Getting old, huh...? Indeed...

I stumbled upon a celeblog (celebrity blog) today and read an entry from one of the site owner's guest bloggers. The guest blogger is a starlet in Manila and her entry dealt with "getting old".

Here were her "tell-tale signs" of ageing (and I quote, verbatim):

1. When you choose beer over soft drinks.
2. When you can't eat pork fat as much (because you know your blood pressure will rise).
3. When start calling you Ms. Mr. Ma'am Sir and it gets TOO ANNOYING!
4. When you start to attend too many weddings and funerals.
5. When you choose to stay home than to go clubbing.
6. When you already do things that can put you behind bars.
7. When it's already an effort to look good.
8. When you're eating chocolates not because you love them, but because it makes you feel better after a bad break up.
9. When you have to think of bills rather than boys/girls.
10. When your mind makes contracts your body can't meet.
11. When you don't care when you're wearing white socks with black shoes (AND I REALLY DON'T).
12. When when sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
13. When when there's nothing left to learn the hard way.
14. When you're told to act your age (YES MOM).
15. When you stop being excited about your birthday cake because chances are the candles will reveal your age.
16. When you choose to let your ass warm up on your chair rather than bringing it to the gym.

My comments, point by point:

1.  Young lady, if indeed you choose beer over softdrinks, then you are no doubt young. At my age, I have lost the quivering desire for alcohol. Unless it's over good conversation with some really good friends. Drinking for the sake of inebriation shows the characteristic irresponsibility that accompanies youth.
2. I have to agree that hypertension is a classic sign of ageing. Although people my age and older will take one look at the lechon (whole roasted pig) skin and say, "Gamutin nyo na lang ako pagkakain!" (Just give me my medication after I eat this!)
3. Ms./Mr./Ma'am/Sir stops getting annoying after a certain age. At some point, you recognise that it's a sign of respect (however grudging it may be sometimes). What offends me is being called lola (grandma), no matter how good-naturedly.
4. It's not attending a wedding or funeral per se that indicates your age. If you go to a wedding, you're no longer a guest or secondary sponsor, but a PRINCIPAL sponsor. Plus you are seated on the same table as the oldies. For funerals, I guess it's more of attending funerals of your contemporaries (think Dolphy).
5. The choice to stay home or go clubbing is not related to age. I was young once and I never enjoyed the social scene. Reading a book in a quiet corner of the house always won. I think that one is a function of her occupation and must not be taken as a generalisation.
6. Really, now...? Try saying that line in Singapore. Besides, irresponsible behaviour equals youth and immaturity. Ever heard of Lindsay Lohan?
7. It IS an effort to look good. It's just that some people were blessed with good genes and make it look effortless. Although, with Facebook now, I think everyone makes a conscious effort to look good (and to not wear the same thing on different photo albums, hahaha).
8. Binge eating after a break-up is not a sign of age. It shows the lack of capacity to deal with the problem, no matter how young or old you are.
9. Well, I have to give her this one.
10. And this, too.
11. Well, I damn well care! And, hello, Samantha Jones does, too. Actually, IMHO, age gives you the licence to carry fabulosity with aplomb.
12. Well, okay, that and fatigue.
13. Nothing left to learn the hard way? Then you are not ageing. You cease to live. Even my mom has important and painful life lessons at her age.
14. If you're being told to act your age, you're just being loud and irritating. Not old. If you're old, nobody has to tell you how to act.
15. I have no issues with candles. And I love birthday cakes. Besides, most people are discreet nowadays and omit candles. 
16. I've been that way forever. At my age, I've never been inside a gym for personal training. I only went inside for shoots.

Conclusion: you, Young Lady, are worrying too much. If anything. your post reveals how "un-old" you are and how little you know about the world. I don't know that much, either, but I certainly know a little more than you do.

Now go act your age and stay in your room! Kidding.

Of metronomes and anthems

It is another moment of triumph for Filipinos everywhere as Manny Pacquiao scored another victory in the ring, this time over Ghana's Joshua Clottey. True, yesterday's 12-rounder was a bit ho-hum, considering Clottey did nothing but hold his arms over his face for the majority of the fight - plus the fact that what we really want is Mayweather['s face] on the canvas - but, still, a victory is a victory. So congratulations are in order for Team Pacquiao (especially Freddie Roach).

That being said, it irks me no end that some people find it in them to ruin a perfectly glorious moment.

One of the headlines on Yahoo! News today caught my attention: "Arnel Pineda's version of RP anthem criticized". For those of you Filipinos who [live under a rock and] didn't get to watch the fight, Pineda was given the honor to sing the Philippine National Anthem.

Apparently, the National Historical Institute deemed the Journey frontman's version "wrong", ergo, they find it essential to file a complaint to the Department of Justice.

And what, exactly, was their issue with Pineda's version? According to the article, "under Section 37 of RA 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code, the national anthem must be sung in accordance with the original musical arrangement of composer Julian Felipe, who gave it a marching tempo. Violators may be fined Php5,000 to Php20,000 or jailed for a year." Furthermore, Lupang Hinirang must be "properly sung with a two-fourths beat and 100 metronomes," which should make it last for 53 seconds, instead of the 89-second version that Pineda delivered.

Let's be clear on one thing: I'm not exactly a Pineda fan (though I must admit he's got the vocal chops). Neither am I pro-NHI; I am sure the agency is just doing its job. But, my goodness, how ANAL can they get? If they're that obsessive, maybe they should consider putting together an Association for National Anthem Literacy or something...

Until this day, I've never heard of an effing metronome, much less know what to do with it. I heard Pineda's version, and while, admittedly, it might have been slower than the prescribed marching beat, my amateur ears detected nothing criminally wrong with his rendition. To me, his interpretation was heartfelt, and more than enough to remind me how proud I am to be a Filipino by birthright.


A string of other talented Filipino singers received the same frown from NHI: Charice Pempengco, La Diva, Sarah Geronimo, Lani Misalucha and Kyla got less-than-stellar reviews from the board. I only agreed with the NHI on two counts: Martin Nievera and Christian Bautista, both of whom delivered harrowing renditions; but still, I don't see how that's enough to earn them DOJ's attention. The only injustice here would be to take the DOJ's attention away from more important cases and concentrate on metronomes.

Look, when we were in primary school and were first taught the National Anthem, what were the things they told us? Were we instructed to keep it at two-fourths beat and 100 metronomes (egad, I hate that word!)? Did our teachers ever whip out a stopwatch and give detention to anyone who sang it at 00:53:04 seconds or beyond? Hell, no (well, at least not in my school...)!

The only thing I remember being required to do was to sing Lupang Hinirang with nothing less than respect and reverence, with your right hand placed over your left chest, and with your eyes looking straight at the flag. Respect, not metronome, was the order of the day.

In fairness to him, I felt Pineda's sincerity and respect in singing the National Anthem. He's made a name for himself so he probably doesn't need the 89 seconds of fame this stint bought for him (or cost him, depending on your perspective). But, more than anything else, he certainly does not deserve the flak he's getting from NHI just because he sang it a few beats too slowly. That goes for all the other singers, as well (barring Nievera and Bautista).

Rather than stirring up the dust after each and every rendition of Lupang Hinirang, here's an idea for the NHI: maybe they should just put together a group of official National Anthem singers, train them in the prescribed metronomically-correct beat, and send out an official circular/pass a Congressional bill/whatever that one can only source out singers from that official group, so that future versions are guaranteed 100% correct. That would certainly be more constructive, don't you think?

I hope Pacquaio retires immediately. With a looming fine and possible jail term, I don't think any singer in his right mind should carry the responsibility of singing our National Anthem. Any volunteers from NHI?

WTF are you thinking?

Why people would use the expression OMFG is beyond me.

Maybe they think it's cool to quote quotes from Gossip Girl. Maybe they want to take OMG a notch higher. Or maybe they don't even know what it means, and simply parrot it because "it sounds cool".

You don't have to be Einstein to realise that OMFG means "oh my f*****g god". For crying out loud, IT IS NOT COOL TO CURSE OUR GOD! It makes me squirm just to think about it.

And I'm not just talking about pubescent girls here; even the supposedly mature, "well-educated" "professional" uses the term. Apparently, they didn't learn enough. I think they forgot that the First Commandment said You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.

Yeah, I'm talking to you. WTF ARE YOU THINKING? IT IS NOT COOL TO SAY "OMFG"!

Faith without blinders

Warning: if you are a hard-core, ultra-conservative Roman Catholic, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS POST. However, if you still choose to go on, well...don't tell me I didn't warn you.

I came across an interesting post by a certain Mike Aquino. Please read on below (taken verbatim from this post):

**********
I no longer consider myself a Catholic

I no longer consider myself a Catholic. No matter how fondly I remember the good parts of being Catholic – the songs, the retreats, the lessons – Catholicism for me became increasingly difficult to reconcile with common sense and decency.

I can’t reconcile so-called Catholic values with the Catholic institution’s nasty tendency to close ranks around its priests. Child abuse in the priesthood was given cover for so long because bishops would rather hide abusive priests rather than confirm that such abuse took place. Justice became secondary to the preservation of appearances.

I can’t reconcile so-called Catholic virtue with its hierarchy’s politics, often exercised to uphold retrograde policies against family planning and reproductive health. Empowered by its mass believer base, the Catholic Church continues to abuse its political power in the secular world.

In Manila, doctors were forbidden to prescribe contraceptives to patients, because Mayor Atienza thought he could implement Catholic doctrine into municipal governance. Church pressure has distorted the Reproductive Health debate; the simple question of “should government-run health centers provide reproductive health services, including artificial family planning methods” has been drowned out by priests railing against it from the pulpits and banners hung from churches.

There has been no good-faith effort by the Church hierarchy to explain their side; there has only been arm-twisting and emotional blackmail. Church representatives have ignored or walked out on any efforts to engage them in discussion.

In short, I can’t believe the Church is moral anymore. A fatal conclusion for someone who was raised to believe that Catholic priests acted in persona Christi capitis, in the person of Christ.

I now know that is a lie; many Catholics, laymen and priests alike, use their faith as cover for some of the most grievous immoralities. Not just in the Philippines; the Church hierarchy is complicit in genocide in Rwanda, torture in Argentina, and child abuse in the West. In persona Christi capitis my ass.

Due to the Church hierarchy’s own actions, the current situation is becoming more and more unstable – the Church cannot maintain the status quo for long. At least two presidential candidates have declared their disagreement with Church policy on reproductive health, a position that would have been political poison a few years ago. More Catholics are speaking out, or voting with their feet. The Church is less and less seen as being infallible – increasingly its clay feet are showing.

In time, I hope an increasingly secular electorate will realize a few things about the Church and the civic sphere:

The Catholic hierarchy’s interests are not those of the community at large. Catholic interests cannot predominate in a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional community. A Muslim or Protestant mother must not be compelled to settle for government services tailored only to meet Catholic sensitivities, which is what happens when the Church is able to bully legislators into substituting the Catholic agenda for the government’s.

The Church can no longer impose its particular views onto a secular government. Bishops may have to settle for a conversation with equals, instead of expecting to have their own way every time. Catholic scholar David Hollenbach argues that Catholic involvement in the public sphere “must proceed according to a mode of dialogue and persuasion… faith and theology are seen as participants in a drama that involves numerous other actors. The church is not the producer or director of this drama.”

In real life, the usurpation of government decision-making by ecclesiastics has always ended up badly for everyone. The Church loses moral authority, government decision making powers are hobbled, and constituents end up being badly served by dogma-driven decisions.

I no longer consider myself a Catholic. I still remember my Catholic upbringing and influences with fondness, but so much of present Catholic doctrine treats truth and morality as if it can be decided by fiat (”Roma locuta est…”), and I simply cannot be a part of that.

**********

This man read my mind.

Personally, I still think that the Roman Catholic faith is beautiful, with simple, common-sense principles rooted in the universal concept of love. And I believe with all my heart that our Lord is a just and loving God. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of the Church are controlled by men, easily corrupted and victims of their own humanity.

Until this time, I get funny looks from people when they discover that I do not attend Sunday mass regularly. But we should live and let live. In the same way that I respect people who do make an effort to fulfill their Catholic obligations, I think I deserve some respect for my personal decisions. While I will gladly take opportunities to show people my belief in my Divine Writer, I refuse to "fulfill" my Sunday duties just because I want to keep appearances. Sorry to disappoint the Augustinian fathers, but I am a servant of the Divine Word, and not of that person who happens to preach from the pulpit.

Faith is defined as "allegiance to duty or a person, fidelity to one's promises, or sincerity of intentions." We should be guided by this definition, with the operative word being sincerity.

The role of the religious order should not be very different from our own parents. While they should uphold discipline, morality and purity of our faith, 1) they should walk the talk and be living examples of these ideals (instead of closing ranks), and 2) while the basic principles of our faith should remain unchanged, some facets need to be modernised to make its teachings less antiquated and, therefore, followed even more faithfully.

I could go on and on about this. Even as I voice out my opinion, my traditional Catholic school upbringing is already debunking some of my arguments. But, ultimately, I stand only by one thing: I would rather be a faithful personal friend to my Divine Writer who chooses to follow his teachings with eyes wide open, instead of a blind follower who keeps holy for one hour every Sunday and goes back to his old, sinful ways the moment he is out of the chapel's doorway.