Window seats are the best! (Source: Click-through)

So I admit: I have been stalling lingering but I’m slowly being coaxed to the thought of being on a plane to a lalaland. The best part of my mental picture of this trip is the actual plane ride. I love riding planes despite the crappy airplane food in some trips I’ve been on and the even crappier music they have on-flight. But for now, let me emphasize on the latter. SERIOUSLY. If you are a point person from any particular airline – especially a certain flag carrier I’m quite familiar with – please, please, PLEASE consult someone on the music you play on board. Including but not limited to the choice of channels for your in-flight music “radio”, I’m not sure what you call it. What is up with all the eighties jazz music? I don’t mean to be an elitist, but honestly, have y’all not heard of music from at least the likes of Buddha Bar? Come on. Or even more tasteful post-rock alternative music NOT adult radio for the young and hip like moi. Consider that in-flight you are not allowed to use your ipod or any electronic device which carries one’s music of choice. That could be 13 hours on the plane in my case. Acceptable. But please, please, PLEASE care to accommodate different demographics when it comes to music and films.

Okay, so now I’m done with my rant.

What kind of music would I want to hear on a plane anyway? Naturally the kind of music that convinces me I’m going to live through the flight!

Anyway, this playlist is in no way my recommendation on what constitutes I’m-gonna-live-after-this-flight music. But I sure would be pleasantly surprised if I hear this music on the plane.

MGMT – Time to pretend [ Download ]

La Roux – In for the kill [ Download ]

Hooverphonic – Mad about you [ Download ]

Jonsi – Tornado [ Download ]

Hey Ocean – California [ Download ]

I love the rain and it always puts me in a pensive if not sedate mood. It never fails to relax me. Unfortunately, for some of us it doesn’t. I realized this when I was talking to a friend who was one of the survivors of the flash floods that occured last month in Northern Mindanao. The sound of rain makes her nervous and keeps her from getting any shut eye. What more now that the rainy season kicked off early this year?

Our environment will always have a hand in activating emotions in our brain. It varies in each person, depending on their experience of such stimulus. Sometimes we just can’t help it. Memories make fleeting moments permanent. We often find ourselves slaves to our good and bad memories of things.

Everything is perspective. This is how we become resilient. There is hope. Donate NOW.

Walking in the rain will never be the same again for the survivors of Typhoon Sendong. (Photo by: REUTERS)

Giselle Rosselli – Small People [ Download ]

The Honey Trees – To be with you [ Download ]

Blondfire – Oceans [ Download ]

Ashley Chambliss – A little more of you [ Download ]

Gnarls Barkley – Crazy (Basement Jam) [ Download ]

Music has a way of evoking memories and emotions. Even sensations whether pleasant or otherwise. Depending on your emotional state, songs have a way of bringing you back to thoughts that you’d rather not think about. Arguably, all songs are sentimental when you let yourself.

This playlist in particular has sentimentality all over it But the intended effect is this: it’s nearly impossible not to think of someone when you’re trying not to think of them so you might as well invite emotions that will make the feeling go away. Hate is always a nice place to start, then you move on to anger, bitterness and indifference. The first song I thought of was this:

Just got to love how Joan Jett brings out all the stupid emotions and make that type of torture sound fun! I’m thinking of another classic now. Something from the late great Micheal Jackson and the Beatle that never dies, Paul McCartney.

Ah yes, nothing like a really dense girl/boy, eh? I’m sure some of you can relate. But what about those people who you are such a sucker for but are so hard to reach? You have to wonder really, like Peter Sarstedt did back in 1969. Where do you go to, my lovely, he asks.

But that was back in 1969 when he wrote this song. Now we have surveillance all around us! CCTV, GPS satellite…the works. One guy in my FB music group posted a song that makes us imagine what it must be like in the mind of a stalker. Because when you like someone you just get freakishly stalker-ish, you know? But not serial killer kind of stalking…just innocent clicking on FB or some other social network… Anyway, so you have Sting who makes this invasion of personal space sound oh too sexy.

Yeah, that was The Police right there. Why am I moving backwards? Backwards…further down that road to one of my guilty pleasures…

Tsk, tsk… Barbra Streisand knows how to go ape shit when it comes to that thing called “love”. Yes, it’s possible for it to escalate to an obsessive kind of feeling. The kind that makes you say “kill me now”. Let’s just go all the way on this roller coaster, eh? What if you actually shared something together? And you know that fucking moment is lost forever. (Sigh) Okay, this is the sad part…

Billie Holiday brings me to tears, yo. Okay, (sniff) enough. I digress. Yes, it gets pretty desperate sometimes. And you can’t help but think of this song from Divinyls. What the hell!

And it goes on and on and on…

And now you say, fuck it. You’ve lost all hope in the world. All that is beautiful. Love? Relationship? What the hell is that? LIES! Your brit sistah, Lily Allen gives you a dose of sarcasm. But of course she says it in a nice way.

But you still don’t listen to her! You hold on to your phone 24/7. You rationalize the stupid things you do. Sheryl Crow has only this say…

WHAT? You’re still thinking about that person? After all these songs? Damn it. How do you not think about a person anyway. Might as well shoot yourself. What can you do really? What do foreigners know anyway about how romantic Filipinos are? It’s a curse! And the Itchyworms know it.

And when nothing makes sense anymore, listen to the wisdom of your friends. The kind of people who say “Ayaw ko ng masasayang relasyon”. This is a song by Apo Hiking Society and I’d like to dedicate this to my friend Miko. Hahahaha!

Konbanwa, bitches!

Ironic Belo ad

Now since my sensationalist title actually worked, I would like to announce my strong suspicion that the Senate’s involvement in this scandal courtesy of Bong Revilla Jr. has siphoned our attention from the creeping in of the arbitrary constituent assembly (ConAss, for short – it being a charming pun intended) to the general public.  Sadly, I have been aware of this sneaky consortium for more than a year now but have rarely caught it on the local news.  How everyone managed to sit on the fence on ConAss until now remains a mystery even to its long time opponents.  I figure that it must have been all the side-shows that took place over the last two years that have kept people entertained but abysmally uninformed.

Speaking of side-shows, since the Kho-Halili sex scandal broke out I held myself back to comment on the issue because firstly, I would have to illegally obtain a copy of the video from a sidewalk banketa in order to observe its implications to either party.  I, as a student of the social sciences could not liberally incur analysis whether social, criminal, psychological or otherwise without having a full observation of the party’s behaviour and circumstance down to its naked facts.  However, to admit that I have the materials in aid of analysis would be held against me presumably under anti-pornography laws and anti-piracy laws. Incidentally these are the two contentious issues being discussed in lieu of this so-called scandal, apart from Kho Jr.’s small but legendary wang.

What we could discuss without having to comment about small male appendages is that on the street, there is a somewhat peculiar status to the media crimes involving the sex scandal.  Although the Optical Media Board’s (OMB) crusade was to obliterate all forms of illegal media distribution, it has come to a point that piracy has become a huge counter-culture it is virtually impossible to stop even on Edu Manzano’s watch.  Hence, the DVD kiosks remain and raids are not as habitual and effective: from a policy standpoint, crackdowns turn out to be a lousy way to stop piracy per se.  Even when you pull out the roots, you have a full plantation to dispense.  What would be more reasonable than targeting the source is to stop the raids altogether and start investing money on promoting and protecting independent media.  Such is the case in India where people pay to see the movies and prefer it over the DVD.  That’s a different story but the point is since piracy is so popular and the public is more sympathetic to their friendly suki it is futile to spend taxpayer’s money on raids, when our police force ought to be out there fighting more worrisome crimes like rape, corruption and theft. One philosophy professor from Ateneo de Manila supports piracy because it makes media more accessible to people. Media is one way of educating people and piracy has made one kind of education cheap.  In the Philippines, if any harm is done because of piracy, it’s the loss of profit by our local movie industry especially independents and then there’s the proliferation of child pornography.

When it comes to pornography, I have a very specific stand on this issue and that is that any pornography ought not to exploit children and ought not to involve any man or woman who was forced or trafficked.  The latter is harder to distinguish from the numerous role-play sex videos readily available through the internet or the DVD stands.  And so what the OMB does is it confiscates ALL pornographic materials and puts the blame on the piracy culture.  They summon international anti-trafficking statutes to justify their confiscation.  These allegations are partly true.  Although pornography is legal in the country for people ages 18 and above, the proper charge against the confiscation of pirated pornography ought to be piracy alone, if the OMB has no evidence that the materials they’ve accumulated in the raids do not include child pornography.  They are revisited by the same legal gray area that questions the efficiency of piracy crackdowns in the first place.  I once asked a vendor how they managed to survive all the raids and that person told me that the “mayor” was okay with them selling pirated movies but pirated pornography was a complete contraband.

My advice to wankers out there is to stick to the internet because I would rather not have any of you get your grubby paws on any of the real contraband which is child pornography (that means screen starlets aged below 18: remember Barely Legal? Aha!  Then you are guilty as charged!)

Going back to the real topic of this post, the Kho-Halili sex scandal sprung so many questions that easily put limelight-seeking actors-turned-public-servants to the media fray perhaps because of vested interests.  Is it because of the elections that people are begging to be noticed on TV?  None of these fools have even made a lucid comment in aid of legislation.  This whole scandal is fuelled by VANITY so you be true to yourselves you vain shits. Stop talking and make your own movie!

And by the way, this scandal is really about invasion of privacy.  Can the media roll over and stop the frenzy?  Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of this trial’s exercise altogether?

Dear (omit: fellow) graduates,

How do you make a graduation march look cinematic?  That long arduous function that ushers in a new generation through a new threshold of social expectations.  What an irreplacable joy it is to have the discipline and diligence indeed to have come this far! Congratulations to all my friends whose paths I’ve crossed and are now crossing a path still ahead of me.  Bid your farewells to the academe, by all means do so, you truly deserve that goodbye!  I commend your determination and above all your courage.  If anything, the university life is but a riddle to the Life that often eludes our temporal meander in this world.  And let me tell you something about the world: it is teeming with opportunities, strife, crooks, unemployment, interesting colleagues, friends, traitors, money, happiness, struggles, creativity(!), companies, countries, dinner parties, society, love, hate, poverty(!), TAXES, obligations, governance, subordination, family, documentation, promotions, post-graduate, independence, boredom, youth, etcetera etcetera etcetera…  Take it from someone who took on the world before taking on herself.  We all have our answers to own one day with a strong heart and mind, charateristics of heroes and heorines.  And that my friends, is truly cinematic.

My deepest gratitude to all my teachers who showed no tolerance for my indolence and for that, evicted me from across disciplines to teach me a more important lesson.  I may not be your most studious student but I have learned indeed!  Thank you to the tertiary institution for its stubborness and legitimization of my rebellion, and having such a dry sense of humor: it has the last laugh, for now.  Thank you to my parents for worrying (sometimes, needlessly) for my future.  Mothers and fathers wish their children to grow up strong for they have the wisdom of the damage caused by powerlessness.  It may seem like an obvious choice, but we must learn to accept strength instead of weakness.  And tread our own path with fearlessness and zeal!

To those who are left behind, such as myself I have something to say to you: What now?  NOW, that we have the upperhand.  They just don’t know it!  All the choices we’ve made and the mistakes many people have said we’ve made, to them we say: So what!  I know, I know.  But know that there is no reason to feel defeatist when we’re really the ubermench!  This simply means that we are not easily defined by society instead we let society be defined by us.  We are a huge chunk on the neighborhood which gives us the leverage of the minority.  History has taught us that the minorities are the activists and the activists are the agents of change.  As most people proceed through life comfortably and are unaware of the dangers, we have already become masters of our own discomfort and have skillfully laid out our options.  We are the troubleshooters with a unique point of view.

Finally, thank you to the universe!  I have graduated from that social and psychological torture called a “god” and I thank the masters Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beuvoir, Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud, Ayn Rand, Robert Green Ingersoll, Bertrand Russell, Jean Meslier, Michel Onfray, the Zeitgeist and many other freethinkers I have met in this young life and have inspired my post-christian secularity.  To take care of humanity is a soulful task yet an immense responsibility that we do entirely alone.  No earth, no heavenly consultation, no tradition is the sole basis of our personal, ethical, biological, artistic, intellectual evolution.  Borrowing the thought of this important adage, the Captain of my ship, master of my soul: is The “I“.

March, you graduates.  I offer you a line from the song written by a great man by the name of John Lennon.  The last song he ever recorded moments before he was gunned down is a very apt anthem of  a struggle for existential pinnacle.  And thus, the master spoke:

Walking on thin ice,
I’m paying the price
For throwing the dice in the air.
Why must we learn it the hard way
And play the game of life with your heart?

Cheers and good luck to you all.

Yoko Ono feat. Spiritualized – Walking on thin ice [Download] [Lyrics]

It’s no laughing matter to realize that the so-called mainstream media most Filipinos are exposed to these days can really dumb down a generation. I am deeply concerned about a story I heard about filmmakers speaking to some kids in Malaybalay, Bukidnon who were asked what they aspired to become. Their daunting reply: to become one of the dancers of Wowowee.

I don’t mind gregarious lunch time entertainment but some things are definitely exaggerated. The usual exchange between Willy and his contestants is only humorous when the latter is made fun of. Touching, maybe, but their momentary joy in being part of the festivities hardly compensates for the reality after the show. Moreover, the mechanics of acquiring the coveted cash prize has been a guessing game for the most part. And self-jest. Filipinos are used to it, we can argue, we’re all good sports – that’s always good. But the image you put forth is that when it comes to poverty, nothing lifts the spirits but a game of chance. And that’s why kids would rather be good at dancing for Wowowee someday. Easy money.

But nothing is easy. While Wowowee was playing on, if you go through the other channels, you’ll find that news about corruption in our country is at a plethora. A mind numbing plethora. I bet so many people count more on “Papi” than they do on our nation’s leaders. The reason why we turn to the horse blinds is because we don’t want to see. Numerous Filipino viewers have self-denial in their psyche. It’s too painful to watch your struggling life and its entire infrastructure crumble to the ground.

And why has everyone forgotten about the Wowowee stampede? I can’t imagine why such a display of recklessness had been easily forgot. I’m so angry. Are people simply apathetic or pathetic these days? There’s a fundamental difference, and neither is the other’s consolation prize.

(A somewhat irrelevant reminder:) I hope these Dems will do something about Proposition 8, hmph!

Imagine that just a few months ago, you and your sweetheart were finally married after so many years of restriction to do so.  And then suddenly you hear that the state no longer recognizes you’re married; that it is void. As newlyweds, it’s simply outrageous.  But for us homosexuals, it’s a reminder of the loathsome movement that goes against the freedom of a certain kind of people, otherwise known as discrimination.

The bigoted heterosexual America contends that marriage is an institution designed for heterosexual pairs. That society cannot legitimize, incentivize and recognize love relationships of people who happen to love the same sex.  The implications of the same-sex marriage ban trickles down to the true meaning of how freedom, respect and happiness are upheld for the US.  It’s wrong.  Proposition 8 is bigotry.

Mirah – 100 Knives [Download] [Lyrics]

Just so we’re clear, kids, I am not a US registered voter nor am I a citizen yet. My mom’s Republican husband is voting for McCain (despite initially rooting for the more formidable Ron Paul), naturally with the intention of keeping Obama from winning the presidency. If you are a registered American voter, I advise you to vote for Obama instead and let me tell why you shouldn’t vote McCain.

If you are voting McCain, you will give the presidency the political leverage to continue to spend more money on the expensive and highly unethical war in Iraq.  As Nicholas Kristof of NY Times had put:

An American President who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulinates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim gradnfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaida recruiters fits.

If you are voting McCain, the likely chance that your ability to afford medical services will not change from the way they are now.  Under McCain’s policy, it will result to Americans still battling with self-interested insurance companies rather than government securing that the insurance is not a question but a right. McCain proposes that the US government should have nothing to do with insurance and is leaving your health care in the hands of those who wish to make money out of you.  Good luck.

If you are voting McCain, you will be backing a leader who is hesitant in sending foreign aid where the world needs it, panders to the interest of private corporations and has a little or no humanitarian world view.

Finally, if you are voting McCain, you will give the government the power to withhold or insufficiently subsidize important government responsibilities apart from health care, and that is education, advanced medical research and improved domestic welfare.

Listen to the Global preference, a cry for reason.   You are not only voting for an American leader but a world power.  Understand the gravity of your choice and how it impacts people across the globe.  Sense the desperation for renewal in American leadership and political narrative.

Vote Obama. Vote Change.

Photo courtesy of http://morofilm.blogspot.com

My friend Jun Macarambon, who co-wrote “A step for my dream” had their film officially selected in this year’s Cinemalaya, inevitably the most prestigious film festival in the Philippines. I haven’t seen the film myself, but the fact that it made it to the festival should keep everyone’s heads up. It was directed by Monalayn Labado, also a Mindanawon. Hopefully, their producer Teng Mangansakan II, also a documentary filmmaker from Mindanao, would allow to screen the said film for this upcoming Mindanao Film Festival for everyone to see. Lately, the influx of critical Mindanao filmmakers shaking the national and international scene have grown since, perhaps, Lav Diaz. Other films to watchout for that are made by a Mindanao filmmaker include Sherad Anthony Sanchez‘s film (director of Huling Balyan ng Buhi) “Imburnal”, which was recently shot in some parts of Bankerohan and Dumalag. It is an entry for this year’s Cinema One Originals. Also, an advocacy film was recently made entitled, “Hunghong sa yuta” which has already run on local cinemas. Noticeably, most of our fresh breed of filmmakers have done stories on Mindanao, treating these stories with a fair sense of what Mindanao truly feels like.

In an interview, Mangansakan mentioned a trend in the past of outsiders making stories about us with an unnerving sort of unfamiliarity, even dettachment. I once watched a 1980 Eddie Romero epic (three and half hours long) film entitled, “Aguila” starring Fernando Poe Jr., Christopher de Leon, Eddie Garcia among other star studs, and the film had vague images of Mindanao as the backdrop of where Fernando Poe eventually disappeared to. It portrays Mindanao as somewhat the ideal place to get lost in, a place ridden with rebels. Although, the rather unbalanced portrayal of Mindanao is for the overall cinematic effect or part of how it was written but that’s precisely how it’s just not enough for non-Mindanawons to describe what Mindanao is like. Even National Media makes me cringe at all the news they run about the region. Whereas that is my advocacy, all strifes of artistic forms or self-determining movements in Mindanao have been hampered by the fact that there isn’t ENOUGH support from the locale, or at least not too many are aware that it needs support. I hope you will show yours.