Posts

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I cannot paint you, my love. Your calm eyes clashed with the storm in your heart. Thoughts wrapped alone in the cold, followed the scene I created; the essence is lost as memories came crashing into the walls of brown earth and hot kisses going up in smoke. The colors are smeared, the canvas remained blank and my eyes burnt.

Lip Service

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"Particularly important to note on this day is the continuing struggle of Filipino World War II veterans to receive the veterans benefits they rightfully deserve. During World War II, Filipino and American troops fought bravely together under some of the most trying conditions suffered by any forces during that conflict, forging a historic bond between our two nations and their people. Filipinos displayed great courage alongside American soldiers at Bataan and Corregidor, only to be denied their just benefits by our government. The Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 would honor the service of all U.S. veterans, including these Filipino World War II heroes. The Senate passed this bill last April. I urge my colleagues in Congress to take note of this day to honor the heroic service of Filipino World War II veterans by finally turning this important legislation into law." Such was the very eloquently written statement released by the office of Democratic Presidential...

Free Journey REVELATION CD/DVD

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This is to give Arnel Pineda and Journey Fans outside of North America the chance to own their new REVELATION CD/DVD ALBUM. So, US and Canada Residents are disqualified to join since you can easily buy the said album at a store near you. I am a Filipino Journey Fan and I am putting my money where my mouth is. So, I am giving away 2 Revelation Albums every month starting June 30, 2008 until December 30, 2008 in support of Arnel Pineda’s unparalleled journey with Journey through lottery drawing every 15th and 30th of the month. To qualify, you must be a certified blogger and your site should be current. You can add yourself to the new Arnel Pineda & Journey Fan Group in Multiply, REVELATION if you want to but it's not necessary to avail of the prize. For non- multiply users, you can post a shoutout about your intention to participate in the contest at the cbox located on the left side of this website. Or simply put 'em in the comment section below. You can also submit your...

Spring Break

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The Blogger is on a self- imposed sabbatical from blogging to recharge his batteries. He'll be back on the second Monday of June 2008.

Lea Addict

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Anybody who’s been here before knows that I have a huge crush on Lea Salonga since way back and you can certainly label me as a certified fanatic of the singer- actress. Ha-ha. Yes, folks all you have to do is search my archives here and you’ll know what I mean. And I do travel near and far just to watch her perform, too. So, indulge me once again as I share with you this snippet of her performance at the taping of The Sharon Cuneta Show which ABS- CBN will air on Sunday, May 18, 2008. Video: mjrodis Update Alert! --I've recently updated my other blogs/sites under the Perfect Circle category. You can visit them if you have time to spare. It's no big deal really but to quote my dear old Forrest, "It's like a box of chocolates...You never know what you gonna get!" :)

The MoMA Experience

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Here's a blast from the past... Summer in New York City and the heat was just unbearable. And yet we were out walking the streets and avenues, doing our own version of the Theater Tour in Broadway’s Theater District when we decided to take a breather near the historic Ziegfeld Theater at the intersection between 54th Street and 6th Avenue (a.k.a. Avenue of the Americas since 1945 but Mayor La Guardia’s ploy did not catch up with New Yorkers. Hence, 6th Avenue is still 6th Avenue until now). It was one of those days that can easily classify as a Dog Day Afternoon (No, I am not about to do a stunt ala Al Pacino in that Sidney Lumet film although I am tempted to shout “Attica!” in the midst of this August heat) and a bottle of Gatorade chased by cold water from a Dasani bottle did not help that much to quench our thirst and ignore the heat. We have been walking since 9 o’ clock in the morning from our not-so- comfy room at the Skyline Hotel, a three- star structure l...

Little Manila on PBS

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On May 9, 2008, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will be airing a documentary entitled- Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland So, if you live in North America, check your local PBS TV Schedule for details. Here's a brief synopsis of the documentary-- "Filled with chop suey houses, gambling dens, and dance halls, Little Manila was the area in Stockton notoriously called, Skid Row, but it was also the closest thing Filipinos had to a hometown. In its heyday in the 30s, this lively area had the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. We tell the story of Jimmy Ente, Jr., a longtime Stockton resident recruited to work in the asparagus fields. Jimmy, and many other like him, faced backbreaking work, low wages, and at times extreme racism to fulfill their dreams. Narrated by famed Filipino-American producer, Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot) this documentary tells the immigrant story as Filipinos experienced it."

The Nose Knows

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Six months ago, I came across an article that was published in a magazine written by a Caucasian whose name I cannot recall, wherein his observations while traveling across Asia merited a page in that sorry magazine (I will not mention the magazine, hence I will be giving them undeserved publicity) that most Asians disgustingly pick their noses in public! Although I hope that Asians are not again being stereotyped by the said article or are being singled- out because of the size of their nostrils in this case but one can’t help but think otherwise. There are a lot of advantages in having two large holes in one's nares mind you, but it will merit another post for that lest we stray from the topic. Surely Asians have bigger holes in their noses compared to Caucasians but it doesn’t equate that we are more prone to picking our noses especially in public because of that particular anatomic feature. On the contrary, this finger digging exercise isn’t confined to only one race and althou...

Feeling Minnesota

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It’s late April and still snow continues to fall in Minnesota not surprising for the state at this time of year where the weather forecast says the region will be blanketed in thick snow anytime soon. We arrived in Minneapolis- St. Paul Airport late last night on our way to San Diego and what greeted us was the nipping wind blowing right into our faces, numbing us in the process. Our Northwest Airlines Flight 755 out of Detroit was delayed by the plane’s spoiler malfunctioning and had to endure a 4 hour flight delay, transferred to another aircraft and missed the connecting flight that will take us to California. Northwest gave the passengers $100 service recovery vouchers to appease us for the delay and inconvenience. They also booked us in some hotels in downtown Minneapolis to spend the night and catch the first flight to San Diego the next day. On our way to downtown Minneapolis, we caught a glimpse of a city that is quiet and fast asleep, which was expected though for it was alrea...

The Power of Dreams

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ASIMO that versatile Honda robot that you often see in Honda Commercials will be in Detroit come May 13, 2008 to be the guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the opening act that features world- renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The 4- foot tall robot which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility (ASIMO) which was first developed by the Japanese automaker in 2000 with the objective of helping humans particularly the elderly doing their daily chores in the future can speak both English and Japanese. In addition, this latest generation robot can now recognize faces, climb up and down stairs, keep up when walking with human companions and serve tea among its many skills and capabilities. ASIMO will be at the podium for a one song performance, the special rendition of “The Impossible Dream” before relinquishing the baton to the DSO’s resident maestro Thomas Wilkins for the rest of the show. It will be ASIMO’s second high- profile appearance in the United States after the hi...

Wicked

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We Filipinos are unique in so many ways. Take for instance our sense of humor that always puzzles non- Pinoys. They shiver in complete horror whenever they hear or experience one of our patented not so politically- correct sense of humor. Who can forget the late Secretary Raul Manglapus when he quipped, “relax and enjoy it” when asked about what the Filipinas working in the Middle East should do if they found themselves being raped by their Arab masters? Most Filipinos are exposed to all kinds of sick jokes from the day he/ she was born until he/ she literally finds himself six feet under the ground. In fact, everything is fair game to us and our jokes can be considered as the wickedest of them all. This is again highlighted by the recent controversy involving the conduct of medical workers at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center wherein a patient was operated upon by a team of government doctors and nurses because a body spray canister was lodged in his rectal vault courtesy of a...

Lea Salonga Cinderella Press Con

A very candid Q & A portion plus a cameo of her daughter Nicole. :) video credits: vaguirre

Hope Spring's Eternal

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Hmmm, after months of blog inactivity which could be blamed partly to the cold, cold Michigan winter, I’m now trying to find my way back into Blogspot again and resume my writing chores at least on this particular blog since I’ve been writing and updating my other sites regularly. I’m no Rip van Winkle but I surely did sleep the winter away and finally woke up to the colors and aromas of Spring which is quite a big relief to my frost-weary body. I can now hear Vivaldi’s strings in the air as the tulips and hyacinths and such are slowly emerging from the once snowy ground. Don’t get me wrong but I love Winter for I like walking deep into the woods covered with snow where I could commune with nature; feel the cold breeze on my hair, the gentle touch of the snowflakes on my face and listen to the howling of the winds as well as the occasional chirpings of some wayward robins and cardinals in the air. It’s an uplifting experience, I tell you just walking in silence along a narrow trail am...

Basta Driver, Sweet Lover?

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"Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness." - Sacha Guitry (1885 - 1957)

CinderelLEA's Website

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Visit CinderelLEA's Page Check on CinderelLEA's Prince Charming VISIT- CinderelLEA's Home

Journey featuring Arnel Pineda in Chile 2008

Festival de Viña del Mar 2008 For more of Arnel Pineda's Explosive Debut with Journey Visit- Unchanged Melodies Rhapsody In Black

BookMark: Piercing

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This novel by Ryu Murakami which explores the dark side of the human mind takes us to the edge of what a person is capable of doing just to exercise his demons. In the book, Kawashima Masayuki, a yuppie in urban Japan, is struggling to fight for the longest time the urge to stab his young daughter with an ice pick. Wrestling with his inner self, he finally decides to embark on a journey to fight the demons that have been tormenting him due to a previous experience wherein as a teenager he stabbed a stripper who turned out to be... “Only voices and images from external world could neutralize those from the inside” Kawashima Masayuki finally devises an obscene plan to kill a prostitute to liberate him and protect his wife Yoko and daughter Rie from his demonic obsession. But Chiaki, a prostitute he hired who specialized in S & M plays while holed up in a hotel room to carry out his plans, turned out to be a disturbed soul herself. Together they went deep into t...

Songs and Verses

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The air is full of the music of your voice, my soul and body seem no longer mine, but mingled in some exquisite ecstasy with yours. I feel incomplete without you. Powered by Podbean.com Listen to me funeral bed, parched grass, dying love. To a new beginning Listen to me. Powered by Podbean.com Powered by Podbean.com If you were in my eyes for one day You could see the full beauty of the joy I find in your eyes And it isn't magic or loyalty If you were in my heart for a day You would have an idea Of what I feel When you hold m...

The New Journey

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Arnel Pineda (vocals) Neal Schon (guitar) Jonathan Cain (keyboards) Ross Valory (bass) Deen Castronovo (drums)

Parallel Universe

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Brandon Lee & Heath Ledger Death Masks? Heath Ledger , 28 Born: April Died: January Brandon Lee , 28 Born: February Died: March *They completed the four- month cycle: April- January- February- March and Numbers: 4-1-2-3 Or in Mathematics, Swiss Mathematician and Physicist , Leonhard Euler wrote what he admitted to be a paradoxical equation : 1-2+3-4+...= 1/4. More Numerology... The numbers 14, 10 & 11- 14 + 10 + 11= 35. If you divide 35 by 3 (3+5+3= 11)you'll have 11.66 (1+1+6+6= 14). Here's one from Wikipedia - "14 is an unlucky number to the Chinese. 14 is usually said as "shi si," which sounds like "ten die". Also, a common way to say "one" is as "yao". Therefore, 14 can also be said as "yao si," literally "one four," but it sounds like "want to die." which also have an unlucky connotation." Age: 28/2= 14 *Heath was born 14 years after Brandon (1979-1965=14) *Brandon died 14 y...