Mitsuru

Yes, it was a great show indeed, the attempted power- grab headlined by aspiring action- drama star Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and his sidekick cashiered Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in the Philippines’ Financial district last Thursday morning. It began as a promising day of film shoot in a very nice location for them, complete with a script that will give Hollywood movies a run for their money; From the synchronized court room walkout to their dramatic march under the rain towards their objective in Makati , ably backed by a supporting cast of personalities from the Left, Right, Clergy, Civil Society and even the Senior Citizenry. Their fans applauded on the sidelines as every thing seems to be working according to plan and the show is destined to be a box office hit with no less than a glorious romp in the mecca of make believe that is Malacanang as a fitting award. The supporting casts were no pushovers either. They were the crème de la crème of the politica...

The Wisdom of Jonathan Livingston Seagull according to Richard Bach -- "How much more there is now to living! Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s reason to life! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!" “Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.” So, Come Fly With Me... n.b. The Oracle Challenger Bi-plane piloted by Sean D. Tucker was one of the attractions in this year's edition of Thunder Over Michigan. I took this video with my Sony Handy Cam DVD and just learned the other day how to convert them for uploading by using Roxio . :)

Look into the picture and tell me what you see? This painting entitled Innocence is the work of Fil-Am painter Fred DeAsis currently on exhibit at the Arlington Heights Heritage Museum until January 2008 in Arlington Heights, Chicago, Illinois . The artist and the museum are now embroiled in controversy after so-called “members of religious- rightist group” asked the museum to shut down the exhibit because they are against the said art work and its message. The artist said that Innocence is “supposed to describe the pain and isolation of child and spousal abuse” and I can’t understand for the life of me the logic behind the uproar with some people going to the extent of calling the painting, “totally disgusting and shameful.” As for me it is just the product of the artist’s perception and imagery of the subject and nothing more. It is not even a great painting if we follow the usual standard but it is in no way near the description that some people have hurled at the art work. From...

Awkward landscapes and distant crooked buildings Bathing nudes and aquamarine rivers Calloused eyes and women of style Deadly venomous asps and orange fruitcakes… Eager brushes by the pale trembling hands Pained strokes on moldy canvasses Propped on broken easels in a grey-wallpapered studio Showcasing the best works that I can do… Blue trees on emerald forests Overlooking the impressive blotchy- paintings Inside the soft iodine-colored show room Waiting for the chance for the final slap on the chin! Resplendent smiles from the eyes of a mad man Standing up against the world in soiled ragged clothes Trying to savor the taste of yellowed moments In hushed phantasmagoric silence… I dreamed of Cézanne But the colors and stars are far from anything, And the people are not themselves So, I wept in throbbing shame and heartfelt sorrow... note: 1st published in Two Moon Quarterly c.2002 Voices.Net Anthology c. 2002

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the “mysterious” death of the flamboyant front man, Michael Hutchence of the Aussie band INXS . Although they were not that “big” in the Philippines during that time as they were more famous Down Under and Europe, I was familiar with some of their songs like Original Sin, Disappear and The Stairs just to name a few because I’ve read about them in those small Php 5.00 “Song Hits“ (Yes, fellow music freak, Jingle and Moptop were long dead in the late 80s and early 90s) and of course, with the help of that FM radio from far away Naga City. Come to think of it, the FM stations from Naga have a better and stronger reception in Tiwi to this day than the radio stations from Legaspi for Tiwi is actually located in the “other” Albay- Camarines Sur Provincial Boundary wherein the farthest barangay, Mayong is just separated by a bridge from the Partido area which comprises the towns of Sangay, Goa, Tigaon, San Jose, etc. and also the home of the Fuentebella...

Serendipity 3 , that high- end restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan famous (?) for its extravagant and expensive desserts that could make even the most impatient New Yorker to toe the line, I mean to queue for hours for the chance to have a seat in its luxurious chairs and a chance to taste its world- famous desserts was ordered closed by the health authorities until they can literally clean up their act and place to satisfy its stringent guidelines. Yes folks, this is the same restaurant that offers a $1,000 sundae named Golden Opulence that requires a 48- hour advance notice from patrons and also the world record holder in Dessert-land as far as the people in Guinness (yup, not the beer) are concerned with its $25, 000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate that has edible gold, top- grade cocoa and shavings of a luxury truffle among its “secret” ingredients. But it seems that the secret is out with regards to the restaurant’s mouth-watering chocolate desserts. Some of the tightly guarde...

The past days, I’ve been following the news on the Batasan bombing which killed several people including somebody I know from the past and injuring many others but I couldn’t help but notice something--- ISN’T IT FUNNY OR IRONIC that whenever a tragedy or any cataclysmic event occurs, our government officials and politicians alike are scrambling on their heels in a mad dash to have their nonsensical piece of the issue and a shot at the so- called 15 minutes of fame? Add the Police, Religious Leaders and every Juan & Juana de la Cruzes to the list too. Here are just some of the examples of how these people can concoct theories that would put Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to oblivion… GABRIELA ME A BREAK The Gabriela women’s party Thursday said its representative, Luzviminda Ilagan, could have been the real target of the Tuesday night explosion at the House of Representatives, and not Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, as the Philippine National Police had theorized. In a statement...

Despite having to run almost two miles from the other end of the Terminal to catch the Northwest Airline Flight from Detroit- Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to La Guardia having missed our original morning flight earlier, we were still in a very good mood. And flying all the way from Michigan 2 days before the event and then “hitching” a ride from the Bronx to Tarrytown, New York on the day of the concert with old friends in tow in exchange for the promised prime concert seats, we were in cruise control. The uneventful 30- minute trip on the slow, lazy road to this little picturesque village on the eastern shore of the Hudson river did not dampen our enthusiasm a bit. We arrived at historic Tarrytown at quarter past seven of a cool and chilly evening of November 2. We were in high spirits in anticipation of a wonderful evening of music at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Yes, we traveled far for the much- awaited concert of Broadway Star and Tony- Award Winner Lea Salonga in this side...

From the Tarrytown Music Hall Website: Celebrated Tony-award winning Star of Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Flower Drum Song as well as the singing voice of Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin ("Whole New World")and in Disney's Mulan ("Reflection"), Lea Salonga's smooth, perfectly modulated singing voice has mesmerized audiences worldwide since that famous day when she walked into the auditions for Miss Saigon as an unknown 17 year old, blew the competition out of the water and instantly became one of mega-producer Cameron Mackintosh's favorite performers. She is also considered by many as the best Eponine in Les Mis ever. We are incredibly excited to be able to offer our patrons this very rare opportunity to experience Ms Salonga in a solo concert. She will be accompanied by a group of her favorite handpicked musicans. 8 p.m. Tarrytown Music Hall

'Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world. ~William Shakespeare On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that he was headless!--but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of his saddle! It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance. The forests had put on their sober brown and yellow, while some trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet. . . . he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being...

Nicole Scherzinger The lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls with a trickle of Pinay hot blood flowing in her veins is going solo and will release her debut album, Her Name is Nicole on November 20, 2007… Be the judge, jury and executioner if you think she has what it takes to hit the big time as a solo artist and not just another pretty face and hot body who can’t sing… Here's a video I nicked from AOL Sessions . Happily Never After ... Note: If you want to hear her purr some more, just MEOW UPDATES: Rockamania The Truth Behind Xanadu Operation BearCat Chapter I Master Chef

Obviously Justin Timberlake never laid his eyes on this specimen when he wrote the song Sexy Back which ended up as the “longest- running number one single of 2006” on the Billboard Hot 100. It was part of his second solo album Future Sex/Love Sounds. What do you think ? Hmmm….. Blog Update: Rockamania in Unchanged Melodies

Just hours after the Glorietta 2 Bombing that killed 9 and wounded more than a hundred Filipinos, Honorable (?) Senator Antonio Trillanes IV sent a message to the media. However, instead of condemning the people behind the attack, he launched an obvious politically- motivated offensive against the government by accusing some people close to the President of being behind the attack without proof and pieces of evidence to support his accusations. "I believe the Glorietta 2 mall blast that killed eight and wounded hundred other persons is the handiwork of Malacanang Palace, particularly National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon." This is a very insensitive action in a very volatile situation on a very sensitive issue that the neophyte Senator has made. This should be the time where we should not let political intramurals undermine the conduct and result of an on- going investigation. This sh...

Much has been said about the outrageous prices of his concert tickets for the Manila stop of his Awake Tour. Much has been said about the scarcity of the tickets whenever and wherever he performs(In New York City, tickets for his Madison Square Garden Concert were sold out in 20 minutes after the opening bell!). Much has been said about many people not being able to afford them. Much has been said about all the fuzz about him and his songs by the uninitiated. Much has been said about some fans feeling disenchanted because of the unfortunate situations above. You can blame the unscrupulous businessmen for their stinky business savvy but blame not the man. You can blame the greedy producers for the unpalatable ticket prices but blame not the singer. You can blame the sharks in the music industry but blame not the entertainer. And you can blame the tone-deaf ignoramuses for their hatred but blame not the person. In fact, you can also blame his legion of fans worldwide especially the ladi...

It’s the best time of the year, they say. Far different from the tropics where I used to play And it is just a matter of time before I will finally Realize the beauty that will unfold before my eyes. They say that it is the time of year that I will remember forever Where the birds will fly carefree in the azure sky And warm my heart with their haunting lullabies. They say that summer is good but fall is better The weather’s fine and the colors are amazing And my life will be a-ok and I will be happy. Deep in my mind, I almost believed them Had it not been for one lingering question- Why does my heart feel blue In Autumn When the leaves are turning bright red, orange and yellow? # NOTE: If you love the muse, let me take you to: Inks & Verses

A long, long time ago I looked into the mirror and was tagged by the “me-me” fever from the Land of the Rising Sun whose strains have plagued the blogger's world for quite some time now and as of this writing I could safely say that there is no end in sight for this affliction nor was an antidote on the verge of discovery nor in the works in the hearts and minds of the people working in the Center for Bloggers Control (CBC). I could have said the magic word like Alakazam or AbraCadabra! And voila, I am cured of the me-me curse that is so prevalent in the blogosphere! But no, like the rest I am mandated to do what‘s been expected of me in order to develop a life- long immunity from the disease or until my blog's immune system drops and get a re-infection or relapse. So here I am toiling, laboring and dragging my suspicious and incoherent mind at six o’clock in the morning, the neurons in disarray from lack of sleep and powered only by Coke. No it's not what you think, you wi...

I was bestowed a new title by one of the denizens of cyberspace whom I stumbled upon while passing the time on a lazy afternoon doing nothing but tinkering with the old notebook in the comforts of the sofa- bed in the living room. I came across this test while surfing today and took the plunge just for the heck of it. The result is quite a surprise though-- See Result: History / Lit Geek So, I took the test the second time with a different set of questions but with identical results none the less. Let me state for the record though that I was neither dragged nor forced to take the said on-line test. I was neither hypnotized nor conned by this inhuman force lurking in the world wide web. I did it on my own free will and was knighted in the process or should I say, crowned as the... I'll let the picture/ words of the said program do the talking in this case-- From this time forward, you'll hold the title: Cool Nerd King Carry it proudly! To say that I was bewildered is an underst...

Three words that caught my attention today while looking into some patients' chart courtesy of a wet-behind-the- ears Nurse Intern fresh out of school and eager to prove her mettle in the chaotic world of the Emergency Room Triage... HEMMERHOID MAGGETS TETNAS Are these some forms of medical/technical neologism or just some typos? Or sounds like some words fit for Pictionary? You be the Judge.

My father would have been 60 years old today but he died young at age 43 from complications of his excesses in life. I remember my Dad mostly as a beer- drinking, chain- smoking, black- coffee drinking, temperamental man who spoke English, which he learned from my mother, mixed with the vernacular he learned from the Istambays in our town. He was a young man of 21 when he first set foot in our remote town in the Philippines as an eager member of the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV), Japan’s version of the US Peace Corps in trying to make amends for the war that devastated his neighbors years back. It was in Tiwi, Albay famous for its Hot Springs and Pottery among others where he first made his mark in the Philippines. He was assigned as a Ceramic Technician and had a hand in the rehabilitation of the Ceramic Plant of the town. And with the cooperation of some local folks, he was instrumental in making maybe the first and probably the only Japanese Garden in the Philippine...

Grazie Mille, Bouna Notte e Arrivederci Maestro...