Earth Hour Sucks

It was 8:30 in the evening and the lights suddenly came puft. Earth hour a move to save a little bit of energy and a lot of the earth from the threat of global warming. But as my friend said, they took away our right to vote. The electric companies shut down the power supply. What I know is you turn your with off if you want to to send the message to everyone that you support the earth hours objectives. Pero yan na naman ang mga nagmamagaling na politiko just to make a statement they made a big hullabaloo of the affair. To the extent of ordering power plants to shut downfor an hour. I was deprived of my vote. Maybe others didn't feel that way but I did. I wanted to turn off my switch myself.

Malacca: Surprising

Maybe the Johor bahru experience was really off off a Malaysian experience. This time after crossing the causeway we were greeted by good roads leading to palm tree plantations galore until we reached the fabled straits of Malacca. I wondered what would have been the fuzz over that place during the spice trade years. anyway the place was like an emerging Singapore and would you believe I am saying this a bit like Zamboanga.

Singapore: Hello Again

Well you really can't put down a classic. Beyond the usual, are the vibe at Holland village, the National Geographic store at Vivo City and the Luge and Songs of the Sea at Sentosa and the walking tour of Kampong Glam.

Hanoi: Of Shophouses and Pagodas

The cold weather and the overcast sky may not have made this a glorious sunny holiday, but the old quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the water puppets and Halong Bay were vivid images that made this country leave an imprint in my memory.

One Night in Bangkok

Images of Bangkok including the famous Khao san Road and Soi Rambutri. Trying to be backpackers but failing miserably. Imagine pulling roller luggages at Rambutri at 3 in the morning. so not in fashion.

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.