X-GIRLFRIEND!!!

Long before I became an enthusiast of Akon and Ne-yo, I was once a frustrated rock star back then in high school! Little did the others know that I even tried to play djembe (African hand percussion) when I had a chance.

My two favorite alternative rock bands were NO DOUBT and BUSH.

Among the competition between female band vocalists on the late 90's, Gwen Stefani stood among the rest. Her SEXY yet TOUGH ATTITUDE, which somehow captures a part of my personality, makes her different from the stereotyped female artists. As for me, she’s one of the fantastic performers on stage and Tragic Kingdom was the best album they ever had!

Bush on the other hand, had the most gorgeous vocalist of all time-Gavin Rossdale! Aside from Gavin’s pretty face, awesome body and husky voice, I was so much fascinated with the beat, and their lyrics-OBSCURE yet PROFOUND. Songs like: Glycerine, Machine Head, Cold Contagious, and Chemicals Between Us were some of their tremendous hits. I even watched them performed live here in Ultra with two of my high school friends (Diane Marie and April Sundae).

Funny though that both bands were able to come up with a song of the same title “X-Girlfriend”, only the concept came from two different perspectives. Also, No Doubt made it a hit while Bush had it as a filler song from their album Sixteen Stone. It may sound serendipitous or was it a matter of design? Either way, the two vocalists found a way to connect with each other and eventually made a good family together.

So, for all the Ex-girlfriends out there, have faith! In our pursuit for love and affection, we surely had been an X-girlfriend once, maybe twice or more but no matter how great nor disastrous our past relationships turned to be, our X-boyfriends will surely remember us as their crazy yet though and gorgeous X kind of girl!!!

For all the Ex-girlfriends out there! These are for you!!!

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HAIL TO THE FREE MAN!!!

Here are some of the genius works and breathtaking performances of the Master Rapper "Francis M":

A true blooded Filipino who gave a colorful meaning to his bloodline...

Francis Magalona was a descendant of reputable persons in the country: from his grandfather, Enrique Magalona, who served in the Philippine Senate in 1946-1955,through his parents who were popular film stars of their era, Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, and down to his offspring who are now starting to make names and build careers out from their talents and skills in their respective fields.

This man was the nation's modern time's hero who was significantly inspired by our national heroes who defended our land against the colony of Spain.

He was a patriot who dared to defend his country against the colonial mentality with his microphone and music as his full battlegear.

And just like any other hero, he too had a weakness. A weak spot that broke the hearts of many. Dreaded to see that the same man who offered so much honors for his bloodline in both literal and figurative manner had faced a battle against the killer blood disease that took his life away too soon.

This warrior may have lived a short life but he had surely lived well for he was never defeated and his legacy and hardworks will forever stay in the hearts of the Filipinos.

This crusader of freedom who had conquered numerous victories in his own right is now an absolute FREE MAN .

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300 Hundreds of dolphins stranded in the shore of Bataan, Philippines

BALANGA, Philippines (AFP) – Fishermen and volunteers in the Philippines managed to rescue more than 200 beached whales on Tuesday by guiding them back into deep water, officials said.Residents of seaside towns west of Manila raised the alarm early in the day when they saw a large pod of melon-headed whales in shallow water.

Three of the whales were later found dead and authorities feared others would die unless they could be guided into deeper water.

The head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said on local radio and television the stranded mammals were dolphins, but experts told AFP they were in fact melon-headed whales.A veterinarian, said melon-headed whales were "easily mistaken for dolphins because of their size and their teeth, which resemble those of dolphins."

Government marine biologist said the mammals, which travel in pods of 100 or more, may have been disorientated by damage to their hearing caused by illegal dynamite fishing in the area or the leader of these dolphins have been injured.

Another theory was that they reacted to a major underwater earthquake.Authorities said they had managed to guide most of the stranded mammals back into deeper water and away from the shore.

The whales were said late Tuesday to be heading back into open water, although one was taken to a nearby marine park for observation by veterinarians.

TWO THUMBS UP for our local residents for assisting these melon-headed dolphins back to the ocean!!! Like the pod of dolphins who’d stayed intact after all the suspected reasons for the said phenomenon, our fellow countrymen “kababayan” on the other hand worked together as a team to bring these marine mammals out of danger. It makes me proud to see that in this modern time, we Filipinos are still practicing the values of “Bayanihan”.

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PATEROS ... REVISITED

PATEROS REVISITED….

I got up at 6 in the morning and hurriedly dress up for an early Sunday mass with my family, but this is not the regular Sunday mass that we usually hear because, today the Filipino Catholics like us are celebrating the feast of “SANTA MARTA”, whose the patron saint of a small town called PATEROS and due to its narrow streets, roads were usually closed to traffic on occasions like this. So, my sisters and I decided to park the car few streets away from the church and we just walked our way from there. My eyes then became too busy scanning the crowded sidewalks of the town, which were full of vendors, selling various kinds of products, from candles to flowers, to food, to toys. I just thought that nothing much had changed in this town since I moved to the city of Pasig around 17 years ago. The same mini cooking pots and fruit baskets made from clay from my mini kitchenware collections back then were still being sold on the sidewalks. A sudden rush of loneliness then tingles into me. As if a certain flash of light popped up on my face that brought me back in time wherein I was so naïve and careless… but I tried to shrugged the thought at once to prevent myself from getting emotional. We then finally reached the church of Pateros and too bad we were a little late from the mass since we need to push ourselves in just to get near the altar due to the heavy traffic of the crowd. The bishop who presides the mass animatedly and enthusiastically retold the history of the town and how the celebration all begun…

THE OLD PATEROS:

Before the Spanish era, Pateros was once a barrio of Pasig called "Aguho" which was originally came from the name of abundant shady trees that grows along the Pateros River, while "embarcadero" means a small dock. The small barrio’s geographical situation led to a perfect center of trade and commerce of the Rizal province, and later on considered as the most progressive barrio of Pasig.

People residing here were known for being resourceful and innovative. Nothing can stop this small barrio from maximizing their resources especially when the Chinese merchants started to settle in their town. That was the time the locals were introduced to the “balut” industry and slipper-making called “alfombra”.

In time, a small barrio of Pasig called “Aguho” was eventually turned into a Municipality by the Spanish government along its name as PATEROS which derived from the Tagalog words “pato” – the duck that lays the eggs for balut making, and “sapatero” – the word for shoemakers.

SANTA MARTA:

Long before the parochial system was established, the early residents of Pateros already had a strong devotion to Santa Marta. It started out when the crocodiles had come out from the river and started to pester the ducks and ate them alive; this became a dilemma for the residents in the duck-raising business. They sought help from Santa Marta through prayers and praise. One day, the residents were all surprised to see that for some reasons all of the crocodiles were dead. Most of them thought that Santa Marta had probably heard their prayers and to give gratitude to Santa Marta, the local people of Pateros considered her as the patron of duck-raisers or “mag-iitik.” A yearly procession is conducted with people carrying a pagoda with the image of Santa Marta stepping on a crocodile. Wearing traditional costumes, the feast comes with the singing of “kundiman “songs while Santa Marta devotees from Pateros dance the “Pandangguhan sa Kalye,” as spectators throw food called “pasubo.”

THE FEAST CONTINUES….

Right after the mass, my family and I went to the ancestral house of our clan, who were the early residents of Pateros. It was a two-storey Spanish architectural designed house which was situated along the main road of Pateros. We called it as “bahay na bato” since it was built during the Spanish era and at that time houses made out of stones could only be afford by the aristocrats or the upper class citizens. The older generation from our clan used to tell us that the first “kabisera de barangay” of Patero

s was our great grandfather. They were also the first ones to drive a car in the said town. They also say that our great grandfathers were known for being snob and meticulous. As a result, women from the early generations of our clan remained as old maids.

Moving forward, it was a tradition in our clan to celebrate the feast of Santa Marta by gathering together for lunch. Our family’s specialties were served on the table like Suman and Kalamay, there’s Chicken Pastel, Kare-kare with Bagoong, Fresh Lumpiang Ubod and desserts non other than Leche Flan. It may not be as festive as it is several years back but it is still the legacy of the values that has been passed from generation to generation.

After a co

uple of hours of endless hellos and long chats with my other relatives, the procession had finally reached our street. Everyone rushed to the wide window of the house to see the long pile of people dancing in duck-like gestures accompanied by the kundiman song “itik-itik sa Manila Zoo”. We then started to throw out bags of goodies and snacks to the participants of the procession. There’s an indescribable feeling to see the excitement on the faces of devotees as they passed by the house and moved on to the next.
In my thought, retelling the stories of our ancestors is essential in every clan. It is just as good as finding out the origin of the beliefs and traditions that our own families have been practicing for years. Having a clear knowledge of these beliefs and practices makes a strong foundation of our personality and life's principles.

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InTeRrUpTeD

Alienated with this sick head
… an urgency to gather my senses.
Alleviate this wrath unsaid
… a convergence of my defenses.
Confused with this flickering haze
… a discernment on my existence
Conquered by this lingering silence
… a duration of my persistence.
Inclined with this regression
… a fixation of my delight.
Impelled by this repression
… a dissent of my insights.
Drifted by an elevated wisdom
… A rule of the unconscious.
Driven by an altered freedom
… Just a rebel without a cause.

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BEACH BUM

… I could feel my body lying in a plush
… Filling the serenity in a recumbently
… As the sun disappear below the horizon
… The stars gazed down on me
… When the clouds are nearly on my fingertips
… A certain glow tingle beneath my skin
… It was the wave and the breeze that created a great symphony.
… A very light and soothing feeling.
… A first-hand experience of detachment and dispassion
… A liberty to release my hidden grudges
… A chance to scream my anxieties away
… A place of being connected to a supreme being.
… Six hours of complete tranquility
… An enchanted adventure of a wandering soul…

Then I’m back to reality again…

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