Dangerous Zamboanga City

I have not felt this paranoid since I arrived here four years ago. There are news of kidnapping everyday in the city. Last week there were three teachers abducted in Sakol island. There were text messages being passed around containing plate numbers of white vans that supposedly are the kidnappers. There was an Ateneo student abducted in broad daylight released two days after giving a ransom of 10,000 pesos. Yesterday a teacher was abducted while trying to ride a tricycle. There are text messages now regarding 48 armed MILF men ready to abduct medical personnel to treat their troops.

Amid all these, the mayor said there is nothing to fear and even berated an official of the Department of Education whose comment made it to the headlines that Zamboanga City is not safe for the reason that it will deter tourist and investors.

This city and its people seemed to have gotten used to the idea that kidnapping is just a normal thing and a necessary part of life. It goes away for sometime and then like lightning it strikes suddenly and it strikes anywhere. In the past the victims were just the rich elite but recently they can be anyone. The texters seem to know the kidnapers how come the police and the military cannot get them?

This culture has got to stop. The city is covered with fear and everyone is paranoid. This city has lived too long in the dark ages that the little rays of light of progress are extinguished as soon as it lands on its soil. I hope this situation gets in control soon.

Slumdog Millionaire

It would be easy to protest that the movie does not respond to our Hollywood sensibilities. Exactly because it is not. I successfully bring us to the magical world of India with the compulsory dance routine in the end. I was amazed not by the story but by the images and shoots and the colors. I suppose the shoots and sequences are staple fares of Bollywood movies. But this time its fast paced and like a good thriller it keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

Jamal won 20 million rupees which for an uneducated call center assistant is a tall order. during a police inquiry he explained how he was able to know all the answers to the questions. We saw how he and his brother grew up from the slums of India to modern Mumbai. Each segment explaining how he got to answer the gameshow questions. My favorite was how he outwit his brother by jumping into the squat toilet, drenched in shit, he walked toward the famous Indian actor as he alight a helicopter to get his autograph. Other memorable scens:
1. The required dance routine.
2. Taj mahal
3. Aerial shot of the slums with all the colors of India
4. The scene when his brother helped Jamal escape the beggar syndicate
5. The train station scene when Jamal was on the balcony and Latika just arrived and eventually taken back by the bad guys lead by his brother.

It is a breath of fresh air from the monotony of Hollywood films. If this wins the best picture in the Oscars, I will never contest it.

Please pray for my princess

We have longed waited for her arrival. Everyone was excited and when she arrived, we suddenly have a princess. Her father called her "bella". Italian for beautiful. I told my brother that it does not matter if my niece has a skin tag, it's not really important. And she was my princess. I have conjured lots of plans for her. I will give her the best I could that I never had. But a call from my brother while eating breakfast, my princess was vomiting and passing blood in her stools. In a matter of hours, she was admitted in the hospital and operated on for volvulus or twisting of the intestines. Presently, she is at the intensive care unit and have not feed on anything for the past week. There are signs that she is improving. She is off oxygen. She still has a long way to go before they feed her. And hopefully she would be able to tolerate the feedings and continue on with her recovery.

I have dealt with the same situation in my career but usually on the other end. Telling parents about a baby's condition also breaks my heart. No matter how hard I try to be comforting, the news always breaks nerves and all the strength and courage of the bravest person. I cried on the street while I was taking my brother's call telling me of the news. I wanted to be there. I wanted to do whatever I can. But it was not me anymore. This time I am the parent. This time I am the passive observer. This time I am the one hoping.

There is a lesson from this. At one point I asked God for all the debt's I let go for treating all other babies for free. And when I was told that the condition was worse than I expected, I said I was not that important to God after all. Whe my borhter called up after 6 hours and told me that the other doctors were optomistic that my princess will recover, I suddenly realized what I have thought. I was so easy to give up hope on Him. But it is Him who knows what is good and I should not question what He has given me.

Please pray for my princess. Thank you very much.

Survivor Philippines

I resolved to save money last month so instead of going out daily for dinner, I stayed at home and kept myself busy with the boob tube. You can actually get addicted to these shows that really does not make you think but rather play with you emotions. So I became a Survivor fan in the past three weeks. Buti na lang last five episodes na lang.

I started watching when they voted Kiko off. There was an agreement among members of the old tribe to kick out all the remaining members of the other tribe, but there were two dissenters and he was kicked out of the camp. Of course that was like a Shakespearean Julius Ceasar spin off.

As I watch it daily after my salad dinner, I was amazed how the characters morphed and get affected by the different circumstances. I wanted Cris and Kaye out that week because they betrayed Kiko. But as I watched, it was actually Marlon that I hated most. He would scheme and deal and sow hatred among the contestants. But he was like the soul of the show. When he was finally booted out, it was not the same again.

When mama Zita got voted off, I think that was the height of arrogance among all the contestants. I understand their rationale when they say they don't stand a chance to win if they stand with her in the finals facing the jury, but hey did you guys watched what they did last night?!!!!

Grrr. If they really did want to win without thinking of all the utang na loob bullshit and all of them saying that blah blah blah this is a game walang personalan. Hello. Eh di dapat si JC ang na vote off kahapon. If I were there I would vote him off para I'm sure of a fighting chance in the finals. Eh Charisse and Rob may rationalize it in all their interviews, but let's face it they voted Cris out because they owe JC something. So saan ba dyan ang strategy and the rationale na game lang to. So sa final three Putang Ina ninyo!!!

Sunset, the sea and the mountains

Obama wins

I don't know what's it about the Lantaka Hotel. But it seems that all those world changing history making moments have to occur while I'm sipping coffee at the lobby. So it's final Obama wins. Now the world can move on.

Fiesta Pilar 2008

I can't believe it that I have been watching the fiesta third year in a row. This tough it was different. I was keen on taking photographs having bought a new DSLR and trying to learn photoshop techniques. So much for all the world's troubles. It does not really make a difference if I wallow myself in patriotic sorrow. That does not give me money for food. So from now on, I will enjoy the good in life. Happy Fiesta.