Goodbye to all That

I told myself I should be an expert at this but saying goodbye seems more difficult when you're older. How do you make partings easier?

I always believe in short and sweet and saying all you're closures and sorries and being still friends after that. It will shorten the time of healing. So what am I doing making this time longer that it should be. I should have left three years ago. I should leave now.

Kris Allen Sucks; Jabbawockeez Rule

It was a long road for most of us Filipino fans. Dreaming of seeing American Idol contestants perform onstage live is a long shot for most. I resolved that I would see Kris Allen or Adam Lambert when they perform here no matter what after the finals. So I headed with my friends to the empty lot in Mckinley hills to see the season 8 winner perform.

It was good that there was no rain but the air was cool and there were few stars that night. After dinner at Abe at Serendra over sinigang sa bayabas, pla pla and crispy tadyang, we got a taxi to the concert site. The place was not jampacked as I expected. I thought there were millions of Kris Allen fans out there. Hey following a thread on pinoy exchange I really thought there might be a legion trying to vote his songs to number one. But a ticket booth in front of the concert site is proof it's not sold out.

I never expected anything great from Boyce Avenue. It might be hard to do a front act. Their rendition of Wonderwall and Bleeding Love can make me forgive the almost half a dozen original songs they sang that never did take off with the crowd.

It was Jabbawockeez that was a major revelation that night. Although the start was slow and everyone kept on standing and blocking each others view, their dancing made me change my mind about it being a major work of art. Their "single ladies" and "ocho coho" numbers were hug crowd pleasers. It was a marriage of funk, rnb, breakdancing and mime that thug the souls of the audience. Nobody needed to tell the crowd to clap or scream or stand up They had everyone captured with their performances. That part when one of them say that performing here is a humbling experience, I say Mabuhay to the group. You make us proud to be pinoys.

Now that Kris Allen sucks. After waiting for 3 hours, he came out singing on top of the stage. At first it was mesmerizing imagine that was a live idol winner performing even if I'm on 30th row left side, I was filled with excitement. But a couple of songs later, it was sheer bad performance and song choices that were not actually suited for him. He was singing songs from his album that would have been better sung by Adam Lambert because of a U2 rhyth to them. Remember what Adam did to U2's "One." Well it feels like Kris was trying to do that but well he will never be an Adam.

Aside from those, Kris Allen looked like he was performing just for the sake of performing. When he went down to the crowd and starting pointing "You get up. You go up." and the whole time he was singing onstage, I could only think of two things, he is on drugs or he is so beat up and tired that he was not enjoying performing anymore. He was banging his head. He was sweating like hell because of the heat. He was all over the place. His voice never faltered though because he never sang "No boundaries." But his performance was lackluster. He was bored performing. He was not happy with his songs. He uses his guitar as a safety blanket to make it look like he is doing something on stage because he could not command the crowd. Being pretty can only take as far. Talent can take you all the way. So I wonder why he won the contest.

Going back home, my friend opened his copy and listened to the tracks in the car. Mine is still in its original sealed plastic cover. I'm seriously thinking of getting a refund.

Luang Prabang

After a two day slow boat ride from Huay Xai the forest lined banks of the Mekong River suddenly changed into a city. Walking up the concrete pavement from the pier, one arrives at the entrance to the former Royal Palace now the National Museum. It was magical and that must have been the experience of every traveller who took that route.

The city was lined with french colonial houses and dotted with several temples (Wats). The old houses are now converted to restaurants and boutique hotels. It is good that it is a world heritage site so that much of the colonial architecture is preserved. Sala Prabang is a hotel along the river bank. It is conveniently located to the usual tourist spots around the city. a former resident of the first Lao prime minister, the architecture is superb and matches the climate of the area with huge french windows and elegant slanting roofs and large open courtyards. Except for the tough beef teppanyaki on new years dinner, the place is a steal for the price.

Primarily a Buddhist community, the temples and the monks play a major role in the lives of the people. Most monks enter the monastery because they could not afford a good education and because they could not feed themselves. Everyday at dawn, the monks walk through the streets receiving alms from devotees. The practice becomes a tourist havoc when there are a lot of tourists disturbing the solemnity of the ritual with their cameras and gawking. But try watching in a regular day in a far part of town and you will surely enjoy the solemnity of the event.

As Derek of White Elephant puts its, you can never do justice to Luang Prabang with the usual 3 day stopover. Staying longer means, catching the sunrise and sunset at Mount Phousi, being able to see the three waterfalls, ride an elephant, visit the Pak Ou caves and marvel at the life along the river banks, visit an abandoned temple, trek through the tribal villages, more time to shop at the night Hmong market.

Lao cuisine is similar to Thai and not a long shot to Filipino. Imagine eating in Villa Santi and choosing from the royal menu a dish that turned out to be chicken curry. I suggest eating at Tamarind for authentic Lao dishes. Try the dipping sauce or the traditional Lao dishes platter. The waiter will gladly teach you how to eat the food and explain each dish. The Lao coffee at the plaza and the baguette sandwiches are good fares after a walk or a bike ride around the city.

Yes do come to Luang Prabang before it becomes extrememly fashionable and touristy. Taste and Luxuriate in Culture.

Election Frenzy: Or how they sell their soul to the devil

Its election time once again in the Philippines. And as Charles Dickens put it, it's the best of times and the worst of times. We see the flood of money maybe not directly, but notice the number of roads and bridges that are being repaired even if they don't need repairs and the projects that suddenly were completed after being left for granted in the past three years.

what is worst though is that the candidates are starting their mudslinging. What is more appalling though is that alliances are made that stinks to the core. Wala na talagang prinsipyo at delikadeza. I use to believe in Liza Masa and Satur Ocampo but forging an alliance with Manny Villar, the same party that carries the candidacy of bon-bong Marcos is worst than Comelec allowing Erap to run.

I am saddened because suddenly I don't have heroes anymore.

The Philippines is not worth it anymore

Bring it on. I don't care anymore. They are not afraid of burning in hell. They just want hell for all of us. Thank you your honors, mr. president, mr. speaker and honorable gentleman and ladies. Thank you for hell on earth.

LUANG PRABANG

It's not an Asian thing. Going to that remote old Laotian capital in the middle of the Mekong river may just be the adventure I needed to speed me back to my groove. There's actually 26 days to left.

Sad Day

They wanted to make it appear that the 47 just disappeared so they buried the vehicles with the bodies. The sad thing is how no matter how gruesome the massacre is, the police and military cannot point to anybody as responsible for the crime.

Thank you N

It finally ended on a warm balmy night.
When he finally left us, the rain poured.
Maybe he left me earlier when I was not looking
Or was not minding that he tip toed out of that room
and finally was freed from all the pain and suffering.
That was what I was afraid of,
That I didn't see him.
I was looking hard.
But I didn't see him.
I wished I looked at him for soul and spirit.
Not just body and function.
But he was bigger than me in terms of soul.
I know that because he is on my mind and I am crying.
I did not conquer him but he conquered me.
For so little a body he had so much soul and spirit.
I grope for reasons why it is so hard to get what you want.
But the present has no reasons and answers.
The reasons and answers will just come in time.

Thank you N for coming into my life.

Bonds shared by mortal men last longer than time.

Pity the Church

Long ago I would believe what my priest tells me during sermons because I believed that they have stood for what is right all the time. But after they have loose their moral credibility during the Garci scandal, I have lost my trust. I still have my faith, but them men in robes do not have integrity for me anymore. And so in these calls by the church in Bicol against mining and casino plans, I pity the priests involve. They have lost moral credibility so how can they call for such now.

Baha sa Boracay; The new Venice of Asia,

This picture was taken around 10 am while sipping avocado mango shake at Jonah's and watching tourist wade through seawater which reached the railings of the juice bar. You can see Willy's rock in a distance.


In an uncontrolled growth spurt, the resort island is finding itself sinking with the new influx of building frenzy of luxury hotels at the station one, beach side. There is always a price for progress. But hey, did we really want progress to wind its darkside into paradise.

Locals have complained that during the feast of St. John the Baptist, seawater reached the road, flooding the establishments on the beach. Slowly mother nature is reclaiming the paradise it has given the Filipinos. All because we do not know how to take care of it. I believe a little bit of planning and thinking and conscience could avert the looming catastrophe. This is my first visit to the island when I was not able to walk the whole stretch of beach from Diniwid to station 3. I even noticed that there were new rock formations near Diniwid beach but sadly it was because the cliff gave in during one of the storms.

Tourists have to wade through seawater where the beach were once. The resorts along station one built seawalls. Ha ha ha. This is the end of Boracay as I know it.

May they rest in peace

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Singing the Song of Angry Men

For all of us.

PGMAs 3,400% increase in income

Supposing it's really from the stock market increasing your income from 7 million to 155 million in eight years is phenomenal. I just hope the president actully tipped all of us which stocks to buy para sana ganun din ang increase ng income natin. Alin kaya ang stock na magandang bilhin? If that's how much money can be made in the Philippine Stock market, then why are there no investors?

How Dare We Complain!

I am disgusted of people who talk of hoping to come back to martial law days. I am appalled when they say it was better during those days. I think it was better for them, but not for me. Do they really mean deep in their hearts what they are hoping for?

Orphans of Democracy

Even in her death President Aquino gave us the lesson on how to unite Filipinos. It is not lofty ideals or principles but rather the simple and the correct. Yesterday's necrological service had orators extolling hte virtues of our president. The standouts of course were Bro Armin Luistro, Paul Cabral and to my surprise and definite amazement, Conrado de Quiros. Instantly I became a de Quiros fan. His eulogy was like Robert Frost's "Birches".

Today's mass was solemn and fitting. Songs were sung by Filipino artists. Standouts were Zsa zsa Padilla's "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" and Regine and Martin's "The Prayer". Lea Salonga sang "Bayan Ko" but she was too theatrical to sing a song in Filipino, It would have been better if Regine did the song.

A sea of humanity followed the cortege from the Manila Cathedral to the Manila Memorial Park. And although there were akward moments and some protocol breeched, it was a people's funeral for a people's president.

Cory was our Mother Teresa, our Pope John Paul, our Diana, our Michael Jackson. She gave us back democracy. Even if everyone around her was expecting a return to the traditional corrupt politics after the revolution, she ruled with the "right things in mind." No matter how painful it was, she stood by the truth and what is right. And this made her great. My only regret was we did not rally behind her and helped her after the revolution. We expected she will make everything better for us without us helping her. We gave her the task, but we never accepted that we too have our responsibilities in making this nation great.

Now we have laid her to rest. We are now democracy's orphans. But in God's time as Bro. Armin said, we will eventually heal and move on and with the lessons of history never forgetting them again, rise up and become a great nation.

Below is a link to Conrado de Quiros column in the Inquirer of his eulogy for Cory.

One good person - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

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Remembrance:Cory Aquino

Paalam mahal naming lahat

Cory Aquino Dead at 76, one of the last true Filipino

In true Filipino style, our beloved tita Cory passed away while the fifth sorrowful mystery was being recited at her bedside, on the glorious Saturday of the first day of the month her husband was assasinated. She died at 3:18 am this morning as confirmed by his only son, Noynoy. I was trying to find sense among all the condolences from prominent people on the three different channels on tv. But it was not until GMA 7 run clips of her much applauded speech at the US Congress where she said "I now I come back to you as a president of a free nation." that I remembered her importance. Then at the end a clip from Jessica Soho's interview, "Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos na ginawa nya akong Filipino katulad ninyo." It was at that time that I cried.


No other death of a prominent Filipino since Ninoy's death broke my heart. I guess no other will after her. To Cory Aquino, maraming salamat po.

New National Artists Philippines

It was a shoutout on facebook that heralded the news of the seven new national artist. Manuel Conde for cinema. Carlo J Caparas for comics. Cecille Alvarez for theater. Pitoy Moreno for fashion. Alcuaz for visual arts. Manosa for Architecture. And one for literature somebody I haven't read but hopefully deserves to be a national artist.

I don't know what the criteria is for being chosen as one. Before this I have high regards for the national artists like Eddie Romero, Nick Joaquin, Orosa and Lumbrera. But proclaiming seven at one time, seems to have degraded the award to a mere citation and nothing else sort of being a sense of pride for Filipinos. Of the seven, it's actually not Carlo J Caparas which irked me. it was Cecille Alvarez's award which shocked me. I hope that the criteria includes the pprolificness of the awardees works. I have yet to see an original work of Alvarez that truly deserves the citation.

Forgotten Manila

I was searching the LUXE sets of asian city guides and to my consternation and subsequent disappointment, Manila was singed out. Imagine having guides for Cambodia and even Laos while the ever loyal and noble city of Manila does not merit to have one. Understandably, when all the historic places in the city are left to fend for themselves the city does not have a soul now.
It is a city where officials are given lee way to desecrate the Manila Bay the most beautiful in the entire world for the name of corruption. Where old monuments go down for tacky bronze figures of men forgotten by history while the national hero remains forgotten in his languid post at km 0. Where hotels that line the bay are on their twilight years hopelessly praying for refurbishment. The grand Manila Hotel have lost its grandeur to musty carpets and old furnishings. Manila is desperately forgotten. And like our country, we have just succeeded in making our country so insignificant that nobody really bothers about our insignificance even ourselves. I just opened itunes and they have a vietnam store while the Philippines has none. So what more proof do I need.

Paseo del Mar Zamboanga

I don't want to pass judgement on the opening of the new park near Fort Pilar. Molded after the Manila Baywalk with lights that I believe cost half a million each and paved walks, its opening has been long overdue. It was opened to the public a week ago with very little funfare maybe because the weather did not permit such. a thunderstorm raged during the opening night with text messages of bomb threats and traffic around the city. The next day still saw the mayor visiting the promanade with a band playing before a fifteen minute fireworks show.

Now for the nitty gritty of things. The area is still bare. The restaurants offer mostly the usual fare donuts, grilled chicken and barbeque. the crowd are the usual suspects. I presume its the same ones coming from the Boulevard. Now that Cawacawa is under renovation of monstrous proportion, they see the paseo as an alternative. A week after the opening, friday night, not too much came to visit. There were nothing to do there anyway. Nothing unusual to see. Maybe they can put up free cultural shows there. Or a tiangge. Or a concert. I don't know what will work best, but I hope the opportunity to make Zamboanga proud of something won't go to waste.