgin Mary is the virgin/saint and Magdalene is the vamp/sinner, perhaps the two make up a personality of the Goddess, perhaps of every woman. Utilization of both personalities being important to women who desire a sane, wild and meaningful life.

Dan Brown's book actually points out an omission that makes much stronger the male story of humankind. The passive, supportive, innocent Virgin elevated to great heights while the knowing, experienced Magdalene was played down and referred to as the prostitute, a lumpen who reformed. Most of male society has always been afraid of the knowing woman. A knowing woman knows man-- his fears, wants and weaknesses.

Yet, what I do not like about the fiction book is that it insisted the Magdalene was of royal blood decent and covered up her being prostitute ( a knowing woman), to justify her right to be revered. In the chart of royal bloodlines, the royal blood line came from King David, then Christ, then the offspring of Christ and Magdalene, aside from Magdalene being royal blood also. Enough of that royal blood thing. Please. Royal bloodedness is a fiction created by people, by society. A label and privilege created to justify the rule and abundance of the few over vast lands with many starving and hardworking masses.

The woman, her importance, as always throughout history, is revered, respected or voted(!) for her royal lineage via her father, forefathers or husband(s).

The book missed the potentially powerful essence of the person of Magdalene. It is not scary to male-dominated society after all.

Pinoy X-Tao

X-Men rocks. Of all the powerful characters, in the end, the rebel, dugyot (dirty, poor), lost, impulsive, unpredictable,'uneducated' Logan/Wolverine saved the day. I like that. I like Wolverine. True, transparent, willing to take risks and suffer pain. A character lacking in so many people today. Everyone is just so into their own power and well publicized causes.

I almost cried when Charles Xavier was killed by Jean Grey (but later on after the movie credits, Charles seemed to have transported his character into another body, so he is not that dead after all). It reminded me of our vanishing wise elders, being replaced by the likes of Magneto. I thought of Jovito Salonga (still very much alive today) who ran for president of this country once. I voted for hom but he lost. This country will continue losing its chances if it keeps on listening to the Magnetos.

Maiba nga ako... my friend and I have been thinking of X-men names for Pinoys:

Girl Bawang-- garlic breath that disintegrates anything in the way

Okay ka ba Chant--super sonic wail that induces earthquakes, floods and the heating up of air

Super Pork- ability to create pork dishes like sisig, crispy pata, etc. and compel the enemy to buy beer and have a good time, the enemy then dies of stroke

Porklet- anak ni Super Pork

Starlet - the sexy dancer who can hypnotize the enemy to sit down and feel his kamachohan, while starlet strikes for the kill; starlet sexy dances to the tune of "From a distance" by Bette Midler

VATman- the tax genius who kills via manipulating tax dues of his enemies until they become too poor and powerless

Ginoong Trapo - the villain who has endless supply of guns and goons, has four eyes, two noses, two mouths, six stomachs, eight hands, four feet and one small d*ck

Want to add a character?

watch Da Vinci movie

I saw Da Vinci Code the movie just the other day.

So many people were eager to watch the controversial movie, lining up in non-SM theaters, many among them wanting to see what the fuzz is all about. Bad business move for SM, I think, because there is more probability now that people will flock to non-SM theaters to watch movies. This time, conservatism is bad for business.

The Roman Catholic Church and the local government of Manila City must have seen something in the movie that compelled them to denounce and ban it...

I don't think the roman catholic religious who have been campaigning against the movie have actually seen the movie, except if you are tight-assed. The movie is all about probabilities and another view of Christianity, it isn't even against Christianity. It is not even against Opus Dei. If there is something that it is against, it is clearly against using religion and religious power/authority to secure selfish ends. Jesus preached about this, particularly whenever he referred to the Pariseo and Saduceo, religious high rankers during His time on earth.

It seems high rankers still have not learned lessons of ages ago. They use religious power to tell people, businesses and governments what to see, what to ban. Opinion could have been enough. Curtailing freedom to watch a movie is just way too much.

Babae sa Tag-ulan

It is near rainy season (tag-ulan) and tonight is the closing program of our photo exhibit at Penguin Gallery near Remedios Circle, Malate.

I am really excited to see the djembe players and dancers from Burkina Faso. O yeah, to quote my Nigerian friend, it will be Yonki! night... just kidding, hehe.

Jamming with me are two teens (Divine and Kwami) my age, asa pa ako, hehe, actually about 2/3 of my age. Really cool girls with talent. Whenever I see their kind, I see hope for this schizophrenic country.

That is a sample photo from the exhibit, a kid just after a swim from the mountain river near a dam site.

Rice not Rights (wag mo basahin kung ikaw ay pikon)

Excuse me, the rights I am referring to is rights movement of near-bogus or exactly bogus character.

NGOs--thanks to the Marcos, Cory, Ramos, Erap, Gloria eras for making them bloom and mushroom all over the place-- particularly the increasingly corporate-like ones, spend so much money for travel and publicity of rights causes; speaking as if they are one with the poor majority, the marginalized peoples. (People's and community organizations are a different a lot. I believe in them.)

Yes, being with NGOs for a long time made me analytical and be concerned about what's happening in the world, or even just this country. But now, I am seeing some NGO bosses use their organizations for career venture, if not a luxury and travel endeavors made to look like selfless service to the people. Kapalmuks no?

There are just so many of them pretending to be rights advocate when their talk is much much more than actual deeds. Travel here and there, all over the Phlippines and the world attending conferences, meetings and presenting papers read only by themselves because they are just so engrossed in their own words and worlds. Living in style, a citizen of the world, a world-class intellectual. If we convert their travel expenses and allowances to sacks of rice, we can feed so many communities, believe me.

We like to blame politicians for spending or taking money for the wrong things but who among corporate-like NGO top bosses is not doing it? Siguro meron pa. Sana. Pero kaunti na lang sila.

Pinoproblema daw ang usapin tungkol sa rights, may nagawa ka na ba para sa rice? Oo, rice para sa mga taong gutom, yung nasa malalayong lugar, yung mga hindi kayang umattend ng NGO conferences.

Gosh, hay naku, grabe... if you know what I mean. Ilagak nyo sa nararapat yang sandamukal na mulah na ninenenok nyo. Hinayupak kayo. Orocan, tupperware, ceramic ware, software, plasticware!

Bato-bato sa langit, tamaan please magalit! Now na!

O siya, matatanim pa ako ng kamote.

I hate drama!

I love drama, only when it is fit for the script.

But last night in our Pinikpikan gig at the Clamshit, I mean, Clamshell in Intramuros, the drama artistas in charge were certainly Over Acting on a badly written script. Super OA, chingga*.

We were invited to perform at this dinner and welcoming night for the UNESCO International Theatre Institute World Congress.

At first, the music and the vibes were good. The groove was Maayo Man, which translates to English as “ Life is Good”. The audience, delegates from the world’s five continents, loved it.

After the 'life is good' feel, a certain OA Nick came in with his microphone, where he got it do not know, and asked the people “...Do we want them to continue? Shall we go on?? Blah.. blah”. He was explaining that they still have things to attend to, running out of time, etc. Embrassing, the way he said it. But the audience wanted us to continue.

Lacking convincing power on the audience, he approached me, like a matapobreng doña from Rizal’s Noli told me we can only perform for 10 minutes more. I said okay. I was actually referring him to our contact for the gig, the stage managers, telling them that he should inform them, instead of going to me onstage in front of an audience and instructing me like an Indio just like the great old conquistadores and makapili days.

We obeyed, I informed Sammy (music director) about Nick's instructions and we did another song, Diwata (fairy), a five-minuter.

We were then consuming less than 5 minutes and 30 seconds of that 10-minute thing he set for us…Sammy and I were introducing the next song, Kalipay, which means happiness. Happines turned to madness when Nick interrupted us again. I was in the middle of explaining what the word Kalipay means and what languages and rhythms it uses when Mr. Artiste shit it off again with his “Excuse me… blah blah… we have to blah blah …” He was actually telling the delegates they have to go. Yes, even if there were no buses outside to fetch them.

Pinikpikan still played a percussion version of Kalipay. We had to play the gongs, or else we would have given Nick what he deserves, a good scold in front of everyone.

The delegates watched on. Many did not leave until the last beat.

The band packed up....

You know, it was like the band did not exist for him, like we were mere entertainment dolls, like an exotic dish that could be served and disposed of anytime . Galing niya, puede siyang ambassador ng Pilipinas, noh? Nagkamali siya, we are not this kind of music for nothing. We did not keep silent for that night.

I went to this guy. I asked him what the problem was. He suddenly flared up and told me he does not need confrontation. I was just asking and there he was yelling… pointing me to the big bosses.

Explaining to his boss (a well-known figure in the elite art world) why we felt bad about Nick’s actions did not do good. She just did not listen and kept on justifying her colleague’s actions. At first she was justifying, later on, she was accusing. She said they are having many problems with the whole congress. Sa isip ko, ah ganun, kaya gumagawa pa kayo ng dagdag na problema sa pambabastos sa kapwa ninyo Filipino at artist?

I leave out other details here.

The night ended with Pinikpikan having a relaxing drink at Penguin. I had four tall shots of tequila, pero di pa rin ako nalasing o naging tipsy! But then, I went home feeling good because we made our stand, and I was laughing about how such people like Nick and his lady boss could be such among the top people in the Philippine arts world.They are just so over- acting their matapobre-alta sosyedad roles. A classic example of tumanda ng paurong.

That Nick messed up with his thingies and took it out on others. Filipinos really looked like crabs in a pot on a stove that night. What can I say? Great welcome party for foreign delegates. Great treatment of local artists. He did not even care to apologize.

Thanks Nick. Great advocacy for the arts.

Great crabby act. Watch out for the boiling point.

---
* A lovely word, Zamboangeñas use this word when they are super pissed off

no means no

I've been watching a friend's collection of "L" Word series. Yes, non-Ls do watch this show too! And watching the series give us a lot to think about.

This line from the writer-near-psychotic character Jenny (season 2) is my latest favorite:

"...Because there isn't a single girl or woman in this world that hasn't been intruded upon, and sometimes it's relatively benign, and sometimes it's so fucking painful that you would have no idea what (it) feels like."

I try to look strong (and capable for violence) whenever I can especially when I am out for music gigs and drunk. But even if I do that, so many guys just do not know how to treat a woman nicely. When a woman does not want you, it would be so obvious... but some guys are just so into themselves that they do not ever take notice when a girl does not want them. Please guys, understand when a woman's eyes say "Fotah naman, kung trip kita pare, tinalo na kita kanina pa. Pero talagang di kita trip e!"

Help me God not to hurt an arrogant scrub.

Looking for Levis

Nasubukan mo na bang mapunit ang pantalon sa tugtugan? Mga p're at m're, kagabi lang nasubukan ko na rin sa wakas... Hay...

Last night, we were in Subic in an earth day concert organized by Dmitri productions, a company headed by the one and only Lou Bonnevie (for those do not know yet, Lou is Pinikpikan's Billy Bonnevie's sister). Hanep talaga si Lou Bonnevie. Her group has been organizing this earth concert annually. She is one of the few artists na talagang bilib ako.

Well, back to my pantalon story. Ayun na nga, I originally wore corduroy pants but decided to wear my slacks instead because the former was too loose, pumayat kasi ako dahil sa food poisoning sa minatamis na saba!!! Syet. I love saging pa naman. Pero punyemas na canteen (private concessionaire sila, NOT u.p. food service) sa peyups na pinagbilhan ko, bakit nagre-recyle ng pagkain sa ganyang paraan!

Okay, balik sa last night sa Subic... Actually, di pa kami tumutugtog, sinabi ko na sa pamangkin ko na malamang mapupunit ang pantalon ko that night dahil di kaya ng manipis na tela ang ma-stretch kapag sumipa ako ng mataas. (Opo, I kick high sometimes kapag tumutugtog, ala lang, feel ko lang kasi gawin.)

True enough, napunit ang punyemas na gitna na aking pantalon sa kantang Kahimanawari... not sure if people in front of the stage saw it. But I am sure some of those onstage, like the PAs did saw may pants rip apart.

Shit happens.

Pero okay pa rin. It seemed that for the crowd, what mattered more was the music, more than the ripped pants.

Winner ang mga taga-Subic/Olongapot pagdating sa music! Happy earth month. Remember, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE... wag lang po i-recycle ang pagkain na para sa tao!

Babae sa Tag-araw Photo Ex

BABAE SA TAG-ARAW
(women in summer)

People, visit Penguin (Rock Ola) Gallery and Cafe along Remedios Circle, Malate. My friends and I are exhibiting photo works until 24th of May 2006. We launched the exhibit last night and, because of my 'kapal muks', I was able to sell two of my works.

Exhibitors are:

Carol Bello: i love
Damdamin: Capturing emotionscapes of people and nature

Libay Linsangan Cantor: Zoom In/Zoom Out
Nothing escapes her eyes. Libay is a keen observer of life and non-life, and a prolific orator of fact and fiction, image or word. Zoom in or out.

Indira Endaya: Sense of Wander

Aileen Familara: Urban Sense
Sentimental urbanite: Found texts in urban environment, jarring contexts, the absurd, the non-sequitur.

resurrecion

Finally, finally, after a long bout of depression, I come out of my self-imposed penitence. Life, sometimes, becomes too much of a mix of tastes that we all get fed up with it. Sage sayings are forever true. We eat to live, not live to eat. Because if we live to eat, and have more than we need, what we eat goes into our head and blows us up. I have seen people regress from spiritual beauty to selfish illusions and it is not a sight to behold. I fear so much of imitating them, so once in a while, I kill myself. Not softly, but suddenly.... Unlike Pinikpikan dish. Two weeks of scouring for fish in the mountain rivers made me realize, once again, that food, air, water, heat, shelter, a bountiful of happiness, a few bouts of pain, and all other natural things--are what I need in life.

Confessions on the blog post

When the witness is faker
When victim is oppressor
When the lawyer is liar
When the judge is judgemental
Should I put myself on trial?

When feminists discriminate
When friends hate
When advocacy is put to shame
And innocents are blamed
Should feminism be acclaimed?

When the gurus are ignorant
Selfishness is blatant
Spirituality is a fucked up chant
Self idolatry is a pechant
Can the naive be complainant?

Should I? Should? Can?

Just Quit?

My take for now on the poem Don't Quit, whose author is Unknown.

Just Quit

When things go wrong, as they ALWAYS will
When the road you're trudging IS REALLY uphill
When the funds are NO MORE and the debts KILL YOU
you DON'T want to smile, AND you ALWAYS CRY

When care is pressing you TOO MUCH
Rest ALL THE WAY - JUST quit
Life is QUEER with its twists and turns AND OVERTURNS
As everyone of us NEVER learns

And many a failure turns about
When he might have won IN THE NEXT LIFE
COME ON give up, YOU CAN'T DANCE TO A pace SO slow
You might BE DEAD with another blow

Success is failure AND THAT'S IT
And you ALWAYS never can tell how close you are
It IS ALWAYS FAR when it seems so NEAR
THE FUCK WITH the fight EVEN when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst, That YOU HAVE TO QUIT!


(to 'Author Unknown' of the original poem, just forgive me, okay?)

Sweet sweat shop

The Pinikpikan gig in 70s Bistro last night was a sweatshop. Unlike the maquiladoras who have been organizing to push for improved working conditions (know more about them and let us support them people), the women who sweat it all last night were there to enjoy and express their sensuality dancing to Pinikpikan music.

I love seeing women free themselves and not be afraid of showing how sexy they can get when the music is just so right. Yes, the men simply enjoyed the supple bodies and danced too. One thing special about Pinikpikan nights is that regardless of who you are, you can simply enjoy and dance. Pinikpikan gets inspiration from its audiences-- when people enjoy, we enjoy.

We simply love it when the audience turns into a living organism of hot bodies on the verge of an orgasm.

V for Vendetta, Vivid, Valiant, Visionary, Victorious, Vicious…

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -- V for Vendetta

If you are confused with what is going on in the world today and you are scared but unsure of what might happen if vicious, power-hungry people continue ruling the world, go see V for Vendetta. Now showing in theaters nationwide!

A movie like a good smoke, satisfying sex, perfect drink, sound sleep, and what-have-you. Clear shot of raindrops falling on Natalie Portman’s (Evey) bald head (observed by my filmmaker friend), smooth swooshing swords in V’s last fight scene, seamless marriage of film and theater, etc., but, most of all, story-telling with depth, imagination and premonition.

Yes, the movie might be too revolutionary for the taste of tight-assed people in power. But like it or not, V simply hooks every viewer. It presents a world we always feared, a societal developmental disorder in danger of going nowhere but ground zero... if we do not do something about it.

The Wachowski brothers, the movie's screenwriters ( also behind the Matrix movies) have mastered story-telling with artistry, intellect and vision. What I like most is how they utilized the theories from college that most of us have forgotten.

Some cool use of theories from the movie...

Conspiracy theory to expose government conspiracies to wreak havoc in the lives of their citizens and lure people into believing that they need a stronger, authoritarian government that can protect them (sounds familiar?).

Reinforcement and cultivation theories for media's part in making people believe government lies. But also inoculation theory for the television viewers who have become resistant to lies. If any media person does not follow, he/she will end up dead like the television host who made fun of and showed the ironies and truth about the state head.

Symbolic interaction theory for V's convincing argument with Evey why he had to blow up the church tower. A building blown up is more than just a building blown up. It literally blows up socially constructed ideas, but presented as truths, that the building symbolizes.

Chaos theory for the rationale of V's vengeance that will lead to the end the vicious cycle of government abuse of power and supression of people's thinking. Conflict and disorder brings new and better order, again, if we do something about it.

Systems theory for explaining how a corrupt government's control of societal institutions such as the church and businesses leads to a systemic cancer; how there are no coincidences, that bits of pieces of this and that make up the whole, or the hole.

Feminist theory for the male-created repressive government. Yes, some women conspired to create such a government but the boardroom scenes (key officials talking to state head on the big screen) were all males. The screenwriters even included a subplot where homosexuals were persecuted but stood strong. Also, Evey had the final decision to push down the lever of that train that leads to bringing down parliament to clean up the mess of the past.

And I must insist, people power theory or EDSA theory (sino'ng aangal diyan ha?). Only this time, the terrorist prepared the way for people to gather on the streets and watch the symbol-of-power building collapse. With the EDSA 1, 2 and, some say, 3, in our country, will we have to wait until something similar happens?

Lots of theories more, what can you add?

No, no. I am not saying blowing up buildings cure society's diseases. I am just saying or going with the idea that blowing up, shaking up, or questioning those concepts and realities we just accept without questioning their validity might eventually lead us to a better understanding of our world and how we change it.

In a chaotic world, indeed, theories, most often, are keys to understanding. It is just up to us what we do with that understanding. We die because of it? We live it?

In any case, we eventually die and the theories live on. VaVaVa-Voom!
Peace ya all.

Hardened feminist

If calling you Patriarchal because you wouldn't let me speak is hardened feminist, then I am
If branding you chauvinist because you think men are superior is hardened feminist, then I am
If punching you back because you punched me first is hardened feminist, then I am
If hating you for oppressing the women race is hardened feminist, then I am
If asking for equal pay for equal work is hardened feminist, then I am
If praying for your kingdom's fall is hardened feminist, then I am
Call me hardened, call me mad
Label me insane, declare me ill
Gossip and slander all you want
Call me hardened feminist
I don't care

Whoever said that Feminism is dead does not have a fulltime, rank-and-file job

So many blahs that I hear from chauvinists and those who claim to be feminists that feminism is dead, is no longer relevant.

Try working in a usual office environment, or even a non-government organization where the boss is male and the culture is so male dominated.

These people who proclaim feminism's death do not understand the importance of feminism in putting sanity into a rank-and-file woman's experiences.

Is there a glass ceiling or am I just inept? Will I be smart or will I be beautiful? Shall I speak because my boss does not know what he is doing? Is that sexual harassment or admiration? Am I emotional or is he rude?

Feminism saves women's sanity. It rescues so many women from the brink of acceptance that their plot in life is to follow the male standard.

Pink for pop-feminist icon!

This sexy woman has it all.. gosh. She is just so cool!

In an interview over MTV a while ago, Pink hit the nail on the head when she said that her latest song/music video simply wants to make fun of an idea, not certain celebrities (although they do act so funny!). Pink wants audiences to think. As she succintly puts it, stupid girl videos make girl viewers not to think and simply act funny. Ha!Ha!

Lyrics from PINK's latest song , and let us THINK!

Stupid Girls Stupid girl, stupid girls, stupid girls
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl,
I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Go to Fred Segal, you'll find them there
Laughing loud so all the little people stare
Looking for a daddy to pay for the champagne(Drop a name)
What happened to the dreams of a girl president
She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
They travel in packs of two or three
With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
Oh where, oh where could they be?
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that,
I don't wanna be a stupid girl
(Break it down now)Disease's growing, it's epidemic
I'm scared that there ain't a cure
The world believes it and I'm going crazy
I cannot take any more
I'm so glad that I'll never fit in
That will never be me
Outcasts and girls with ambition
That's what I wanna see
Disasters all around
World despaired
Their only concern
Will they **** up my hair
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
[Interlude]Oh my god you guys, I totally had more that 300 calories
That was so not sexy, noGood one, can I borrow that?
[Vomits]I WILL BE SKINNY
(Do ya thing, do ya thing, do ya thing)(I like this, like this, like this)Pretty will you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Pretty would you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, stupid girl!
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

Pop feminists hate men and the water is not wet

Remember that anti-feminist Wikipedia article on pop feminism? Well, here is something from a website called Wiktionary, professing connection with the open-content 'encyclopedia' Wikipedia as the latter's lexical companion.

Wiktionary defines Pop Feminism as

Noun
the belief that women are in all ways superior to men

Guess who gave this definition? There are much more lies in the Internet than we thought. And these sites dare ask for donations. Beware.

Wiktionary has this disclaimer: "please be advised that Wiktionary CANNOT guarantee, in any way whatsoever, the validity of the information found here"

Yeah. But it poses as an online dictionary. Students who rely on websites such as these should be warned.

Beyonce the trance

I was not blinking at all. It seemed that I wasn't. I fell into a trance watching Beyonce' vibrate on screen.

It was only after that video that I realized that I did not even remember what the song was or what it was saying. It was the first time that I heard it. All I remembered was Beyonce', her breasts, round butt and long nicely tanned legs.

Most girl teeners simply love 21-year old Beyonce' Knowles. As an advocate of sexual rights, I have would have no right to say that Beyonce's promotion of women's sexual expression is oppressive. It should not be oppressive but liberating instead. But watching her video everyday, everytime I tune in to MTV, somehow gives me an ill-feeling, a kind of discomfort that I would have to confront.

I took a glimpse of Beyonce's profile on the web. She is certainly a very talented musician. She is an artist, an award-winner. There is no doubt that she is a woman of substance.

Beyonce's beauty and stylish function glared at me when an ad on her web revealed that she is promoting a line of dresses, lotion, lipstick and perfume. Oh, I thought she would promote someone like the Philippine liposuction doctor Vicki Belo . I see now that Beyonce' herself is the advertisement.

Saying this about Beyonce is no way saying that she is not a liberating woman character in popular culture. Her confidence in her body has taught a lot of teeners and non-teeners like myself that a woman's body is beautiful, it should be carried with confidence, not something to be hidden.

But I think what makes me wary about the vibrating Beyonce' is that too much of her would make me want to be like her--even if I am not a teener. Just like reinforcement theory in communication. She is just so perfect. If only she can go beneath her glamour and show me the human and not just the advertisement, I would be much more confortable watching her. And she would be definitely be to me a feminist icon in popular culture.

What I fear in the sexually liberating pop-feminism's oppressive tendency is not really the sex, but its part in the propagation of a standard or set of standards that demands too much from my empty pocket.

Men behind the unpopular popular

Pop feminism is extremely unpopular among male chauvinists and some feminists. They see girl power invasion of mainstream media and entertainment--the likes of Lara Croft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ms. Underworld, and all other gun-toting and sword-swinging vixens -- as an unjustified assertion of female supremacy over the male species.

My question is who created those girls? Lara Croft was invented by Mr. Toby Gard, Buffy was by Mr. Joss Whedon, and Underworld Evolution girl by Patrick Tatopoulos. Think about any popular fierce female film or videogame character and tell me who her creators are.

What is Pop Feminism + Lesson on online fraud and propaganda

First, here is WHAT IT ISN'T. Christopher John Moor, 25 year-old guy with a degree in genetics, signed up in Wikipedia.com is WRONG IN SAYING THAT...

"Pop feminism is a variety of feminism related to misandry and often a consequence of gynocentrism. Its proponents believe in the moral or other superiority of the female gender and cite it to promote social attitudes that favour a matriarchal society, where women enjoy superior rights and men are marginalised. Some groups believe that pop feminism has already instigated the creation of laws that discriminate against men, particularly in the fields of criminal and family law and sexual harassment civil codes.
......

Under pop feminism, beauty is a form of power, and careful attention to one's appearance yields control over men. This contrasts with other forms of feminism that view the quest for beauty as an artifact of a patriarchical society."

To view Mr. Moor's horrible post, click here. To top that, the same Moor article appears in Answers.com.

PLEASE
Mr. Moor, get out of Wikipedia! Pop feminism or any kind of feminism I can think of is not about hating males! You are actually invoking the reader to simply hate feminism and feminists. You give Wikipedia a bad name. Off with your head! If you know what I mean.

Podcasting Exam

Yes. It was like an exam. I thought I had incisive things to say. But it seemed what mattered was the form. I was doing podcast reading my script because our group decided we should come up with a script. I researched info and wrote my piece of shit about liberalism in the Philippines. Well, I feel the like the reception was as bad as the podcast I made! To top that, they are going to make that podcast an example.. of what not to do???? Hmmm, wait a minute, aguray apo, admit it Dr. RM, our group did good with the script. It was just a bit long [because I was so OC (obsessive-compulsive) to make sure my points were clear] and we just lacked time to edit. Yeah!

Well, life is like that. We are not good enough sometimes.

To my groupmates Noemi and Isolde, I think we did good. We had substance. As we all know, good form is always preceeded by substance.

Carol's Gig Sched for March 2006

Hear ye my gig sched for March 2006
30 March-Pinikpikan Band @ EARCOS Conference, Shangri-la Hotel, Ortigas, Pasig City (tentative)
25 March-Pinikpikan Band @ Chateau Royale, Aguinaldo Highway, Nasugbu, Batangas
22 March-Pinikpikan Band @ SaGuijo Cafe, Guijo Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City, 10:00 pm
18 March-Pinikpikan Band @ 70s Bistro, Anonas Street, Project 3, Quezon City, 9:30 pm
16 March-Women's Night @Conspiracy Garden Cafe, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, 9:30 pm
10 March-Women's Party, Ateneo School of Law, Rockwell Drive, Makati (will sing in this party as birthday gift to my officemate Grace!)
08 March-Closing Ceremonies, International Women's Film Festival as performer U.P. Film Center, Diliman, Q.C.
-Women's Night featuring Carol Bello @ MAG:NET Cafe, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Q.C.
03 March - Forum on Women in Film, International Women's Film Festival as panelist and performer U.P. Film Center, Diliman, Q.C.

The fear of RM is the beginning of wise blogging

Nope, not being blasphemous to the Almighty here. Just borrowing this beautiful saying of King Solomon the Wise (the original phrase in English is 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom') so I can thank Dr. Ronald Meinardus, a.k.a RM the German, for making us toil the whole day and create our personal blogs.

Today, March 9, is day one of the two-day blogging and podcasting workshop organized by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

RM heads FNF in Makati, Pilipinas. He is tall and you won't miss him (and he won't miss you because he makes sure you do the exercise(!), especially when there is work to be done. Double emphasis/redundancy intended.)

RM's angels---Anne and Narwin prepared everything from calling and emailing us, to preparing the venue. Abe and Manolo, the blog masters are really blog masters, especially because they were just so willing to share!

RM: SO HOW ARE THINGS?
-There, RM enters the room and asks us in his commanding voice.
We answer in low voices.

RM: WHO WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER?
-There, RM again. He said we should show our work. The sun is setting, pawis na rin kilikili ko. Hay, this is my third write up. RM finally picked one girl, Teresa...

RM: OKAY? GOOD?... YES, GO AHEAD. SPEAK UP. IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL DAY.
-Yeah, in other words, Teresa, start your presentation NOW.
-Teresa finishes her presentation.

RM: OKAY? GOOD. ANY COMMENTS?.. YES, PLEASE SPEAK UP.
-Ay, come on people, let us speak up (!).

RM: OKAY, I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT IS VERY EXPRESSIVE.. I COME FROM A COUNTRY WHERE WE ARE VERY SERIOUS...
-I am sure, I am sure...

RM: OKAY, CAROL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
-A, e. (Sagot, Carol!)

RM: YOU MAY NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY BUT MAYBE YOU HAVE A POINT.
-I answered.

RM: THAT WAS ALREADY MENTIONED
-Ayun, tapos (there, I'm a goner).

Thanks RM and FNF. Time is gold when we are with you! See you tomorrow!