I never got the chance to view the other entries of the World Pyromusical Competition held at the SM Mall of Asia, showed on earlier dates, that is why I do not have any basis of comparison of the fireworks display made by the USA yesternight, which is the final act of the said competition. As much as I had been left in total awe by the said display of seemingly unending, breathtaking firecrackers that light up the then starless sky of Manila, USA did not get through the top three.
United Kingdom got the top spot followed by Australia and finally Japan.
The competition was closed by a sophisticated display from the Philippines. Not preparing my mobile phone’s video camera for the climax made me quite regretful because that’s how beautiful it was! I had still managed to dig up my cellphone from my oversized denim bag but as I was about to pull it out from my bag and change the mode from camera to video, the after effect had already died down. Sad that I was not able to capture but happy that I was able to see it. It was such an inspiring view that time; so suited to be the finale of the whole.
Anyway, my brother and I overheard a conversation from the back. There were these kids playing, screaming and running around near to where we are sitting that is why it was hard not to capture and witness the chitchat.
An American girl of about 6 years of age approached this pair of Filipino siblings (one of them is a girl about 7 years old, and one is a boy about a number of years younger than his ate).
American: Can I play with you? (complete with an accent)
Filboy: NO! Nageenglish ka kasi e! (Because you’re speaking in English!)
And it was said with a snobby tone and a raised eyebrow. Funny! Another one was during the finale presentation of the Philippines. The older sister of the boy asked their parents a question.
Filgirl:Hindi na ba kayo nageenjoy? (Are you not enjoying anymore?)
Parents:Paano kami mageenjoy e ang gulu-gulo niyo, takbo kayo nang takbo! (How can we enjoy the show if you and your sibling kept on running around?)
Filgirl:E di ienjoy niyo lang kasi, huwag nio kaming pansinin. (Just enjoy the show, do not mind us.)
And she said it as if it was the obvious thing to do. Well, it really was but how could a parent do that right? Those kids are unbelievably hilarious.
Seriously, what kind of people in their right mind would ever consider naming themselves as that if not geeks right? =) These four geeks but, at the same time, cool guys make up the newest band in town (alma mater, actually) which girls scream their tonsils out for. I am currently racking my brain off coming up with a single viable reason why girls in your college would willingly torture their voices just for you guys. Anyway, I love you Peptide Band! Feel na feel! Left in awe with your hidden talents, confidence and apparent charisma. You even have a building fans club for goodness sake and, mind you, I’ll be signing up as a fan too. Just remember to pinpoint me from the crowd and dedicate at least one song for me if ever Peptide Band got discovered. I guarantee you that it would be more than enough for me. Haha!
I am wondering how this place will look like and turn out after 5 years or so. Getting giddy about the fact that I will be a witness to the unveiling of its true identity.
Most of the movies that are being shown currently in the theatres had gotten me so fed up already that is why it is kind of inevitable for me to have this strong urge to watch a foreign film lately; just to free myself from the monotony and unoriginality that I had been getting from those hyped movies. However, I do not have any idea where to watch one until I saw The Picturehouse located at The Cathay near the Dhoby Ghaut station.
The Picturehouse prides itself for showcasing award winning movies and best cutting edge film both locally and externally. And to my delight, they are currently showing a French musical comedy film entitled Agathe Clery (on the 2nd and 3rd day of March).
“She is white. She is racist. She will become black.”
Basically, the movie tells the story of a 40 something, marketing director of a cosmetic company which specializes on clearing skin. Agathe resembles a protagonist you love to hate but entirely could not for she is more than you ever dream of. She’s smart, successful and wealthy as hell but her being a prima donna and a snob makes her quite unpopular to her colleagues. Moreover, she is a die-hard racist. She is always in for people who have fair complexions and never does she like people who have a darker complexion than she has. She thinks that foreigners are plagues and her outward repulsion to them leads to the point that she automatically turns down black candidate applying as her subordinate in the company she’s working for, regardless how exceptional a candidate he is. But all of that changed, as she experience the biggest irony of her life.
Her colleagues first took notice of her different glow but she never took it as more than just a compliment. But day after day, she observed that her skin also gets darker, and as the skin darkens, the more she is feeling nauseous and weaker. A trip to the doctor confirmed that there is indeed something wrong with her; she has an Addison disease which manifests in the skin primarily by hyperpigmentation and is a rare disease that the movie claimed Kennedy also had. In the case of Agathe, she becomes black and it was said that she will become black forever.
Agathe did not take the news fully without much kicking and screaming hard. She promised herself that she will not be black in her entire life and she might as well commit the taboo than to live with a dark complexion. She bought hundreds of products that she believed would help in counterattacking the darkening of her skin. But of course, whether she likes it or not, the inevitable is still bound to happen.
In the process, all of the things she once had had one by one got lost. She lost her prestigious job as the owner of the company indirectly dismissed her for being black. Her “lover” have not touched her ever since and had completely disappeared from her life claiming that it was because he could not bear to see her like that. He also added that she will be still his honeybunch no matter what and he will just be there waiting for her to emerge out of her new colour. What a jerk really. One of her friends, upon knowing that Herve the lover was already out of her life, conspired against her and stole her boyfriend. Moreover, she almost got kicked out from her apartment because of the same issue of being black. Good thing, she still had the sanity and confidence to stand up for her self.
She also tried to find a job but to no avail. Because of the depression that she is currently acquiring, people who stuck up with her taught her to eliminate the negative connotation that she had built about being black and just to live the most out of the situation; to not fight against the current but to work and go about it.
As the truth began to sank in her and as she realize that her whining would not take her anywhere, she began to accept the truth wholeheartedly. In the process, she found a job in an all black company as a marketing director and found true love in the image of her boss. The thing that she had considered before as a curse had served as a door to her new and happy life. However, since her lover hates white people, which is mainly because of some white Caucasian woman who had trashed his CV just because he had been born black and who had been the main reason why he built an all black company, and since she could not testify her true self without explaining much and arising confusion, white lies clogged up her new life. After all, she immediately knew she was the main inspiration of her lover’s company, not that he knows of of course, which made it even harder for her to come up with the truth.
Just as all movies need to reach a climax, the movie’s count on that is when she had noticed that her original colour is already beginning to emerge. She might have felt like Charlie Gordon from the Flowers for Algernon as she was fighting to retain the life that she was made to savour temporarily but surely loved.
The movie reached a happy ending. It was good to know that what she had with her boss is a true and everlasting love after all. A change of attitude, from being a stuck up bitch to being someone far flung from the former, had been mortalized. And most of all, truth that she would otherwise not know in her entire life emerged.
The movie is more than just about racism. Though it was apparent that the use of the concept here had already reached a different level of offensiveness to those people and races involved, I still deem that racism in this movie is utilized as a tool to make a point rather than being the main point of the movie; much like it is better to view racism in this movie as something figurative and metaphorical rather than literal. Going back, I think this movie is just a comical depiction of the truth that you will only know who your true friends really are in times of adversities.
On a more literal side of racism, even with the growing number of famous people coloured by the Creator with a hue other than white taking up a remarkable space in the global scene and taking into consideration the rise of the first American black president of the United States, I think that the issue of racism still chose to remain blind and deaf on the truth that all of us has a significant worth in this world. Yes, it is not anymore that pronounced as compared to previous decades but it would be an outright lie to say that racism is now obsolete; there are still bits of it scattered around the world, directly inflicting both minor and major pain to those involved.
This clip from the movie made me really smile. So clever to incorporate Michael Jackson’s dance moves. I am in search of a same video but with English subtitles. Could not find one as of the moment but I think this would suffice for now.
In all fairness to Valérie Lemercier I am quite amaze by her ability to dance and I totally love her for that!
I am currently amazed with this section of the Boston Globe online. Its photography column, more known as theBig Picture, showcases images aggregated by Alan Taylor from different sources, ranging from infamous ones such as the Associated Press (AP), Getty Images and Reuters down to private individual photographers, all over the world who are more than willing to share scenarios and remarkable reflections which had been wonderfully perceived by their quick eyes and gracefully shot through a mere camera lens. With these images, I could not help but feel overly grateful for those people who are risking their lives just to be able to capture these pictures and be able to selflessly share to it to the rest of us which we would never have the chance to take a glimpse of otherwise; and though it does not beat the experience of being in the actual it is undoubtedly more appealing than not having been able to see a single nanosecond of the whole duration, a partial of the whole totality at all.
No, this is neither a trailer of the next movie nor an announcement of an upcoming instalment of the Harry Potter Series but I can tell you that this is better than those.
Stumbled upon this extraordinary speech given by J.K. Rowling at a Harvard Commencement last 2008 a moment ago. Stop for a few minutes, push the play button and be inspired! But if you’re a Harry Potter fan, I think I will never have to use the word extraordinary and the name JK Rowling in one sentence for me to hook you up on watching this video. After all, you already know it for a fact and you might have actually thought that I was being redundant and superfluous for saying that. Duh? I know, I know, but in my defense, I do think that redundancy is not actually a bad thing especially if it is utilized for an added impact as far as English grammar is concerned; it only becomes bad when you are already unknowingly using it as a one word description of what your life is all about and you’re just fine with it. Anyway, I am an avid fan too, you know and I could not stop praising how brilliant she is!
You can find the full transcript of her speech here, just in case you want to indulge yourself more.
