President Arroyo underwent removal and replacement of breast silicone implants at a hospital in Muntinlupa City, a source told the Manila Bulletin.

I thought she quarantined herself for A(H1N1) purposes? What's with the breast...silicone...imp...*rushes off to throw up*

Edit: So the Manila Bulletin took down the paragraph with the breastage in it. Have a look here and here instead.

I found out something verrryyyy interesting on Howie Severino's Twitter a few days ago. Apparently, the ad spots aren't campaign ads at all, oh no no no, it is much too early for that sort of thing. What they are, actually, are "advocacy ads."

The early electioneering is obvious to many TV viewers. But the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has already determined that the so-called advocacy ads do not violate election campaign laws since the political advertisers have not yet filed their certificates of candidacy.

Yeah sure, they're advocacy ads--for themselves. "I'm an advocate for me! Trust me! Believe in me, me, me!!" And thus, the line between advocacy and campaign ads blurs.

It's July! What Have I Done With My Life So Far?

Got my teeth fixed up real nice

Discovered the joys of Bikram yoga

Gone on a couple of out-of-town trips with TJ

Attended, enjoyed, and completed a workshop...

...and met new people! And fwiends!

Quit an annoying job...(My sister did me one better and started her own business! Check it out!)

...and taken on more writing work than ever...

...and realized that I do miss writing.

Had a good think about the things that I'd really like to accomplish...

...and for the first time am really enthusiastic about such plans.

I don't want to say, "It's been a good year so far!" because, yeah, I don't want to speak too soon, but so far, it's a damn sight nicer than I expected it to be.

Me: Look at this (pastes in portion from the entry)

The actual dialogue on TV went as follows:

Fabian Ver: We have to immobilize the helicopters they've got. We have two fighter planes flying now to strike at any time, sir.
Ferdinand Marcos: My order is not to attack.
Ver: They are massing civilians near our troops and we cannot keep on withdrawing. You asked me to withdraw yesterday....
Marcos: My order is to disperse [them] without shooting them.
Ver: We cannot withdraw all the time...
Marcos:' No, no, no! Hold on. You disperse the crowds without shooting them. You may use any other weapon...

Tj: mahina lang si marcos
Tj: kung si gloria yan e nabaril na ang mga demonstrador

Aha, and I see their website has finally gone live. And it's still shoving the term "social pawn fixture" down our throats. Now where's the first episode, people?

My high school Lit teacher and school paper adviser appears to be making the rounds of our Facebook pages lately, posting invitations on our walls to go to the school next month and deliver career talks. I promised myself long ago that I'd swallow live frogs first before going back to that school (or perhaps soak my feet in hot melted brown sugar; I just found out a few days ago while baking apples that this substance is my ultimate nemesis, thanks to a tiny droplet that splashed and sizzled onto my toe. I didn't scream or cry out, but choked and mostly said, "Fffffffff!" which I'm sure would've turned into "FAAAAK!" had I been capable of speech at the time), but perhaps it would be fun for me to give bright-eyed and bushy-tailed high schoolers some advice. I'd tell them grades don't matter, and that they should aim for better things than the top position in the biggest company in the world, and that I don't have a proper career anyway, so why the hell am I addressing them in the first place. Then I'd end up getting dragged off the school property, with the teachers and administrators remembering exactly why I induced in them massive headaches.

Cez: i never was a big fan of biology
Cez: not that it was difficult
Cez: it was just ewww
Lynn: i liked biology
Lynn: the learnin' of the terms
Lynn: never did any of the dissectin' an' the proddin'
Cez: you sure?
Cez: why not?
Cez: not in school?
Lynn: nope
Lynn: my high school wasn't big on the practical application
Lynn: kaya nangapa ako nung chem 14.1 sa manila eh
Lynn: and by nangapa, i mean i stood back and pretended to participate by holding test tubes and beakers with a look of consternation

In the video of my sister's 18th birthday, the videographer for some reason included some background music that sounded like "Oh money, oh money money blue, oh money blue." That was the music all throughout a particular sequence and for the most part, it sounded like what I imagine music in a topless bar in the 80s would have sounded like. For over a decade now, my sisters and I have been laughing about that song. I don't know why it only took me until tonight to do some research on it. I looked for "oh money money blue" and happily stumbled upon the song, "Oh Mamy Blue" by a group called Pop Tops, and it actually had proper lyrics, unlike the tune used in my sister's video.


Is there anything the Internet cannot do or find, I ask you. Now I only have to find a pop song with a first line that goes "Por que quero volver/a tus labios/otra vez."

Labels: videos

She doesn't go online a lot, much less read her daughters' blogs, but today's her birthday, and her lack of interest in the Internet won't stop me from greeting her here. A happy birthday to my mother; you don't look a day over 44, 53, or whatever age you stopped at in my mind. Many thanks for putting up with me over the years, and thank you as well for supporting in my latest Life-Changing Decision. I'm glad to know that despite many things, you're still happy and don't have any regrets in life.

Labels: personal

Boy, I just finished watching the five-minute trailer of The Helium Club. Yeah, I'm a mite too late in hearing about this. I have yet to find the trailer of this web series on YouTube, so I won't be able to post it here. Anyway, The Helium Club positions itself as the world's first online reality series, revolving around the lives of five young Manila socialites: Tara, JV, Bianca, Kristine, and Martin. The five-minute trailer claims to feature "real honest conversations," a claim I doubt because

a. I don't move in such circles and therefore have no idea what "real honest conversations" amongst those people are like.
b. The people sound like they've been memorizing lines and delivering them in what they think socialites sound like.
c. The dialogue sounds like a poorly written script penned by someone who thinks he or she has an idea what socialites talk about.

The shoddy grammar, the twanginess, and the mentions of LV, Prada, etc. particularly grate on the nerves. Quinito Villarosa, who developed The Helium Club, has already spoken up in defense of the show, saying that people should give it a chance and that it shows a different side of the Philippines, not just the poverty-stricken aspect of the country. That's all well and good; gods know we have an abundance of people dripping with money, and while being aware of the hardships of most the country's citizens is important, it's healthy to see another side of the Philippines (even if it's a side that makes you roll your eyes). But it's one thing to feature socialites who really seem like they have an ounce of class; it's quite another to feature people who seem like they're raging to become socialites and would name-drop every high-end label just to appear rich, never mind if they really ARE socialites. If only the people in this show were like real individuals who sound like they have normal voices instead of like cardboard figures being fed lines, then critics would probably be a bit more forgiving.

I take issue with the Facebook page's content as well. To illustrate: "WATCH how 5 young lives coming from totally different mini-worlds of their own, would become this season’s hottest bets to the Manila social pawn fixture." This season's hottest bets to the Manila social pawn fixture? Weh? Don't you mean,

a. "Get to know the five young people tipped to become the next hot fixtures in Manila society."
b. "Immerse yourself in the glitzy lives of Manila's newest bright young things."
c. "Get hooked on the glamour, the excess (if you really want to use that word), and all the juicy secrets of The Helium Club."

What the fuck is a social pawn fixture anyway? I hate the material Truancy is peddling, but I could completely kick their writers' butts.

So will I watch this show when it finally launches, which is supposedly in summer 2009 which is pretty much over? Of course I will. Whether it turns out good or bad, it'll give me a whole new interest. And I'll watch it and write about it so you don't have to sit through it yourself. Because I love y'all that much. Oh yeah.

For now though, I will agree that, as the trailer promised, the five faces really did take me to the edge--and nearly caused me to jump off. True story.

These people dry-heaved about the show much better than I ever will. Enjoy.

'Helium': The unbearable lightness of streaming by Paolo Lorenzana

Run for the Hills by Carlos Celdran

The Helium Club - Lipgloss, move over!

Gases and Greasers

Labels: elsewhere, hissyfits