Life So Mundane

What’s in a Name, My Name

2013-05-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, before computers made them obsolete, paper calendars hung on the walls of homes to remind everyone of the day of the year that it was. The calendar probably had a large image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and underneath the image were the leaves containing blocks of the days of each month. In each block, printed in small letters underneath the day of the month were two names,

Vice-Ganda’s Hilarious Nancy Binay About-Face

2013-05-20T04:01:00.002-07:00

That has got to be the most hilarious post-election reaction yet, so sleekly done by none other but Vice-Ganda. This was on last Tuesday’s edition of the noontime show ‘It’s Showtime.’ Results of the previous day’s local and senatorial elections were by no means conclusive yet; but the early trend showed everyone’s favourite senator-elect Nancy Binay – joke – among the frontrunners. And as

Hard to Find a Good Man to Ask Directions From

2013-05-16T17:44:00.001-07:00

Eugene, who I used to work with before I decided to live the life of a professional bum, is at the tail end of a 19-day holiday from Jeddah and picked me up from my place yesterday for our occasional have-gas-will-travel sorties into somewhere totally unplanned for. So, we had lunch at Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, caught up on what each of us has been up to lately, took the obligatory

Jigsaw Puzzles and Guinness World Records (A Pictorial Blog)

2013-05-16T06:39:00.002-07:00

Some things just leave you speechless. For instance, 1,028 jigsaw puzzles. No, we’re not even talking about your idiot-friendly off-the-shelf jigsaws which even the intellectually challenged can complete while chewing butong pakwan. How about a jigsaw with 32,000 pieces which when completed can adorn an entire wall as a work of art? Or 4D jigsaws of famous cities and their landmarks?

Elections 2013: Hardware Upgrade Needed!

2013-05-14T02:14:00.001-07:00

If you were one of those who woke up this morning – the 14th of May and, therefore, the day after the elections – and anxiously tried to log onto the COMELEC web site to see how your favourite Senatorial, Party List and LGU candidates fared in the national and local elections, chances are that your browser yielded a time out error message. You probably refreshed your browser, luckily got a page

Fergie’s Retirement Won’t Weaken United

2013-05-09T06:01:00.004-07:00

Although how I wish, lifelong Liverpool fan that I am. And yes, I got caught by surprise; but then, so was everyone else. It wasn’t even a case of Fergie going, going, gone. It was just gone. As is the modern way, the announcement was first made by the club on Twitter. And since everyone is following everyone else on the social network, pretty soon it was on CNN. And that was when the

A Lasallian Standing Ovation for the Bedans

2013-05-08T05:28:00.002-07:00

Although I seldom ever was a willing basketball participant, the rest of my family was into basketball and I understand and can even appreciate the game. In fact, in college, I was a habitué of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. I went to watch the Green Archers, naturally; albeit, in all honesty, I probably went more for the fun in the bleachers rather than the basketball. Then again, so did most

Swimming Pool with Bridge

2013-05-07T05:05:00.002-07:00

My home city of Lipa is also home to a base of the Philippine Air Force. The place is called Fernando Air Base, named after a Filipino hero who dared to go into aerial combat against the fearsome Japanese Mitsubishi Zeroes in his antiquated Air Corps fighter plane at the onset of WWII in the country. The base is where I grew up. This is where the Air Force teaches new recruits or student

Put an Idiot in a Position of Influence

2013-05-06T05:56:00.001-07:00

I have come to the point in my life when conversation when I sit down with the boys who once played football for me has evolved beyond girls, sex and Counter Strike. Many of the boys who played for me have done well with their lives; and this is something that gives me great satisfaction. When I do get together with these boys, we still reminisce the old days; but we also go into mature

Bayern München or Borussia Dortmund for the Champions League?

2013-05-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

How many teams, pray tell, can go to the Camp Nou and come away with a comprehensive victory over the hosts, in the UEFA Champions’ League semi-finals, no less? The tie, it may be argued, has been won at the Allianz Arena in Bayern München last week. Indeed, the 4-nil cushion that the Bavarians built at their own stadium always seemed, for the Catalans, a more insurmountable peak to conquer

How to Choose a College Degree Program

2013-04-30T03:43:00.002-07:00

It’s that time of the year again when young people fresh out of high school, if they haven’t done so already, really should be making their minds up about what degree programs to enrol in for college. Strange as it may sound, because schools do have their batteries of career guidance examinations and career development programs, but it is not unusual for young people already due to enrol in

Luis Suarez, Jermaine Defoe and the Psychology of Adult Biting Behaviour

2013-04-29T02:10:00.001-07:00

On his Facebook page, Liverpool FC’s Luis Suarez posted a graphic announcement that stated his acceptance of the English Football Association’s 10-match ban following his infamous bite on the arm of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanović during a recent Premier League match. The FA, in its written explanation of the lengthy ban, noted that Suarez, by way of his public declaration that anything beyond a

Juan de la Cruz Does Not Hold Back Punches

2013-04-26T02:07:00.000-07:00

Samuel, the Haring Aswang, is wary that his nephew Omar the Hunter has been killed by the Taga-bantay and thus refuses to answer the call purportedly coming from Omar’s cell phone. Instead, he sends a text message, “Omar, ikaw ba ‘yan?” At the other end, members of the Kapatiran excitedly bid Juan, who has Omar’s cell phone in his palm, to send back a reply. But Lolo Julian, wise old head on

Watch Iron Man 3 in 2D!

2013-04-25T03:31:00.003-07:00

Iron Man used to be my third favourite cartoon hero behind Superman and Captain America in an era of crude stop-go animation, a far cry from the sophisticated computer generated cartoons of the present day. I was, naturally, quite happy when the character was brought to life in the big screen by way of contemporary movie technology. I cannot say, though, that I have always been happy with

Mang Erning and the LSFC Jeepney

2013-04-23T03:54:00.003-07:00

Many of DLSL’s more recent varsity players – and football players, to be more precise – take so many privileges for granted and do not have a clue that things were not always like they are these days. In the present, teams get two sets of uniforms for free, travel to matches in airconditioned vans, get food allowances for match days and – in the college – even get full athletic grants.

Count Dracula in a Liverpool Jersey

2013-04-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

How is it that a seemingly intelligent professional football player like Liverpool FC’s Luis Suarez can think that, despite the presence of 26 television cameras strategically located all around the stadium at Anfield, he can get away with what has got to be the most bizarre infraction that I have ever seen a football player commit in my entire life. This was in last night’s Premier League

What’s with the Palamig Made in Lipa?

2013-04-21T02:58:00.001-07:00

Frankly, I do not have the foggiest! But I do the story no justice by saying this right from the off; so let me take you back in time so that this declaration starts to get a semblance of sense. Before shakes and other fastfood cooling drinks became fashionable, there was the palamig. To the uppity, this was for all intents and purposes chilled sugared water with a bit of banana or some

The Gripping Story of the Chase for the Boston Marathon Bombers

2013-04-20T03:27:00.000-07:00

Forget about your afternoon teleseryes. Yesterday’s drama in suburban Boston has got to be the most gripping television fare that I have watched in years! I was glued to CNN for hours yesterday afternoon wondering how the story would conclude. I first got a whiff late in the morning of the unfolding story because of a post on Facebook by ABS-CBN. It was about an emergency announcement on

A Loose Concept of Time

2013-04-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

There are just people who, shall we say, have a loose concept of time. One of my sisters, as things are, just happens to be one of those. In the old days, it was not uncommon for her to arrive an hour late for a get-together. And these were on her better days... My other sister used to get so upset with her whenever she was kept waiting. I, on the other hand, had gotten so used to the

Jason de Jong’s Phantom Yellow

2013-04-16T07:17:00.005-07:00

That second yellow card shown to Global FC’s Jason de Jong in the United Football League clash tonight against Pasargad FC has got to be yet another embodiment in football terms of the cliché fact is stranger than fiction. A Pasargad player burst forward from midfield to take a shot. De Jong slid to block it, turning his back to the ball as is the instinctive way players do to protect not

When the Soviet and Polish World Youth Cup Teams Came to Manila

2013-04-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

Before it’s completely forgotten – by me, more than anyone else – let me write down this rather extraordinary event in Philippine football’s history. It had nothing to do with the Philippine national team. It was October 1979. I was in college playing varsity football for DLSU. The second staging of the FIFA World Youth Cup had just concluded in Tokyo. Two of the teams that played in the

Dugong Buhay: The First Week

2013-04-14T00:16:00.003-07:00

The afternoon teleserye Paraiso was starting to get really laboured as it wound down to its ending that I rather thought I was done watching afternoon seryes for the meantime. But of course, ABS-CBN was doing some hardcore promoting of the series’ replacement, a remake of the Carlo J. Caparas classic Dugong Buhay, which – after my customary googling of topics that I am not too familiar with –

Pakakak Campaigning

2013-04-11T05:44:00.003-07:00

Methinks, those not from these parts will be more familiar with the word trompa, this crude loudspeaker that is easily mountable onto any moving vehicle and is, therefore, one of the advertising methods favored by those who cannot afford to get their faces into television during the infernal campaign season. The problem with the way people do things – and not just in campaigning – is that it

The Courage not to Commit Suicide

2013-04-10T02:01:00.002-07:00

I am tempted to blame the media for the sudden rash of teenage suicides. On the other hand, media has really just been doing what it exists to do. Besides. I chanced upon an interview on DZMM by Noli de Castro with a UP Psychology professor; and apparently the slew of incidents is not the epidemic that is starting to seem. There have been studies on suicides in the country and findings seem

How Tall Are These Local Showbiz Peeps?

2013-04-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

This is a fun post and nothing else; and whatever information that is seen here is not to be taken as fact. I was watching an episode of Juan de la Cruz last Friday with some friends and one commented that Coco Martin is actually ‘not very tall.’ This is the politically correct translation of the comment, which was made in Tagalog. So, off to Google to find out more; and, indeed, Google