These Bands Are High (With Their Videos Taken From The Rooftop)

Does rooftop scenes make music videos cool? I guess it’s the bands who makes rooftop videos cool.

The Beatles started it on their concert in the Apple studio. It was said to be their last performance, just before they announced their breakup. Following this, I have listed 3 more music videos that was taken at the rooftop from the coolest bands in the world.

I experienced this once when me and my friend attended our friend’s birthday celebration. We jammed at the rooftop of his house (3rd floor) and we had a great night, it’s just, we didn’t had a scream from admiring fans like U2 does on their video here. Instead, we got angry looks from our friend’s old neighbors. We played from 9pm to 12am, anyway.

270388_1779680131687_6654913_n

Although I have searched for more videos to add to this list but I couldn’t find bands that are equally awesome as these bands.

I would like to see more. If I missed something, please add up on the comment. You can also add bands with similar videos that are cool in your opinion. Thanks and happy viewing.

 

The Beatles – Get Back

U2 – Where The Streets Have No Name

 

Guns N’ Roses – Don’t Cry


Matchbox Twenty – If You’re Gone

Be A Part of a Miracle

I would like to share you today the trials that are experiencing by an extended family.

Last month, May, the wife of my wife’s uncle has given birth to their baby girl. The baby was just 27 weeks old. It was supposed to be their fifth child but the four preceding birth were unsuccessful. They all died even before they were born.

The mother has a very weak pelvis to hold the child for a long time. She always suffer in conditions whenever she conceive. She’s almost bed-ridden the whole time and there were even a time that she’s not allowed to laugh because of her condition (which I still find hilarious up to this day).

Mary Claire was the only child of the couple who was born alive. As a one-year-old parent, I can imagine the joy and excitement they felt when they saw her. She is strong. She wants to live. At a very young age, she’s already fighting for her life. Her life supports include oxygen, respirator, ventilator, expensive medicines, and our prayers.

Aside from the pain that the couple has to endure on their baby’s condition, they have to face their financial problem. Their hospital bill is P30,000 (around $715) per day. It’s not a typo. The figure is per day. The baby has to stay for 3 weeks more.

They have to pay the hospital every day even for just 50%. If they weren’t able to pay for a day, the hospital will shut down the machine that supports the baby’s life. Yeah, that’s how they do it these days.

So the couple is asking for financial help. Any individual or organization who wants to help them can directly contact them and get the information on how they can contribute to the child’s life. A small contribution can do a great wonder. Here are the numbers to contact for the contribution/donation:

+639327196786 and +639255321126 for mobile phones and 02 7829936 for landline phone.

You can also contact me through the comment on this blog or email at kenyamamoto77@gmail.com.

For those who want to help but are not able to give financial contributions, a prayer is as good as a monetary contribution. Help us pray for the child.

I will post updates in this blog. I will be glad to show you the fruit of your kindheartedness.

Here is the link to the child’s father’s original post on his Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/anthony.ramos.1800/posts/717649024958360

The baby was confined at the Marikina Valley Medical Center.

 

First Born Son

baby

Two weeks ago, my wife gave birth to our much awaited child, a healthy, and cute baby boy. Everyone in our family and friends are excited as this is our first child, and the first grand children to both sides. We were supposed to have a child last year but we lost her on my wife’s third month pregnancy. We were down and disappointed but we kept our faith and remain patient. And our patience has been rewarded.

We named our son Nio which means “gift from God”. We were hoping for a baby girl but we are satisfied to have a boy especially that he’s healthy, and cute.

As first-time parents, we were adjusting on parenthood. We learned that parenthood for a newborn is both fun and tedious task. You change your schedule especially your sleeping schedule. This is the time that you learn to be unselfish and devote your time (and life) to your child. If you think you already experienced the unselfish love through the love of your girlfriend/boyfriend, try having a child1 and independently raise her2.

While taking care is tiring, seeing your child takes away the exhaustion. Our love for him gives us patience and a new energy to survive another day.

I’ll never get tired of looking at him and for me, all the day’s work is worth it.

Taking care of a newborn might be tiring but I’m aware that more work has to be done while he’s growing up. I’m also aware that feeding, dressing, and especially, victoriously putting him to sleep after a long battle, is not enough and not all there is.

I’m more concerned with how to raise a child. I was more concern with being a good parent, not just a provider. I’m scared that he would grow to be problem to the society. I’m scared of creating a monster.

But I’m also aware that my child, as a person, will grow and will have his own thinking. I’m aware of his own free will. I’m also aware that I can’t control everything and that some things (many things) are beyond my control.

Because of this, my best and only option is to leave everything to God. I will raise my son in God’s word. I will be a model to him by following God’s commandment. And if after this he still walk in the wrong path, I will never have regrets. Because I know that I raised him beyond my power and capability.

For now, I will try not to worry about the future. I will cherish this moment while he’s young, dependent, and delicate.

More of his pictures here: My Adventures

  1. I’m not encouraging premarital sex and early pregnancy.
  2. It is a common trend here in the Philippines (not always) for married couples to stay on an in law’s house and let the in laws take care of their children. 

Big Bang New Year

Happy New Year everyone! Every New Year means new hope for us. It is a time to review the past year and renew and re-organize what needs to be change.

While majority of humanity is celebrating the holiday, some of us are mourning for the damages and even lost that are caused by the celebration. Here in the Philippines, we watched a lot of news about houses and establishments burned down. Hundreds were also hurt by firecrackers, which is the usual scenario here every year. But the worse I find are the ones hit by stray bullets, especially the 7 year-old girl who’s in a comma right now.

Stephanie

Stephanie, the 7 year-old girl, was hit by the stray bullet while watching fireworks outside their house on the New Year’s Eve. She suddenly fell down when her family thought the she was suffocated by the thick smoke. When they lifted her, they found blood on the head of the already unconscious little girl.

As of this time, there are 20 reported of stray bullet victims.

If the US has shootings in schools, we have trigger-happy gun owners here too. And they have their victims every New Year’s Eve. They also don’t choose who their victims will be, whether they’d be a father and a bread-winner of a family, a defenseless grandfather or grandmother, a conceiving mother, or an innocent child who’s full of dreams.

One of the problems in this case is that the genius who pulled the trigger is hard to catch. They enjoyed the New Year by displaying their power on their equally idiotic friends, or they just simply brag their guns with their moronic companions. They are so brilliant that they don’t realize that the falling bullet is as dangerous as a bullet just got out from the barrel; or they just didn’t care if they will hit anyone. I hope it’s their hollow brain next time. Maybe this is the reason why they feel safe: their brain is too small that it is hard to hit by a bullet.

stray bullet victim

We should not expect for the suspect to surrender himself without a divine intervention. He will hide himself and will probably do the same thing this year, along with other ‘humble’ and ‘responsible’ gun owners. And many fathers, mothers, friends, and children are on the line to be their next victims. Who knows, it might be you or your loved ones.

Right now, the bullet is still in the girl’s head. Doctors are taking all the precautions because we know how fragile it is to take it out of the girl’s brain.

The girl’s family is asking for financial support, justice, and prayer.

images by: GMA 24 Oras and DZMM Radyo Patrol

Tumawa Tayo! (At marami pang iba)

Lourd de VeyraWhile we are always advised to treat life light and less seriously, we know that we cannot always apply this in all of the aspects in our life. Treating life seriously and less seriously has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Last week, napanood ko ang isa sa mga favorite kong personalities na si Lourd de Veyra sa kanyang show. I was so busy that I can’t totally focus on the show pero there’s one thought that I heard from his narration na nakapagbigay sa akin ng munting liwanag sa gitna ng dilim: “Tayong mga pinoy ay hindi seryoso sa mga problema. Lahat ng bagay ay dinadaan natin sa tawa at biro.” (sentence paraphrased).

Sa isang kaisipan at salita lang, maraming nang mga bagay at katanungan ang nasagot tulad halimbawa ng “Bakit baligtad magbasa ng libro ang mga Pilipino?”

Bakit nga ba baligtad magbasa ng libro ang mga Pilipino? Dahil ba sa corruption? Katamaran? Maling sistema?

Marami tayong mga problema na bunga ng hindi magagandang asal. “Kaya ‘di umunlad ang Pilipinas, eh.” Nandyan ang pagiging makasarili, ‘talangka mentality, manyana habit, ningas kugon, ‘pwede na yan’, ‘bahala na’, at marami pang iba.

Ang maigsing mga katagang nanggaling kay Meastro Lourd ay sagot sa maraming agham at misteryo na bumabalot sa pag-uugali ng mga Pilipino.

Nakikita natin ang mga palpak na produkto, serbisyo at sistema bilang katatawanan at hindi problema. Ginagawa nating katatawanan ang mga pulis patola, buwayang politiko, makupad na proseso sa gobyerno, kamangmangan o cutting classes, kawalang ng pera, baha, traffic, at marami pang iba. We incredibly find them funny that we don’t care to find solution for them.

Naaliw tayo sa mga karakter nila Kevin Cosme at John Puruntong. May katwiran tayong ayos lang ang maging mahirap basta masaya at KUNTENTO. Yun na nga. Nakuntento tayo sa pagiging mahirap. Niyakap natin ang pagiging mahirap. Wala akong sinasabing masama ang pagiging mahirap (at hindi rin ako defensive). Pero kung magagawa natin maging Ason o Donya Delilah, bakit hindi?

Madali rin tayong makalimot sa mga problema. Pag-hupa ng baha, ayos na. Patuloy na uli ang buhay na parang walang nangyari at parang hindi na uli babagyo. Pag-gising sa umaga, nakalimutan na ang masungit na kawani ng gobyerno, ang mabagal na proseso sa munisipyo, ang traffic, ang na-snatch na cellphone, kawalan ng hustisya, at marami pang iba. Ang problema, hindi na nahanapan ng solusyon. Pano na bukas? Pag bumagyo uli? Pag kinailangan mo uling maglakad ng papeles sa munisipyo? Pag ginabi ka sa daan? Pag naagrabyado ka? Ayun, patuloy nating pinapasahod si Sungit government employee, patuloy ang pangit na serbisyo, traffic uli, babaha na naman, at nakaupo na naman si Cong. Waya. Dahil ang lahat ng ito ay biro at katatawanan.

Maaaring tayo ang pinakamasayang tao sa mundo. Pero nakakaduda na ang pagiging masayahin ng mga Pilipino. Parang sobra na yata na nagmumuka ng…

Tinatawanan ba natin ang problema dahil sa kawalan ng solusyon o tinatawanan nalang natin ang problema dahil mas madali ito kesa humanap ng solusyon? Mas masarap ang mapagod sa katatawa kesa sa mapagod sa kaiisip at pagtatrabaho.

Gusto nyo ng nakakatawa? Ito ang nakakatawa. Magtawanan tayo!

  • Larawan ng isang-dosenang maliliit na batang nagugutom sa isang pamilya.
  • May sakit na anak o magulang na hindi madala sa hospital o hindi mabili ng gamot dahil walang pera.
  • Nasirang mga bahay at namatay na mga mahal sa buhay dahil sa baha sanhi ng basura.
  • Rape
  • Hold-up
  • Massacre
  • Carnap
  • at kawalang hustisya dahil sa pulis patola o kawalan ng pangil ng batas.
  • Panloloko at pagnanakaw ng mga pulitiko sa bulsa ng mga ordinaryong mamamamyan.
  • Traffic sa EDSA at bilyun-bilyong kita ng gobyerno at kumpanya na nasasayang.
  • Pagpapasan sa mga mamamayan ng mga utang at ‘nakakatawang’ transaksyon sa gobyerno at pribadong serbisyo katulad ng kuryente at LRT.
  • Ingay ng humahagibis na motor na walang tambutso tuwing ala 1:00 ng umaga.
  • Halimuyak at tanawin ng mga gabundok na basura sa mga kanto.
  • Ang 2 oras na byahe na dapat ay 30 mins. lang dahil sa pamamasahero ni mamang tsuper sa gitna ng maluwag na highway sa Linggo ng umaga.
  • Pagkasira ng pamilya dahil sa bisyong alak at sugal.
  • Si tatay o si bunso na napatay ng mga lasing o addict. Wala lang. Napag tripan lang.
  • Sila Mayor, Congressman, at Senator, na lumalangoy sa pera at gumagastos ng milyong dolyar sa tiket ng laban ni Pacquiao habang kumakalam ang sikmura ng mga ordinaryong mamamayan.
  • At marami pang iba.

Lahat ng ito, dahil sa ginagawa nating katatawanan ang problema at hindi pagseryoso sa paglutas ng mga suliranin.

Dapat muna nating seryosohin ang ating mga sarili bago tayo seryosohin at irespeto ng mga banyaga. The Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and Singaporeans have earned respect from Western nationalities. Kaya natin yan. Naniniwala ako sa talento nating mga Pilipino. Mga tao rin naman yang mga yan eh. Wala silang ginagawa na ‘di natin kayang gawin.

This new year, I would say that it’s time to get more serious, take the first step, and mean real business. This will eliminate the joke in us. Oks ba?

Marami pa akong hindi naisamang ‘katatawanan’. Maaari pang magdagdag ng mga nakakatawa.

Disposing Our Elders

I recently watched a documentary about elders in home for the aged. Either they were there and frequently visited by their family or they are there totally without communication with their family anymore. The latter is the usual situation. The host interviewed a grandmother who has never heard from her family since they left her there. She was appealing to her son to get her back with tears in her eyes.

This is one of the many circumstances that I will not understand. And I’m not ashamed to say that this is also one of the stories that break my heart; elder people left by their families.

I can say that I could get along pretty well with elder people unintentionally. I have a nice relationship with almost all, if not all, of my senior citizen clients. We even have nice chats and conversations compare to my other clients that are in the same age bracket with mine.

It is maybe because of the reason that I grew up with my grandparents. I grew up with old people. I understand how they think, how they feel, and what their needs are.

Seeing a defenseless elder in the caring home depresses me. Our parents sacrificed a lot for us. They sacrificed even their lives from the moment we are conceived until we are strong (headed) enough to stand on our own feet. They worked hard and sweat for blood and borrowed money just to give us what we want and to give us education to be ready for life.

I could imagine how joyful it is for them to see us the moment we saw the light for the first time; the moment we took our first step; and the moment we spoke our first words.

It is also joyful for them seeing us on our first day in our school and don’t want to leave us out of their sight if possible.

One cough and sniff and it will make them run in the drug store or in the pediatrician.

They will also panic instantly when a blood is visible in our body.

I could imagine all of these feelings because we are expecting our first child at the moment. Maybe you can also imagine how excite we are today. We don’t have plans that would put our child in danger. We will do everything in our power to make sure that we will provide her (we are hoping for a girl) a comfortable life and education, to grow as a good citizen and godly, and to give her a secured future. And someday, our beloved daughter will also leave us in a caring home. I could also imagine how it will be painful for us.

If these people can leave their parents in a caring home, how will they treat their own families? These people are incapable of loving and caring. Just because our parents are old (and useless as it may seem to them), it doesn’t mean that we have to dispose them. I can’t imagine doing this to my mom (I grew up without a father), my grandparents, and even to my close elders.

When they get old, it is the time to return the favor. It is the time to express them how much we love them. Let them know that we will be on their side until their last breath.

Doing this would somehow pass the value to our children and do the same caring as we did to our parents. But of course, we should not do this because of the fear but because of genuine love.

It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)

Let’s just say that the Mayan prediction is true, that the end of the world is on Friday. Do you have a list of things you want to do before Psy hits that 1 billion views on YouTube? Here is my list.

If money doesn’t matter

  1. Drive a Lamborghini and a Ferrari.
  2. Drive a Harley Davidson and a Kawasaki Ninja.
  3. I’ll buy a Gibson Les Paul 60’s, Marshall 70 watts, and jam with my friends.
  4. Eat chocolates.
  5. Visit museums and historical places.
  6. Roam around with my Harley Davidson.
  7. Skydive.
  8. Fly a jetfighter.
  9. Spend days on a nice hotel in front of the sea.
  10. Make a trip to the moon.
  11. Wear my favorite attire.
  12. Read the bible.

On a more reality side (e.i. broke side)

  1. Jam with my friends.
  2. Visit my friends and families.
  3. Roam around with my bike.
  4. Visit museums and local historical places.
  5. Spend a night on top of the mountain, viewing the entire city under the starry night.
  6. Listen to all my favorite songs saved on my mp3 player.
  7. Play songs with my acoustic guitar.
  8. Read the Bible.
  9. Jog.
  10. Shower in the rain.
  11. Eat chocolates.
  12. Wear something comfortable; that is, shorts and shirt.

My bucket list might be boring but I’m not a materialistic and food person. My enjoyment is on nature and music. After December 21, this End of the World list will be a bucket list. Let me know yours.

By the way, here is one of my favorite songs from REM. It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Do You Smell What I’m Cooking?

hotdogI hate cooking. I don’t have any interest in food. I’m not a food adventurer. I eat what’s on my plate. And since I hate cooking and doesn’t have interest in food, I also don’t like food business even if I’m aware that food business is very profitable. But life has a good sense of humor.

My wife is pregnant right now. This is her second. She experienced miscarriage on our first baby so we are doing our best this time. She is having a very delicate pregnancy so we doing a lot of precautions. This means that I’m the one who’s doing everything in the house, including the cooking.

I don’t know how to cook. The reason is clear on the first paragraph. I only know how to cook hotdogs, fried eggs, spam, and any related ‘dishes’. Whenever I cook my specialties and recipes, I kiddingly call myself a ‘bull chef’. But at this time, because of the situation, I need to step up. I need to learn how to cook. Besides, I don’t want to feed her and our baby with instants and fast-food so I really have to take sacrifices.

My first problem is shopping on the market. Since I don’t cook, I don’t know how to shop for ingredients such as meats and vegetables. I don’t recognize or know the names of all the vegetables and I don’t know what part of meats and slices do I supposed to buy for a certain dish.

But because I’m excited with our first child, I learned what I supposed to learn. And I’m learning fast and I’m learning well. Most of my cooking came out successful. I never realized that I would learn to cook. The joy and the passion of cooking may not be already there but the feeling of joy when you see someone is enjoying your cooking is priceless. It is like an art that you created or song that you wrote and someone liked it. A single soul liked your creation is satisfying enough.

And if this life’s humor is not enough (‘cuz life is really funny), I’m going to enter into food business next year. I’m going to open at the first quarter of the year. My former client is selling his equipment and I was searching for business ideas. I really don’t like food business but for my baby, I will do anything to give her a bright future (I’m just assuming our baby is a girl because we are hoping for it.)

Now, I’m not only learning how to cook. I also enrolling on classes and seriously researching on the internet.

I’m not still confident with my cooking skills and this makes me nervous about opening my business. But every time I think about my wife enjoying my cooking, it gives me confidence and I know that my cooking is not going to be a bull.

Almost Famous

What Do You Love About Music?

Almost FamousFor movie fans, they would easily recognize the title. It is a line from one of my favorite movies Almost Famous. This movie has everything I like; good music, rock, the 70s, girls, writing, and of course, the movie itself. Billy Crudup did a great job on being a rock star here.

The movie will take you to the cool, laid-back 70s. It tells a great story about a kid writer (William) who was given an assignment by Rolling Stone magazine to write a story of a promising band Still Waters. While watching this movie, I can’t help but envy the characters of Russell (Billy Crudup), the band’s guitarist, and William (Patrick Fugit), the kid writer. Russell is everything I wanted to be: cool, guitarist of a rock band. On the other hand, if music wouldn’t work out, a rock n’ roll writer would also satisfy my soul. I can imagine how cool it is to go to the tour with the band and write everything about it. You also get to watch their gigs for free and you get to hang out with the band: instant fame!

Almost Famous

But aside from the movie’s settings and characters, it also has a cool story. It tells a story of a band struggling for fame, a story of lovers, friendship, and family.

There are also unforgettable words of wisdom from Russell: “I’m a golden god!”, “I’m on drugs!”, and the question William asked to Russell, “What do you like about music?”

If I’m going to answer the question, I would say that music is the expression of my soul. Music creates a place where I can call home. Whenever I play music, it is the time that I become myself; no inhibitions, no lies, no fear, no time. It’s just me and the music. Playing music is like my own Nirvana.

Almost Famous

Belong Now

I read somewhere that people, especially young, feels unfit to their current generation. I believed in what I read. People think that the past is better than the present.

If it is possible, I would like to travel time. I like to visit the highlight of history especially the Bible history, the 18th century, the WWII, 50s, 60s, 70s, and so on. 50s and 60s are very simple living while 70s is very colorful and lots of cool rock bands were born on this decade. 80s is the era of cool music too.

Reminiscing about the past only means that however we try to improve our lives such as creating technologies, it's still best to live a simple life. I grew up playing hide n' seek and other games with so much running and anyplace where there are haystacks. Friends and families doesn't have mobile phones and we don't have Facebook but people are more closer then than today.

We don't have technologies to prolong patients' lives and do more medical discoveries but people live longer then.

With all these technologies, people became impatient and lazy.

We don't have cable TV with international channels but TV shows are better in the past.

We only have records and cassettes but it plays better music than we have today.

While I like to visit these times, I would still prefer living in the present, however hard it is. We just have to learn about the past and apply it in the future. We must also treasure and live each present because time will come that we will long for it and miss it.

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Who Really Gives Me The “Click”

ClickI just watched Adam Sandler’s Click last night. Adam Sandler never failed to make me laugh. I started following his movies when I watched Happy Gilmore. He has his own style of comedy which has never been seen in the Hollywood (because no one ever dared).

Click is one of my favorite Adam Sandler movies. It is one of the few movies that make you laugh and cry at the same time. It has a really good moral value which is prioritizing family.

Time goes by so fast. With the blink of an eye, children become adults, and adults die. If you’ll let your career get in between you and your family, you’ll miss a huge part in their life, and you’ll become stranger to them. You may achieve your dream and reap all the hard work you had done, but by the time that you retire and ready to get back on your family, it may be too late to catch up and get back on their life.

And of course, if you don’t have time for your family, you may not only miss their lives, it could also destroy your relationship with them.

This is why I want to spend my life with my family. I want to be with my children my whole life, watch them while they grow and be part of their life.

One of the most precious thing that you could give to other people, not only your family, is your time. Even if you are paid with a high price for your time by your company, isn’t your family worth it to be given time for free? Time passed can never be gained back. This is why time is gold; precious. We must spend it wisely.

Okay, Enough of this emotional intro. I must admit that the real reason I like this movie is the ever-hot Kate Beckinsale. She’s the one who really gives me the ‘click’ here.

Kate Beckinsale

Cry of an Indie Film Maker

lilia cuntapayI just read an article by Antoinette Jadaone on today’s Philippine Star’s Supreme section. She is an indie film writer and director. Her article is about her recent indie film, Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, not being treated well by the local public in spite of being received well by the foreign critics and even received awards. After been applauded by the foreign watchers, she decided to show the movie commercially. And this how the article goes.

The article is about the hardship of creating a movie and promoting it. She stated how they beg for theaters to show their film and friends to watch the movie. The movie didn’t turn out well on profit term.

Here is my thought. You don’t create an indie film and expect it to be well received by the mass. It may receive applauds and awards, but the judgment of ordinary movie goers is different. The ones who praised the said movie were, I suppose, movie critics, who are professional and paid to watch and judge movies. They choose movies that are well crafted, not only entertaining. But the mass chooses movies that entertain because they choose with their budget. We pay to watch movies, not paid to watch movies.

High costs and low wages means tight budget. Because of this, we must carefully choose where to burn our hard-earned money. We choose to pay for entertainment where we can escape from our problems, politics, or just from reality.

Don’t get me wrong, I like indie films. Sometimes, I even like them better than commercial movies. Indie films don’t have star actors and special effects to show, just a story to tell. And it’s good enough for me. Unlike commercial movies that show actors that can’t act with silly (and stupid) stories. I actually have the movie review on Yanggaw, an indie film, saved on my draft waiting to be post sometime. I love the movie.

I guess that the local audiences are not ready for such movies yet. They rather watch dumb movies and teleseryes. I’m not an expert but if you want people to watch your movie, spend on promotion and a good trailer. People wouldn’t know that your product exists if they had not seen it. That’s reason why billions are spent for promotion and advertisement. I know this is not a revelation. But promoting it on Facebook and Twitter is not enough. And we can’t blame the theaters. It’s just business. Why they have to lend a place for couple of bucks if they can use it and earn millions?

But if I’m going to own theaters or mall with theaters, I will lend one for indie movies because I’m a big fan of art, especially of starting artists be it a band, painter, director, writer, whatever.

For Antoinette, you are young and I’m sure you will create several good movies in the future and time will come that your name will be big in which your name will be enough reason to watch your movies.

 

Bonifacio Day: Ano Ngayon?

Andres Bonifacio

Ano ngayon? Ngayon, November 30, ay kapanganakan ng isa sa mga sikat na bayani ng Pilipinas, si Andres Bonifacio. Maliban sa pagiging isa sa mga personalidad na naging kasangkapan sa paglaya ng Pilipinas mula sa pagkakasakop ng Espanya, nabalot din ng kontrobersya ang kanyang pagkamatay. Ito ay sa kadahilanan na ang pagkamatay nya ay gawa ng kapwa Pilipino.

Sino satin ang mag-aakala ngayon na ang isang personalidad na malaki ang naging bahagi sa kalayaan ng bansa ay papatayin ng kababayan na nakinabang sa kalayaan? Pero di na bago, di ba?

Kanina lang ay napanood ko ang documentary tungkol sa buhay ni Andres Bonifacio at Emilio Aguinaldo. Si Aguinaldo, ang unang presidente ng Pilipinas, ang humatol ng kamatayan ni Andres Bonifacio. Dito ko narinig ang himutok ng kanyang apo na nagsabing: “kung sino pa ang nagpasimuno ng himagsikan ay pinatay pa ng mga kapwa Pilipino.”

Nabigla ako noong una kong mapanood at nalaman na si Emilio Aguinaldo ang nagpapatay kay Andres Bonifacio, maraming taon na ang nakararaan. Ito ay salungat sa itinuro sa amin sa Elementary na napatay siya ng mga Espanyol habang nasa digmaan. Hindi ko akalain na ganun na pala kadumi ang pulitika sa bansa noong araw. At nalaman ko rin na ang mga tinitingala nating mga bayani ay mga tao rin palang katulad natin, at nasisilaw sa kapangyarihan.

Bonifacio Day. Ano ngayon? Para sa akin, ang araw na ito ay sumasagisag ng 2 bagay: kagitingan at kabulukan ng pulitika ng bansa; katapangan at pagiging makasarili ng mga Pilipino.

Noon pa man ay meron nang sumisigaw ng nadaya sa halalan. At noon pa man ay meron nang pinapatay dahil sa pulitika. Sa ganitong sitwasyon at kaalaman, nabawasan ang pag-asa kong makasaksi ng pagbabago sa bansa at sistema. Likas na pala ang ganitong sistema sa mga Pilipino, ang magpatayan para sa kapangyarihan at para sa sariling kapakanan.

Kung sasagot ako sa tanong na ‘naniniwala ka pa bang magkakaroon ng pagbabago sa bansa kabilang ang kaunlaran’, ang isasagot ko ay ‘matatagalan pa. Yun ay kung magkakaron pa ng pagbabago.’ Naniniwala ako sa kakayanan at talento ng mga Pilipino. Kung sa talento at kakayanan, taas noo akong magiging Pilipino. Ang hindi maganda sa atin ay ang pag-uugali. At aanhin mo ang talento at kakayanan, kung matatakpan naman ng bulok na asal?

Makakabangon pa ba tayo? Mahirap. Dahil ayaw natin ng pagbabago. Ayaw natin ng kalinisan. Ayaw natin ng kaayusan. Galit tayo sa mga taong nag-aayos at naglilinis ng sistema. Ang gusto natin ay sikat at namimigay ng pera. Nananatili tayong mangmang na gustong-gusto naman ng mga namumuno sa atin. Hindi lang sa mga pinuno ang problema. Bahagi tayo, mga ordinaryong mamamayan, ng bulok na sistema.

Sinong dapat mauna? Abangan ang susunod na kabanata…

Ano ngayon? Bonifacio Day. Anong ibig-sabihin nito sayo?

Confessions Of An Addict

writingI admit that I’d become an addict. Once I tried it, I never managed to resist. It started as curiosity. I found myself doing it over and over again. I found a piece of my missing puzzle. It may not complete me as a whole, but it hugely contributed on my personality, if not on my soul.

I’m talking about blogging. I find writing amusing and a great way to express thoughts and emotion. I also like to leave something behind when I’m gone so this could serve my purpose well. I may not be a world famous personality, but through my writings, I would leave some of my personality behind.

Although lots of writers say that they don’t have any intention to change the world, but we must admit that it is an achievement to influence lives.

I’m so addicted to blogging that I created accounts on several blogging platforms. I have lots of thoughts to write but only have small amount of time. And aside from writing, there are lots of things that I want to do including playing music, reading, and learning.

I also like to lie down and watch a marathon movie on a rainy day.

I also make sure that I keep my main blog alive and updated because it is not only a passion or a hobby. My main blog is about my faith and sharing the word of God. I prioritize it because it is not for me but for Him. You can visit my main blog here: http://ourlivingbread.com.

I’m also addicted with Him.