Posts

The Philippines' War On Drugs (And The All-Powerful Cardboard Signs)

Image
“Is everyone in? Are you having a nice time? Now the final solution can be applied…”                             Pink Floyd, "The Fletcher Memorial Home"        Brand-new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ran on an anti-illegal drugs campaign and won. There was hardly a mention of clear policies on economy or on the West Philippine Sea case during his campaign, it was all anti-drugs or anti-crimes pronouncements and still he won, overwhelmingly. He promised that his war against drugs will be ultra-violent and bloody and still, 16 million Filipinos voted him into power. Law-abiding Pinoys are tired of crimes, we get it.        And now, he is fulfilling his promise—blood have been flowing in the streets and many  drug offenders are dropping dead like flies. ...

A BASTARD MUST DIE (And How Game of Thrones Ends Season 6 with a One-Two Punch)

Image
       Season 6 of Game of Thrones has ended and a lot of fans are saying that it is probably the best season of the show, owing to the strength of its last two episodes, Battle of the Bastard s (Ep 9) and The Winds of Winter (Ep 10, Season Finale). There’s a word that best describes these two episodes: stunning. It bolsters my suspicion that TV, really, was invented for Game of Thrones.        Battle of the Bastards features a mind-blowing battle (see fantastic GIF above) between Ned Stark's bastard, Jon Snow and his wildlings-fortified army and Roose Bolton's bastard, Ramsay Bolton and his soldiers. And yes, Ramsay Bolton finally dies in this episode, but not in the battlefield. Sansa feeds him to his dogs, which is a far more fitting death for this repellent character.        The Winds of Winter is literally an explosive episode. It is here where Cersei unleashes her villain...

The Vice President's Inaugural Menu (And How Choc Nut, Like Rudolf, Will Go Down In History)

Image
       Vice President-elect Leni Robredo will take her oath of office this Thursday, June 30, and included in the merienda fare that will be served to the guests are Choc Nut-filled buchi. Yes, Choc Nut. It is the vice president's favorite, they say. But who doesn’t love Choc Nut? A lot of people consider it tastier than caviar, yes. Now, it will be part of Philippine History. Other food in the VP's menu include sotanghon, maja blanca and pichi pichi        My siblings (niblings included) love Choc Nut and whenever we go to the grocery store to buy, well, groceries, Choc Nut is always on the list. We suffer withdrawal symptoms whenever we run out of Choc Nuts. Made up of roasted peanuts, sugar, milk powder, cocoa powder and vanilla, Choc Nut is a proof that there is forever. I think it predates the dinosaurs. No, I’m not really sure about it, but Choc Nut has been in existence for a very long time and it will proba...

Saint Simon By The Shins (Or How Nothing Holds A Candle To That Solemn Warm Feeling)

Image
       I’ve had this The Shins album, Chutes Too Narrow , for the longest time, gave it lots of spins then, and then forgot all about it. I played it again this morning and was reminded of the gorgeousness of the song "Saint Simon" (beautiful melody, killer harmonies, great lyrics). The song, Beatlesque and my favorite from the album, is about, seemingly,   the rejection of religion and intellectual discourses; meaning, you got to live your life simply, build it around love, shorn of pretenses.        And I am particularly still awed by this awesomely lovely line, “Mercy's eyes are blue, when she places them in front of you, nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you…”        We all experience it, looking at someone you cherish, or even at just a photo of this someone or anything that reminds you of this someone, even when you try to ignore, or forget o...

FACEBOOK BLOCKING (Or How To Completely Disappear In Facebook)

Image
                 The status that was on top of my news feed when I logged on to my Facebook account this morning   was: “You are so annoying, so you’re blocked.”   Instead of just being unfriended, somebody got blocked, which is of course worse. When someone unfriends you, you can still access this someone’s account and see his   or her public posts and activities and you can still send this someone a message. See, somehow, there’s still a link. When someone blocks you, this someone’s account suddenly becomes totally inaccessible and invisible to you (and vice versa). You can turn Facebook upside down but you won’t see any sign of this person.         Back during pre-Facebook days, to show your annoyance to a friend, you either yell at him or curse him, or punch him, throw stone at his house, kick his dog, or his door or his nuts. Back during pre-Face...