Flowers From the Rubble

Sometimes When We Touch

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:28:00 +0000

By now, I suppose everyone has seen the video of Manny Pacquiao serenading a worldwide audience with his interpretation of Sing-Along-Kot staple, Sometimes When we Touch. Just in case you haven't, please click on the embedded video below.

Many Filipinos of my acquaintance are quick to voice their reactions to Manny's performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Most negative reactions range from "Don't give up your day job" to "He's an embarrassment to the Filipino people." It is to those who belong in the latter extreme that I address this blog entry.

Conrado de Quiros once observed that "I’ve seen athletes turn from ferocious to meek when interviewed after stunning victories, finding the task of organizing their thoughts or expressing themselves in another language far more daunting than the challenge they had just faced. Pacquiao was not one of them. He was as fearless facing his interviewer as he was facing Ricky Hatton."

Manny's boundless confidence in himself led de Quiros to postulate that perhaps it is this hard earned self-assurance, this certainty in both his talent and his self-worth, that is Manny Pacquiao's biggest strength. To jaded eyes, it seems that majority of social structures in the Philippines are designed to reinforce a sense of inferiority, or at the very least, a limited and limiting understanding of "one's place" in life. Manny, like most world-class Filipino talents, refuses to see himself in those terms. As, de Quiros once again pointed out, "Though his answers were humble, his demeanor was not. He was unfazed by the crowd, he was unfazed by the cameras, he was unfazed by his English. They were merely of the order of facing another foe, not unlike the one in the ring, and vanquishing them."

Perhaps we should be less concerned about Manny's perceived inability to do justice to a sentimental old love song. Instead, maybe we should consider that we have the privilege of witnessing a world-class Filipino talent, by proving that he can fail at something, rectify an injustice deeper and more insidious than annihilating the opus penned by Dan Hill: that our understanding of ourselves as a people, and our supposed self-worth, is determined by how others perceive us.

Once again, Manny has done us proud. Even in supposed failure, he remains, unreservedly, Manny Pacquiao. Sometimes, we should be touched.

Liberated and Libera

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:18:00 +0000

While the recently concluded holidays may sometimes be a source of stress for some families, happily, this was not the case with mine. My boys and I went trick or treating next door at their preschool, and a gauntlet of sorts was passed when Lucia arrived in Manuel's old pumpkin costume, which was originally worn by their elder cousin Miguel. Pictures may be seen here.

Manuel, on the other hand, may be seen below. If there ever was a picture that fully captured how a pagan rite of passage has metamorphosed, thankfully, through the years into an innocuous and joyful celebration of youthful exuberance, it would be this picture. Janis Joplin might have sung "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose," but in Manuel's case, freedom is just another word for candy around the corner. The boy has a sweet tooth that puts his father's to shame, and I fear that this year's Halloween celebration finally set that monster free.

A couple of days later, Dr. Antonio Torralba and I, with the able help of a sprightly Roberto F. de Ocampo, took the angel voices behind Libera to a brisk, but entertaining tour of Old Manila. Despite their obvious fatigue after a successful concert in Cebu, the young gentlemen of Libera were more than up to the task of distilling the cultural and historical marvel that is Old Manila in two hours, one proud set of ancient walls (Baluarte de San Diego), one venerable old Cathedral (Manila Cathedral), and one strategically located handicrafts shop (Manansan). The ageless, yet age-appropriate raconteur in me believes that yours truly played a big role in making their last memories of the Philippines both an educational and pleasurable one.

Ah, if only all my late Octobers and early Novembers were quite this satisfying! Pictures of the Libera tour may be seen here. Enjoy!

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Work

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:12:00 +0000

One of the most damaging misconceptions we may form due to the hectic pace of modern living is that everything we do must be extraordinary. There is much to be said about the truly singular, as many of us have experienced over the past month: our countrymen's outpouring of generosity and goodwill to those in need will forever be etched in my mind as proof positive that the Filipino is worth dying for.

However, strictly speaking, charity is not simply about making grand gestures in the spirit of sincere sentiment. As one gleans from reading Caritas in veritate, charity bereft of truth may degenerate to mere sentimentality. And while sentimental love songs, in my experience, may soothe away a lonely night, only constant experiences of ordinary love can kiss away a lifetime spent alone.

Mother Theresa once said, "Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired."

What we need is to get some dirt under our fingernails and start the long, at times lonely, but eventually rewarding task of rebuilding. There is much to be said as well about the sanctifying anonymity of work, as many of us have experienced over the past month: our countrymen's willingness, regardless of social status or educational attainment, to volunteer in relief centers and relief missions that attended to those in need will forever be etched in my mind as proof positive that the Filipino is worth living for.

Megatent Relief Center is proud to have participated in a medical mission in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig. I would list all the people who were instrumental in making the medical mission a success, but I don't have the bandwidth. The mission was conducted in cooperation with Pasig City Hall and generous sponsors whose generosity is exceeded only by their desire to remain anonymous. Thanks to these generous souls, 7,000 people received medical attention and were given access to proper medication. More importantly, 7,000 souls received the reassurance that perfectly ordinary people, much like themselves, still cared.

We're still open, friends. More importantly, we're open to anyone who can suggest more sustainable, long-term activities to help our less fortunate countrymen start rebuilding their lives. And we promise, we won't get tired of helping those in need.

Credits:

Quote attributed to Mother Therese comes from goodreads.

Megatent Relief Center: Goes National!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:08:00 +0000

When we speak of rehabilitation and recovery, the easiest needs that we can address are material. The two previous typhoons may have taken much from the little that our countrymen have, but somehow we realize that we haven't lost anything that can't be replaced. We look forward, some with grim resignation and some with the wide eyed optimism of youth, to reclaiming what has been taken from us. Our homes might be under water, but hope floats. And so we move on.

From Monday to Wednesday, 10 am to 12 MN, Megatent Relief Center is proud to host the relief efforts of National Bookstore. Please join us in Relief Operation: School Supplies Edition.

For the past couple of weeks, we kept on telling ourselves that we are a nation of heroes. Well hero, it's time to rise to the occasion.

See you at Megatent Relief Center!

Megatent Relief Center: Pangasinan, Here we Come!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Near the tail-end of the outreach efforts for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy last week, a young volunteer posed the question, "What do we do now?"

The short answer is, "We do what we can". As short answers rarely satisfy anyone, save for those who crave a loving union of souls sanctified by a mutual assent towards building a life together, allow me to elaborate.

"We do what we can, wherever we are." It doesn't have to end at a relief center. As I kept on repeating over and over again as the relief efforts for Ondoy came to an end, at the very heart of change is a change of heart. If your experience in helping the victims of Typhoon Ondoy have made you a more compassionate, caring, generous, joyful and loving individual, then that is a change worth building on. The bedrock of all institutional change is a simple change of heart. You change the world by first changing yourself.

Also, "We do what we can, wherever that may lead us." Goods may exit a relief center, but it takes good people to bring them to where they can bring relief. Our suffering countrymen deserve more than just a bag of relief goods. They need to know that someone cares. During more pleasurable occasions, Filipinos celebrate friendships, and they cement them with abundant smiles and copious amounts of beer. During times of crisis, Filipinos celebrate strangers, and the anonymity that bolsters the giver's nobility often gives way to abundant smiles and copious amounts of heartfelt tears.

Megatent Relief Center is going to Pangasinan this Friday. We have 5,000 bags of relief goods, a skeletal team of veteran volunteers, and little else. Don't think that we simply need more relief goods. Don't think that we simply need more volunteers. We need YOU! Let's do what we can. Wherever we are. Wherever that may lead us.

Please check Megatent Conquers Pangasinan and Baguio. We need YOU!

Photo Credits:

Pictures come courtesy of Tin Sanchez and Pong Ignacio of Ondoy Photos.

Above the Storm

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

In the end, it's not about the numbers.

It's about the generosity of strangers, or the nobility of anonymity.

It's about the flood of volunteers, who stood taller than the floodwaters we battled against.

It's about hope amidst despair.

It's about the desire to sift through the flotsam and jetsam of our cluttered lives and finding the kindness and compassion that all of us possess.

It's about heroes. And the most wonderful realization that, much like what Mark Gosingtian so beautifully rendered in his graphic art, "where I come from, everyone's a hero".

Photo Credits:

Pictures come courtesy of The Human Chain Project: Ondoy Photos, by Pong Ignacio, The Human Chain Photos by Gabby Santos, and Mark Gosingtian.

Youth Lens: Responsible use of Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:01:00 +0000

It's interesting how social networking sites have made so much smaller for all of us. While I can't exactly remember when I got my Friendster account, I remember the wild abandon with which I added several hundred of my closest friends whose email I could recall. Needless to say, I stopped using my Friendster account soon after.

While the most recent incarnation of social networking sites have become much more sophisticated in terms of allowing the user to filter the information he or she is willing to share with the people they are friends with, it seems people are still adding "friends" with as much recklessness and wild abandon as my younger, thinner self. We read in The 12 Most Annoying Facebookers:

The Friend-Padder. The average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. Schmoozers and social butterflies -- you know, the ones who make lifelong pals on the subway -- might reasonably have 300 or 400. But 1,000 "friends?" Unless you're George Clooney or just won the lottery, no one has that many. That's just showing off.

One of the reasons why I blog, other than to host friendly disputes on the RH Bill, is to share some of the cooler things that have come my way. One of the reasons why I leave the comfortable little nest that I blog from is to share how using blogs and social networking sites can help promote legitimately enlightening, non-threatening, and reasonable discussion on important issues.

I will be giving a talk tomorrow on the 4th Youth Lens Forum at University of Asia and the Pacific. This year's theme is "Getting (Dis)Connected: Youth Engagement in Social Network Sites." Talks begin at 9 am and will continue into the afternoon. For more information, please call 634-2828 and ask for Dr. Maria Riza L. Bondal (rbondal@uap.edu.ph).

Enjoy!

Free to Choose

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:40:00 +0000

I recently read the article, Reiterating the CBCP Position on Family, and I was struck by the reaction of the people both for and against proposed RH Bill 5043. It seems that much of the discussion for or against the Bill has taken a decidedly "religious" dimension, and not in a good way. Allow me to offer my humble opinion on this very important issue by making my opposition to the RH Bill 5043 very clear:

As a practicing Catholic, I am well aware of the Church's stand on, to borrow from Archbishop Lagdameo's letter to the Filipino people, "truth and morality, the value and dignity of life, family and marriage".

As a citizen of the Philippines, with the demonstrated ability to doom any presidential candidate I vote for with the ignominy of defeat, I would like to summarize my objections to the Bill as follows:

1. Like Archbishop Lagdameo, I believe that "The Bill dilutes and negates Section III (1) Article XV of the Constitution which provides 'The State shall defend the right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious conviction and the demands of responsible parenthood.'"

2. In particular, Sec. 21. (a) 5 seems to be a violation of our duly recognized right to practice religious and civic freedoms:

The following acts are prohibited:

a) Any health care service provider, whether public or private, who shall:

5. Refuse to extend reproductive health care services and information on account of the patient’s civil status, gender or sexual orientation, age, religion, personal circumstances, and nature of work; Provided, That all conscientious objections of health care service providers based on religious grounds shall be respected: Provided, further, That the conscientious objector shall immediately refer the person seeking such care and services to another health care service provider within the same facility or one which is conveniently accessible: Provided, finally, That the patient is not in an emergency or serious case as defined in RA 8344 penalizing the refusal of hospitals and medical clinics to administer appropriate initial medical treatment and support in emergency and serious cases.

How can a practicing Christian's health care worker's religious freedoms be respected if that health care worker is required by law to turn over persons seeking care and services not consistent with the practice of his or her faith to someone who surely will?

Many friends have told me that once the Bill is passed, certainly, amendments may be made. But after consulting with experts on the legislative process (who have no position whatsoever on the proposed RH Bill 5043) taking out or amending key portions of the Bill are close to impossible, or at best, unbelievably difficult due to the legislative process itself. Perhaps other people can take that chance, but I can't. Not when so many brave people have sacrificed so much to provide me with the freedoms my family and I enjoy.

Any proposed law or piece of legislation that forces a person, regardless of personal belief, to do something contrary to their legally upheld beliefs, is despotic. The Catholic Church, at most, can only excommunicate. This only affects you if you're Catholic. But a proposed law like this doesn't discriminate: it applies to everyone regardless of belief. It is anti-freedom, which our beloved former President Cory Aquino helped restore in our country not too long ago.

Allow me to end by saying that if there is one thing, among the many, that both people for or against RH Bill 5043 can agree on it is this: we must find a viable solution for the widespread poverty in our country. In my experience though, solutions that unite people, as opposed to divide people, have a better chance of helping more people. Shall we allow ourselves to be prisoners to ideology? Or shall we try to find a way for equally well-meaning people to get on with the business of helping people?

We're still free to choose.

Art That Renews: Kings, and The Privilege of the Sword

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:22:00 +0000

In his eulogy for our dear friend Alexis Tioseco, Paul Dumol thanked Alexis for his indefatigable efforts in championing cinema's finest undiscovered marvels "because art revitalizes, and every time I watch these films and experience the grace which art brings, I will be thankful for your persuasive enthusiasm". While my taste doesn't run to the sophisticated artistic fare that my colleagues bravely consume, I have come across some lovely works of art that could bear, in lieu of the graceful oblivion they are currently consigned to, the burden of more notoriety.

First, and more closely related to the medium that both Alexis and Paul adore, is the recently cancelled NBC series, Kings. A modern-day retelling of the story of King David, Kings is one of the few high concept projects involving the Christian faith that achieves a scope and power of truly biblical proportions. This series doesn't just boast sophisticated political drama, a rivetingly familiar vision of the modern world as a monarchy, or sophisticated narratives that largely succeed in making us care for characters based on well-trod biblical archetypes. It boasts, in my humble opinion, some of the finest actors and actresses currently working in television today. Reverend Ephram Samuels, played by Oz alum and critical darling Eamonn Walker, is alternately mellifluously soothing and quietly damning as the cleric who helped make, and will help unmake, a king. Brian Cox, as King Silas Benjamin's deposed predecessor, in the smattering of episodes that he appears in throughout the series, elevates all his scenes to a veritable master class on acting.

But this show belongs to Ian McShane, and rightfully so. As King Silas Benjamin, McShane gives one of the most indelible, forceful, elegant, and nuanced portrayals of a monarch in recent memory, in any medium. There are some fine, critically acclaimed Shakespearean performances of King Lear that were obliterated from my conscious memory by the performance that McShane gives here. No one radiates the fierce individuality, selfish sense of obligation, and pathos present in all human monarchs like McShane. His performance as King Silas is the axis upon which all the fine performances on Kings hinges. Without him, the terribly delicate conceit that informs the show's premise, would have fallen apart in the first episode alone. Truly remarkable.

Second, I just finished Ellen Kushner's fantasy novel The Privilege of the Sword, another delightfully understated, yet wholly subversive reconceptualization of a tired old literary genre. There is no magic in Kushner's world. Moreover, this is a world that doesn't need to be saved, at least in the grand, cosmic, earth-shattering way that previous forays in high fantasy always demand. Rather, we have a rambunctious, breezily literate, wickedly fun comedy of manners, only with swords in the place of the rapier wit that characters in such comedies seem to wield with equal efficacy.

Yet at the heart of all the polished repartee and the clever attention to social conventions that characterize a comedy of manners, there lies well, heart. The characters, which include an impoverished junior noblewoman forced to work for her seemingly mad uncle, the said mad, yet frustratingly intelligent and disturbingly kind yet cruel uncle, and an urbane young servant who is not below engaging in behavior just a hair's breadth above that of a guttersnipe, are not all quite the paragons of virtue that high fantasy requires, but their resulting stories of even partial redemption, are what all good coming of age tales live on.

Enjoy!

Photo Credits:

Picture of Kings comes courtesy of What's Alan Watching?

And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:51:00 +0000

My memories of last week remain bittersweet. My family and I celebrated my son Manuel's 3rd birthday while I, along with so many others, mourned the passing of a dear friend, Alexis Tioseco. I recall, with some wistfulness, how I used to dismiss the juxtaposition of the beautiful with the ugly as both being opportunities to encounter grace. Of course, this was before I encountered the heartbreak, and the frightening numbness that accompanies a sudden, tragic loss. Now, I long for the days when I could explain loss away so easily.

Fortunately, many people, braver and wiser than I, of varying persuasions and with varying degrees of success, have tried to make sense of the senseless.

Paul Dumol wrote:

What is clear right now is that his death has reinforced something we also experienced only recently, with the death of that other person who lived in his neighborhood: The power of ideas, the power of example. Alexis was not a political person, although he graciously agreed to organize a lunch in which I made a PowerPoint presentation to Lav and Khavn and Sherad about my analysis of what our society is going through. Nika was in that lunch, sick, but she was listening, more intently I thought than Alexis. With time she might have made him political. The idea that movies, good movies, reveal to us what it means to be human—and Alexis was, if anything, a humanist; he was no ideologue—this is something Alexis believed in, as you might see in four movies he introduced me to and are now among my favorites: In the Mood for Love, Amores perros, Yi Yi, and Bresson’s Au hasard, Balthazar. He loved these movies for the same thing he loved in Lav’s movies and the same thing he looked for in Southeast Asian independent films. Thank you for that, Alexis, because art revitalizes, and every time I watch these films and experience the grace which art brings, I will be thankful for your persuasive enthusiasm. Thank you, above all, for demonstrating with your own life what you loved most in film: the difficult art of being human, how to be kind and generous and respectful and cheerful and honest and hardworking and friendly to all without, it seems to me, exception.

And Philip Peckson shared:

From Kit Kwe:

This is from a chat with Alexis on yahoo. This is one of Alexis's favorite passages from his beloved John Berger. It could've been talking about his beloved Nika.

alexistioseco 11/30/08 2:55 AM
can i share with you the opening and closing of "and our faces, my heart, brief as photos"?

alexistioseco
11/30/08 2:58 AM
"What reconciles me to my own death more than anything else is the image of a place: a place where your bones and mine are buried, thrown, uncovered, together. They are strewn there pell-mell. One of your left ribs leans against my skull. A metacarpal of my left hand lies inside your pelvis. (Against my broken ribs your breast like a flower.) The hundred bones of our feet are scattered like gravel. It is strange that this image of our proximity, concerning as it does mere phosphate of calcium, should bestow a sense of peace. Yet it does. With you I can imagine a place where to be phosphate of calcium is enough."

alexistioseco 11/30/08 2:59 AM
These are the first and last words of the book. The rest speaks of all that lies between these two.

But it remains for ordinary people like myself, betrayed by the inability of either the spoken or written word to provide consolation that can mute or redact grief, to move on the only way we know how.

Requiescat in pace, dear friend. I will be at mass later. If anyone else wishes to remember Alexis, kindly drop by Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati City, later at 6 pm.

THIS is How Lovers Look!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:47:00 +0000

When my wife and I paid our respects to Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc last night at Capilla de San Francisco in Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati, we were overwhelmed by the number of people who came to mourn the passing of a lovely, talented couple. Their dedication to capturing and encouraging beauty and truth, twenty four frames per second at a time and every second they spent with one another, will truly be missed.

But you might want to give what passes for "news reporting" on the tragic killing of these beautiful people a pass. My friends and I are incensed at the gross insensitivity with which the two major nationwide news networks have treated the slaying of Eggy and Nika.

Those who know me also know that I always credit my sources whenever I blog. This time, however, I refuse to give these character butchers the satisfaction. ABS-CBN immortalized these fierce dreamers and the passion with which they loved each other by reporting:

A Filipino-Canadian film critic and his Slovenian live-in partner were shot dead inside their home in Quezon City, Tuesday night.

GMA 7 came up with the brilliant headline "Film critic, lover killed by robbers in Quezon City home" and provided video that showed digitally blurred footage of both Eggy and Nika sprawled on the floor.

It seems that these major news networks exhausted whatever compassion and sensitivity they had with their coverage of Tita Cory's passing. It's a shame that their humanity extends only to revered former presidents.

Sadly, the finest news reporting of Eggy and Nika's murders were provided by a smaller Filipino newspaper which I remember as having been a tabloid featuring scantily clad young starlets, foreign news agencies and movie blogs. If you want to read the heartfelt sorrow that our young friends' passing has caused, kindly check out fellow Filipino Jeffrey G. Damicog's remarkably sensitive news report in Tempo, and Kim Voynar's moving meditation on love and loss in Movie City News.

Oh, and people? The picture above is how lovers look. Just for future reference.

Photo Credits:

Picture of Eggy and Nika comes courtesy of Chris Yambing.

Requiescat in Pace Eggy!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:56:00 +0000

One of the fondest memories I have of Alexis "Eggy" Tioseco was when we both attended the wedding of common friends in Cebu a year ago. Eggy was already by then a distinguished film critic and a passionate supporter of the nascent independent film industry in the Philippines. I kidded him that his taste in cinema was too elitist: if it was visually striking, narratively dense and required a panel of independent film critics simply to understand what it was all about, then it was Eggy's kind of film.

"Case in point, Eggy. You watch movies that practically require you to bring pillows, army rations and urine bags to the theater."

"That was for class. And it was a great film."

"All the films you like need a class to understand them. And it was a great film: for people who have cast-iron bladders."

"That's also why I don't watch Hollywood movies. I lack a cast-iron esophagus."

"You're a movie snob!"

"Steven Seagal. I've seen all his movies."

I stopped dead in my tracks. I motioned for Eggy to go on and explain, without having to go into too many actions that could disrupt the delicate fabric of cinematic space and time, how an otherwise reasonably intelligent and passionate cineaste could so thoroughly eschew the fine artistic and commercial films that Hollywood studios churn out on a semi-regular basis but have all the time in the world to go through the the filmography of the man who now does this:

And then Eggy started telling me of how his dad used to watch Steven Seagal's movies when he was younger, and, as he tried to find a more comfortable spot to watch the movie with his dad, how Eggy marveled at how such broadly sketched violence could bring his dad so much joy.

For Eggy, despite the fact that I think most of the movies he watched were primarily exercises in cinematic obfuscation, and how some people shouldn't be given a digital movie camera, ever, films were always an opportunity for him to recapture joy, however fleeting, however he can.

Rest in peace, my dear friend.

Photo Credits:

Picture of Alexis comes courtesy of his Facebook profile pictures.

Weekend Delights!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:49:00 +0000

One of the reasons why I look forward to long weekends is for the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the more idyllic concerns of family and friends. As I am still hung over from the generous amounts of rest and recreation that I wallowed deliriously in over the weekend, allow me to resort to using bullet points as opposed to coherent paragraphs in order to give an adequate summary of what transpired:

Saturday!

Ralph Lumo and the rest of Singles Encounter#6 hosted their reunion at Megatent. A reunion, especially in the context of Catholic charismatic communities is not precisely a celebration of talent. But it a celebration, of sorts. Pictures may be seen here. The video of Ralph dancing to Nobody by Korean pop group Wonder Girls may not be widely distributed due to the incendiary elements of Ralph's choreography, but a copy may be seen here.

Sunday!

I took my kids to Esteban School, where I played football with some old friends. There's nary a shot of me playing, but here's one of my lovely little princess, Lucia!

Monday!

My sister Therese came over and we watched Up. Lovely movie, and such an appropriate title. For those who have yet to watch this delightful little snowflake of a movie, please try to catch it at the nearest cinema. Carl and Ellie share only a few minutes of screen time, but they will nestle in your heart close to forever.

Mad About Life!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:10:00 +0000

When the Pro-Life blogging community I am part of heard that Manny "Mad Dog" Amador was going to be in town, we decided to venture out from our virtual enclaves and meet up with one of the foremost Pro-Life advocates in the Philippines, at least in our small, but feisty little online circle.

We met up in Dulcinea, Rockwell Mall, where we proceeded, perhaps partly due to the sugar rush engendered by churros con chocolate to map out a commitment to promoting Pro-Life Philippines activities in 2010 through new media channels. Trying to get the numerous, passionate, and yet maddeningly disorganized patchwork quilt of Pro-Life advocates on board and on the same page might be akin to tilting at windmills, but the Sancho Panza in all of us simply refuses to concede the media tussle to our more media-savvy adversaries. Rather, we seek to make a commitment for life an attractive proposition to the hip, media-savvy young folk who deserve every chance to live life free from fear, despair, and disappointment.

Real love begins with the freedom to choose. To be given the opportunity to consciously, whole-heartedly choose life is the best gift anyone can give our youth. As the immortal boyband, Boyzone, covering a sung by The Osmonds proclaimed, "Don't love me for fun, girl. Let me be the one girl. Love me for a reason, and let the reason be love!"

And to commemorate our Manila meeting, and to allay Mad Dog's aversion to manufactured bubblegum pop, here's a toast to all Pro-Lifers, and an exploration of the true meaning of love. Enjoy!

The Modern World: New Weird or Too Weird?

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:38:00 +0000

One of the reasons I loved spending time in London, other than the food, was the opportunity to browse through their wonderful book shops. While some of my beloved bargains were the product of many hours of sifting through the many different thrift shops scattered liberally around the city, at least one of the books I brought home was found in decidedly more urbane surroundings.

Prior to embarking on a writing career, Steph Swainston was a qualified archaeologist who spent some time as an assistant researcher in a firm that seeks to develop more medical applications for cannabis. Her writing, as such, is both rivetingly romantic (in the classical sense of the word) and mind-numbingly trippy. It is the almost hallucinogenic loveliness of her fully fleshed out, yet at times, spiritually emaciated characters and the strange worlds that they inhabit that have prompted critics to label her as one of the finest proponents of the New Weird. Her mixture of science fiction and fantasy, sprinkled liberally with the more ersatz elements of Jack Kerouac's road fantasies almost defies convention. When I picked up her first book, The Year of Our War, the feeling of alienation generated by the willful suspension between two well-worn literary genres almost wore me out. Happily, I shook off the disorientation and soldiered on. I haven't looked back since.

The premise is rather straightforward. A benevolent Emperor sustains the three humanoid races that populate a medieval world with the help of a circle of fifty immortal warriors. These immortal warriors are the very best at what they do, and they remain immortal for as long as they continue to prove to be the best at what they do. Jant Shira, also known as Comet, is an Immortal who is horribly addicted to a hallucinatory drug called "cat." He is also, due to his mixed heritage, the only being in the world who can fly. Comet, the Messenger, finds out that taking enormous amounts of "cat" allows him access to an alternate universe, where he has discovered the Insects' secret. Unfortunately, his ability to make use of this information is hindered by the fact that when his addiction to "cat" is threatening to consume what is left of his ability to be the Messenger.

While the prose often struggles to approach the rarefied heights that Jant scales so easily despite his addiction, it is serviceable, and the audacity with which Swainston carves out worlds just a degree or two north of what could be termed sane is truly entertaining. I would recommend this series for anyone who wants their epic science fiction fantasy kick to contain something a little stronger.

Photo Credits:

Picture of The Modern World comes courtesy of Dave Brendon's Fantasy & Sci-Fi Weblog.

How About Some One-Hit-Wonders?

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:54:00 +0000

I must confess. The reason why I was not able to blog at all last week was due entirely to Mafia Wars, Superhero City, and Yakuza Lords. I just recently got into Facebook gaming, despite my better judgment, and was pulled into a suburban version of The Godfather Part III:

To begin my blogging week, allow me to share a link that will allow the uninitiated to make a reasonable assertion as to my true age. Ladies and gentlemen, here are 35 One-Hit-Wonders of the '80s.

My all-time favorite? It's too hard to choose. But my favorite video to wake up to? See for yourself. Enjoy!

Acquired Tastes: Nicolas Cage?

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:17:00 +0000

It's very difficult to provoke my wife. By and large, Tina, and by extension (if only for the benefit of this short entry, the point of which we will be coming to shortly) my mother-in-law are the very picture of rationality, grace, and generosity.

Except when it comes to Nicolas Cage. When it comes to the subject of the Oscar-award winner for most ridiculous hair extensions in major studio releases, these two otherwise level-headed ladies can't help but dish out the vitriol.

One might be tempted to lump Nicolas Cage in with another polarizing Hollywood phenomenon like David Caruso. But unlike Caruso, whose impact on the thespic arts is negligible due to his insistence on punctuating every scene, regardless of dramatic effect or context with his eponymous sunglasses, Nicolas Cage is actually considered by many to be a rather talented actor.

As Nathan Rabin observed in his article on Cage's embarrassing, yet strangely compelling sexual thriller, Zandalee, Nicolas Cage is a brave actor, which is not always the best outcome for movies, or moviegoers in general:

A lot of people dislike Nicolas Cage because he makes so many terrible movies and does things like name his son Kal-El. I, on the other hand, love the guy. Think of all the gutsy, unforgettable performances he’s given through the years in movies like Valley Girl, Rumble Fish, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Red Rock West, Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, Bringing Out The Dead, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, The Weather Man, and Lord Of War. That’s lifetime-pass credentials for sure. And his Werner Herzog Bad Lieutenant movie promises to be great, wonderfully terrible, or both.

Like R. Kelly, even when Cage is terrible, he’s pretty terrific. You could even argue that when he’s terrible, Cage is especially awesome, on multiple levels. He’s a legitimately great actor. He’s also a great bad actor, a great crazy actor, and a great over-actor.

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Cage’s primary criteria for choosing roles seemed to be:

How ridiculous will my accent be? Will it sound like a dialect never spoken by anyone, ever, in the history of time?

How about facial hair? Can it look like fake hair haphazardly placed on me by a blind man with an odd sense of humor?

Will I be called upon to shamelessly overact or go completely fucking nuts?

What do you think?

Enjoy! Or not.

Howling Good Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:04:00 +0000

After a slew of rather serious entries, it's time to have some fun again! A former student of mine, Ms. Jimi Estavillo, shared the following link with me, a satirical review of a Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeved Tee on Facebook. According to The New York Times, it is still possible for a t-shirt to change your life, albeit not quite in the way that anyone expects it.

This is the t-shirt:

And this is the awesome review that launched a wave of good-natured snarkiness all over the Web.

For those who have difficulty clicking on the image above, have no fear. Here it is, in text form:

"This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him.

I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark."

Enjoy the rest of the day!

Photo Credits:

Picture of the Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeved Tee comes courtesy of The New York Times.

Remembrances: Tributes to Tita Cory

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:50:00 +0000

One of the few consolations afforded by grief has something to do with the nature of grace: the more heartfelt and powerful the sense of bereavement, the more sublime the remembrance.

Inasmuch as we all deal with a profound sense of loss, we are also blessed by a profuse outpouring of paeans, each more stirring than the last. It is remarkable how many people share the same story. Before the death of Tita Cory, there was largely apathy, a miasma of unfeeling that mirrored the detachment and underlying despair of the contemporary Filipino. After her death? Sweet melancholy, but not, with apologies to The Smashing Pumpkins, a sense of infinite sadness. Rather, there seems to be a poignant, gentle sense of hope stirring in the wind.

Here are some of the best tributes I have come across. Many thanks to Vince Sales and the lovely people at Techie.com for getting me started.

Tributes penned:

"President Corazon Aquino is dead, and with her dies the last shreds of civility in our public life. She was a good person. Say what you will about her administration, the illusions dashed and opportunities missed, but she was decent to us. She never mocked us, made fun of our hopes, or knowingly insulted our intelligence. Born to privilege, she never acted the spoiled brat. President Cory defended the Constitution from those who would twist it to their own ends. Here was a woman who rejected the temptation to perpetuate herself in power.

She was a lady, a rarity in this day and age and especially in this political system. She tried. We miss her like a limb. In mourning for Tita Cory we’re really mourning for ourselves and what could’ve been."

by Jessica Zafra, Tita Cory

"I wondered, like someone who had come back to where he started and saw the place for the first time: Maybe colors are there to unite us more than separate us. Maybe red is just the blood that pulses in the veins in love and war. Maybe yellow is just the pages of a letter from a loved one that magically bring him back to life. Maybe blue is just the sky, however cloudy, when looked at through the bars of a prison cell. Maybe green is just fields promising plenitude. Maybe black is just the tangle of our fate, the twists and turns of our life, as we grope our way forward. Maybe white is just the grace to push on, amid the darkness.

I wondered with the wisdom of innocence and the naivete of age: Maybe we’re divided only into good people and bad people. How people are so, or become so, I’ll leave others to divine. Maybe they are just born that way, maybe like scorpions they sting because it is in their nature to sting. Or maybe they are made that way, as much by the circumstances that mold their character as their character that molds their circumstances. But bad people are there; we know that only too well. Just as well, good people are there too; we know that even more so.

We know the latter because we had someone walk with us who was so. Someone who was so disinterested in power she accepted it gravely as a matter of duty and gave it up gracefully as a matter of trust, for which she remains an awesome force even in death. Someone who, while she lived, showered not very small kindnesses on others in their hour of need or bereavement, having known bereavement herself and the comfort of empathy as much as the empathy of comfort, for which she continues to live with us even in death. Someone who proved once before as Joan of Arc and who will prove once again like El Cid the terrifying and wondrously prophetic vision of her faith: The exalted shall be humbled and the humble exalted.

In life and in death, Cory has been—pardon my French—one damn good person."

by Conrado de Quiros, One good person

And tributes sung:

Have a blessed weekend. Please remember Tita Cory and the Filipino people in your prayers.

Photo Credits:

Picture of Tita Cory comes courtesy of The EQualizer Post.

Requiescat in Pace: Corazon C. Aquino (1933-2009)

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:25:00 +0000

I find myself awake at what would normally be considered an unholy hour because of my sacred duty to my family. My eldest son, Juan, and my youngest and only princess, Lucia, needed to be lavished special attention on last night. My wife, of course, provided most of the care and affection that our little ones needed, while I mumbled and stumbled around the room as she asked me to do menial tasks to, I suspect, gracefully keep me out of her way while she did all the hard work.

As an entire nation mourned the passing of former President Corazon C. Aquino, I found myself making plans to either join the procession to Manila Cathedral, or at the very least, try to follow the events through a live web feed. Sadly, or so I though at the time, my obligations kept getting in the way of my feeble attempts to pay my respects to a bastion of democracy.

Tita Cory was not a particularly gifted leader. But she distinguished herself from all others who have held the office in recent memory by refusing to hold on to power when she had every opportunity to do so. Sometimes, the most profound expressions of love and compassion involve letting something go. And so she did, reaffirming the adage "If you love them, set them free." By refusing to prolong her stay in office, she set a sterling example of sacrifice. By refusing to linger past her appointed time, she made sure the Filipino people would remain free, if only for a while longer.

And so, this former amateur street parliamentarian, a veteran of two EDSAs, would like to thank Tita Cory for making it possible to miss her funeral. If it weren't for her selfless example in guaranteeing a democratic succession, I had a choice. I chose to spend my time with my family, a luxury that I suspect the sprawling Aquino family would rather enjoy in lieu of the complications arising from allowing an entire nation to grieve the passing of a leader while all they want to do is mourn the passing of a mother.

Requiescat in pace, Madame Corazon C. Aquino. You never outstayed your welcome. You respected our democratic institutions to perpetuate yourself in power. You will be missed.

Photo Credits:

Picture of Corazon C. Aquino comes courtesy of Filipino United Network.

Life in the Spirit: Wonderfully Uncool!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:39:00 +0000

"I'm glad you were home."
"I'm always home. I'm uncool."
"Me, too."
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when you're uncool."

A conversation between Lester Bangs and William Miller, Almost Famous (2000)

I remember when someone first proposed that I should consider receiving Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. It was on one of the few times that I took public transportation, and while I was on my way to Galleria, the Scripture quoting derelict who started hemorrhaging bible verses convinced me to alight at Megamall. Perhaps that's why for the longest time, I subconsciously associated Megamall with a sense of sanctuary. Before, even considering such a deeply personal, and mildly offensive offer, was preposterous. Even worse, as I was a recent graduate of quite possibly the most self-assured, and therefore, the most suspiciously sensitive university along Katipunan, I was convinced that not only was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, like most relationships that have their origin in non-airconditioned buses the world over, horribly inconvenient, it was fatally uncool.

And so, my best friend Ralph's graduation from Serviam Catholic Charismatic Community's Life in the Spirit Experience #8 is one of those blessedly rare occasions when I intentionally revisit the embarrassing ignorance of my youth and celebrate the wonders of a wisdom won not through my own efforts, but through Christ alone. Like many Ateneans who went to school along Katipunan during the late '90s, Ralph seemed forever scarred by our inability to generate wins in UAAP basketball save through the intervention of Our Lady, who may have lavished us with many "moral victories" on the hardcourt, but who refused to intercede for us with her Son in order to produce actual wins during the interminably long UAAP season. Christ was someone we went to when in search of that elusive season defining win against our Green Archer rivals; our Lord was not someone we called upon to define our lives outside basketball.

I am told the Ateneo finally has a basketball team that can almost match the brazen self-assurance of its alumni. Ironically, I stopped watching Ateneo basketball some time ago. As such I cannot completely celebrate my alma mater's championships. But, more importantly, my friend Ralph has discovered another advantage to living a life in Christ, bereft of whatever assumptions a personal relationship with Christ has for one's beloved basketball team. A life in Christ, when judged from the standards of Ralph's old life, will forever be uncool. But the only true currency one has in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool. And he has so many wonderful, thoughtful, Spirit-filled, fatally uncool friends after this weekend.

That's certainly worth celebrating. Now, Ralph is home. He can be deliriously, gloriously, happily uncool.

Pictures may be found here and here.

Moving Thoughts: Gary V, "At Ease"

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:36:00 +0000

In a recent column on the state of the NBA offseason, Bill Simmons cleverly organized his thoughts on the different player movements and franchise transactions around his favorite exchanges from what he calls his favorite movie of the decade, Almost Famous. While Simmons' column is, in itself, a worthwhile read, I would like to enjoin you to refrain from clicking on the link above just yet. One of the reasons why Simmons' work resonates with so many readers is the gleeful abandon with which he acknowledges the tremendous influence of popular culture in his personal formation. He recognizes (with a shrewd insight into the human psyche that many people rarely give him credit for) that many people's lives may not be movies, or sitcoms, or seminal works of music, but for many people, they wish they were. We all walk around with a soundtrack to our lives, and one of the ways we lay bare our souls is through the ever-changing playlist that we use to define ourselves.

This brings me to Gary Valenciano. Gary V has been a major influence in my life since early childhood. The first cassette tape I ever remember buying was Gary V's Moving Thoughts. And from time to time, under the heady influence of the light buzz one associates with a fine wine sipped leisurely, or under the even more wonderfully intoxicating lilt of nostalgia, I recall the many long hours commuting from Ateneo to Parañaque that were made bearable by Mr. Pure Energy's music.

Gary Valenciano will hold special fund-raising show at Megatent entitled "At Ease" to build a medical and diagnostic clinic for retired military men. For more information, visit his official website or check out the special page for the concert at Facebook. Relive the golden memories of our youth by helping to ease our valiant retired enlisted men into their golden years.

Encomium: Requiescat in Pace, MJ!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:32:00 +0000

The untimely death of Michael Jackson, despite the outpouring of genuine grief at this passing, serves us well in one respect: now we can rediscover his music. For many young people, Michael Jackson was less a tortured, flawed genius and more of a freakish novelty. Fortunately, due to media-sharing technologies such as YouTube, it is easy to correct their misconception of Michael.

As we Filipinos wait for what should be President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's last State of the Nation Address, let's try to celebrate the sweet soul buried beneath the celebrity by going through two of his sweetest songs.

Rest in peace, MJ!

Woodstock 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:24:00 +0000

For many people, Woodstock remains a powerful symbol of music, peace, and love. Regardless of the detritus that surrounds the purity of the experience, and by this I mean the association with promiscuity and drug use, it's nice to be reminded every once in a while that Woodstock was less about the irresponsible celebration of our less laudable passions and more about the power of love, as expressed through music, to change lives.

Nick and Bobbi Ercoline seem like an ordinary, albeit, pleasantly quirky suburban couple. We read in the online version of the Times Herald-Record:

She’s a 59-year-old nurse at Pine Bush Elementary School who collects food and clothes for needy children. He’s a 60-year-old retired business agent for a carpenter’s union who does lead and farm worker housing inspections for Orange County. The parents of two sons, Matthew, 30, and Luke, 27, live in a 10-room home on a wooded road dotted with old farms and new houses. An American flag, a statue of the Virgin Mary and a tongue-in-cheek “Hippies Use Back Door” sign greet visitors out front.

But more than a picture of domestic bliss, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline remain one of the most enduring, recognizable figures in one of the most famous concerts in recorded history. When Burk Uzzle took a snapshot of the young lovers sharing a dirty blanket amidst the massive crowd gathered at Woodstock, he provided Woodstock one of its most enduring images, in more ways than one.

Forty years later, the Ercolines are still together. Despite all, they are happily together. In the movie Almost Famous, fictional rock and roll star Jeff Bebe (played by Jason Lee) boasted that rock and roll can save the world. You know what? He's right, but not in the way most people think.

Have a wonderful day!

Photo Credits:

Picture of Nick and Bobbi Ercoline from Woodstock, 1969 comes courtesy of New York Daily News.

Picture of Nick and Bobbi Ercoline today comes courtesy of Times Herald-Record.

The Perils of Potential: The Tragedy of Whitney Houston

noreply@blogger.com (John-D Borra) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:50:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I did an entry on The Sports Guy, and with good reason: he seemed to have lost the ability to truly engage me. His columns and articles were rarely laugh-out-loud funny, and his allusions to popular culture seemed either forced or decidedly stale. In short, it seemed that his best work was behind him.

However, the tragic death of Michael Jackson did more than bring back a tortured genius back to artistic and cultural relevance. Michael's death also brought us back Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy. Slowly, Simmons, shaken by the passing of an icon, seemed to rediscover what the era he works best in (the '80s and '90s) means to the many middle-aged men and women whose lives were defined by the energy, promise, and disappointment of the period.

In his latest mailbag, a reader asks him:

Which famous singer would have dominated "American Idol" the most had he/she started his/her career as a contestant on the show? I thought MJ around the "Off the Wall" era, but then realized he would not have been eligible because of his Jackson 5 fame. So who? Please don't tell me John Mayer, circa 2005.

Simmons, in a stunning return to form, makes the following observations:

Come on, Cliff, 2005 Mayer would have rolled through that show every week, caused a national riot and had Paula whipping her ovaries at him. Anyone non-threatening with undeniable talent who can play guitar, play the piano or belt out tunes is going to succeed on "Idol." Young Alicia Keys would have crushed "Idol." Same for the dude from Maroon 5. Norah Jones would have done well. You get the idea. But there is one answer for your question and only one: Whitney Houston...

One of the many fascinating subplots of the mid-80s: you had a male singer (Jackson), a female singer (Whitney), a boxer (Mike Tyson), a baseball pitcher (Dwight Gooden) and an actor/comedian (Eddie Murphy) who peaked at precociously young ages, convinced us they were headed toward becoming the "greatest (fill in the genre) of all time" … only none of them made it. Not one.

I would argue Whitney barely edges out Gooden as the biggest tragedy of the five. Eddie had a phenomenal nine-year run of "SNL" episodes, movies and comedy specials before his movie career went Barry Zito on us. Tyson had a number of memorable fights and made such an impact that I have been pushing for ESPN to have "Tyson Week" (like Shark Week) for this entire decade. Jackson had all the Jackson 5 stuff, "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" before things started getting weird. But Whitney should have been the black Streisand: an iconic singer/actress who aged with her audience, lasted for decades and was mentioned in the first breath any time someone asked, "Who were the biggest female performers ever?" Instead, it was over for her in eight years...

I say '85 Whitney pulls away from the field like Secretariat in the Belmont, trounces '05 John Mayer, crushes Alicia Keys, obliterates the Maroon 5 guy. … Nobody touches her. Not for a second.

One last Whitney story because I think it explains the "you had to be there" aspect of Whitney's brief apex. My father took me to visit Tufts University right around the time her first album came out. Dad was looking for parking and "Saving All My Love" had just come on the radio. About halfway through the song, he found a spot and I thought we were getting out of the car. He told me to hold on until the end of the song. When I made fun of him, he explained simply, "Whitney really belts it out in this one." You have to know my dad. He never, EVER says things like this. And you know what? He was right. I didn't even challenge it. I just don't think there's ever been another singer who would have kept two people in their car during a random winter day in New England like that. Just Whitney.

In recognition of the undeniable talent, and equally undeniable train wreck that is Whitney Houston, here's a video of the time when a gloriously, stunningly unafraid Whitney Houston reduced David Letterman to a blubbering, fawning idiot. Enjoy!

Photo Credits:

Picture of Whitney Houston's debut album comes courtesy of ArtSchoolVets.