Life in Autumn

Please vote for Pow Chavez to be the first Philippine Idol. My three-year-old nephew Miguel would be really disappointed if she gets voted off in the next eliminations. She’s got a really beautiful voice and Mr. C even predicted she’d be the first Philippine Idol.

Just type POW and send to 2339. But do this on Sunday within two hours after the performances or else your votes won’t be counted.

Thanks!

This sembreak, I’ve been reading Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. The writing is very simple, sometimes resembling a fairy tale. Sayuri is the Japanese Cinderella, Hatsumomo is like her evil stepsister and Mameha her fairy godmother. Other characters include the Chairman, Sayuri’s love interest and Nobu, a former soldier who might benefit from a Toronto plastic surgery because of his massive injuries from the war.

The book follows the story of Chiyo as she transforms to the beguiling geisha Sayuri. Behind the narrative is also a cultural history of Japan.

I recommend this novel for those who want to learn more about the Japanese culture without judgement or prejudice.

On my birthday, E gave me the complete DVD set of Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy. I’ve been lusting over it for years now and I finally got them. The set contains four DVDs — Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge and a bonus DVD about the films. I absolutely lurrve it.

I spent my birthday locked up in a room, finishing my digital divide paper for my class. I didn’t even attempt to go out until dinnertime when we went to a Japanese restaurant to splurge on sushi and maki. Before sleeping, we watched Strictly Ballroom, one of my favorite films of all time. I just couldn’t get over the spectacular dances. The characters were absolutely hilarious with their wild makeup and noses that seem to have underwent rhinoplasty Beverly Hills style.

Overall, it was an uneventful yet absolutely marrrvellous day for me.

Just a few days ago, I was pestering Dan with my phone calls, getting his summaries and asking if he could report for Balitanghali. He was his usual self, taking several missed calls before answering his phone. Ma’am Tex even texted him, saying, “Bagay sa’yo ang ringback tune mo na Walang Hanggang Paalam kasi walang hanggan din kung sumagot ka sa telepono.”

We’ve argued about this in the past but often after that, we’ve always found a way to work through our ‘katarayan’ and ‘kangaragan’ because that’s just how the newsdesk-reporter relationship goes. At the end of the day, we know that it’s just the nature of our jobs that makes us tick and makes us jump against each other.

Perhaps, what really gets Dan in trouble is his natural fieriness. He’s not the kind of person who sits in one corner and just waits for things to come his way. We know this because of his involvement in student activism and his struggle to get a good life for himself and his family. We’ve seen this in his work as a broadcast journalist, giving voice to the underprivileged, like Juliet Chavez and covering the little lives of the people wrought by flashfloods in Quezon.

For that, one could say that Dan has already lived a full life despite his young demise. I don’t think many of us could say that for ourselves. I was fortunate enough to know him and I’ll always remember him with fondness and respect.

Dan will certainly be missed, pero sabi nga ng ringback tune niya, “Kahit na magkahiwalay, tayo’y magkasama sa magkabilang dulo ng mundo.”

Paalam, Danifel. Maraming salamat sa lahat.

Have you been watching Bakekang? For those who aren’t into primetime teledramas, Bakekang is a komiks character who’s gifted with an unbelievably big nose, you’d want to introduce her to a rhinoplasty expert. It’s so popular now that even my busy boss has been watching it and admits to getting teary-eyed with the melodrama.

Bakekang has been getting good ratings these days probably because of the Filipinos’ natural love for underdogs. The success of other similar dramas attest to this– Betty La Fea, Kampanerang Kuba, and the like. Even if it’s only television, it’s nice to know that the beauty challenged gets the sympathy vote.

Bakekang airs on GMA-7 weekdays after Atlantika.