Advance Holiday Wishes

Whew.

This week started very sadly noh. Let’s take a break muna from the serious stuff and be a little lite for a moment.

It’s the last week of November already and sa United States this means babaha na naman ng roasted turkey and everything. Forget the diet and time to binge on food and cholesterol. Hahaha!

Anyway, konting tulog na lang at magpa-Pasko na rin dito sa atin.



Which means 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses is on their way. Some employers though have already given their bonuses sa kanilang mga empleyado. Well, good for them at nakapamili na sila ng mga kung ano mang gusto nilang bilhin. Meanwhile ako ay naghihintay pa kung kelan mabibigay. Sana before Christmas at marami akong gustong bilhin for myself. Yes, you heard it right. Myself. Wala akong planong mag-share. Charing! Just kidding. Siyempre naman magshe-share ako ng blessings noh. In fact it’s been my yearly tradition to buy stuff for friends and families samantalang sa aking sarili ay halos wala nang matitira. Sa maniwala man kayo or hindi, mas masarap talaga ang feeling ng nagbibigay. Pero mas masaya pa rin kung ikaw ang binibigyan. Hahaha!

So, ano ba ang gusto ko this Christmas.

Siyempre, una na diyan ang world peace. Ito pa rin ang pinaka-importante sa lahat ng bagay. Because if there is world peace, happiness is everywhere. At kung happy lahat, walang sad siyempre. Charing!

Second of all, wish ko na sana yung mga nabiktima ng baha ay nakapag-move on na at maging happy rin ang kanilang holidays.

Third, ma-resolve na kaagad ang karumal-dumal na nangyari last Monday. Managot na ang dapat managot. Put them behind bars, or better yet, ibaon din sila ng buhay.

Fourth, sana mabulunan si Gloria and Mike Arroyo habang kumakain ng lechon at matuluyan na. Hahaha! So bad.

Okay enough na sa mga unselfish wishes. Pumunta naman tayo sa mga pansariling material wishes ko. Minsan lang naman ako mag-wish and I know hindi magkakatotoo ito dahil very imposible talaga. Pagbigyan niyo na ako ha, malay niyo magkaroon ng milagro at magkatotoo. Eto ang wish list ko for this Christmas.


1. A new phone. Alam niyo 1 year old na itong cellphone ko pero hindi ko pa naman siya pinagsawaan. Kung gusto ko ng bago eh ito ang gusto ko kasi hindi mahirap magtext.

Mas bongga ito dahil qwerty na ang keypad.


2. A new bag. Siyempre kung mag-aambisyon na lang ako eh itotodo ko na. Ito ang gusto ko.

Ang taray ‘di ba? Para feeling Victoria Beckham din ako. Not Jinkee Pacquiao ha, excuse me. LOL


3. A dream destination. Well, locally gusto ko pa rin makapunta sa Batanes but kung international ang pag-uusapan natin ay gusto kong makapunta sa Morocco.

Feeling ko maganda doon at exotic. Yun lang.


4. A new boytoy. Nagsawa na kasi ako kay Jericho Rosales eh and mukhang nagkabalikan na sila ni Kristine Hermosa so malamang doon siya magpa-Pasko. So my choice for a new boytoy is Aaron Tveit.

Hindi mo siya kilala? Well, mas mabuti at nang hindi mo rin siya pagpantasyahan. Hahaha!


5. A Christmas dress. Siyempre dapat bago ang suot ko habang magsisimba ako on Christmas eve ‘di ba? So eto ang gusto kong isuot sa simbahan.

What do you think? Thank you Haider Ackermann. I’m sure God will be so proud to see me in your dress. Charing!


6. A New Year's dress. Aba siyempre kelangan iba din ang outfit sa new year noh! Hahaha!

Thank you Vera Wang. Hihintayin ko yan sa mailbox ko. LOL


7. A new pair of heels. Ano pa nga ba ang latest rage sa mga fasyon sa buong mundo kundi ang to own a pair of these super gorgeous alligator heels from Alexander McQueen.

Juice ko ‘day, pag may ganyan na ako irarampa ko talaga sa EDSA. Hahaha!


8. A new pair of eyeglasses. Kasi naman masyado nang kawawa ang mga eyeglasses ko. Yung iba naiwan ko pa sa bahay sa DC. Like owning a hundred bags, gusto ko rin marami akong eyeglasses depende sa mood. Eto ang gusto ko.

‘Di ko afford eh kaya nandito rin siya sa list.

Hay naku. Yan na muna ang partial wish list ko. Next week ulet ang karugtong at mag-iisip pa ako. In the meantime maglalaba muna ako ha at nang may income naman ako.

Back to reality.

Hahaha!

Barrio Siete's Official Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre

Barrio Siete Collective Blog was conceived with a common goal of responsible freedom of expression, radical tracing of one’s provincial roots and the upholding of democracy via the written form of communication despite of various differences and diversity among its members.

One proof of this is the fact that Barrio Siete writers consist of members with different faiths (including Islam), with different financial and legal status, with different political views, with different ideologies, with different citizenship and with different principles in life.

Simply put it, we firmly believe in the spirit of Democracy in diversity armed with responsibility and civility. We consider ourselves as citizen journalist with Imbalanced News and Biased Views, precisely because we are not professional journalists. But despite of this we still try our very best to always present the two faces, if not, multiple faces on an issue. We are writers armed with “passion” to express what we believe in — FREEDOM and TRUTH.

But the recent Massacre in Maguindanao which murdered journalists, innocent civilians and political supporters including women threatened this same Freedom and Truth we are upholding in our blog. We are alarmed and appalled at the same time by the horrific and ghastly expression of usurpation of power and the lawlessness in our society by the very same people in the position who have sworn to protect us.

With this we at Barrio Siete dare to assume, given the circumstances of events, that implies lack of action and haste from our Philippine Government to bring to justice the men behind the attack, that killing of innocent lives for the sake of staying in power is utterly wrong, shameful and intrinsically evil.

We, the unified and solid bloggers and writers of Barrio Siete publicly condemn this gruesome ungodly act against freedom of speech and democracy in the strongest possible term.

Thus, with disgust and indignation and in support to all journalists around the world, we call on the Philippine Government under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to:

1. STOP negotiating with the alleged suspects under the guise of Sec. Dureza and arrest those who are responsible under the burden of proof found on the scene of the crime, circumstantial evidence or otherwise, including the testimony of several witnesses. We also ask the immediate preventive relief of the people implicated on the crime, so as not to influence the on-going investigation.

2. STOP issuing statements from the Palace mouthpieces but instead ACT on the case and bring to justice the alleged perpetrators. We ask the immediate placement of the area under Comelec control.

3. STOP and break all political ties on allies in the name of fairness.

4. ABOLISH all private armies on all sides of political affinity.

5. And lastly, STOP ALL THE STALLING AND PROLONGATION OF THE INVESTIGATION. BRING JUSTICE TO HASTE.

The implication of this massacre does not only involve journalists working on the mainstream media, but also on ordinary Filipino citizens, innocent people who are commonly called citizen journalists, and currently maintains 2 million blogs to date.

The lack of action from the Government is sending the wrong signal of tolerance and God forbid, might be repeated in the near future under a different name, different location and a different number of human lives wasted by diabolical inclination to gag freedom with the use of terror.

We ask all Filipino Bloggers, collective or individual otherwise, to make a stand against annihilation of the innocent, and uphold basic human rights to life and freedom of speech.

Barrio Siete stands by its statement.

AS AGREED UPON AND COLLABORATIVELY WRITTEN BY BARRIO SIETE WRITERS

VIP

They should’ve at least given their side.

They should’ve at least released an official statement.

They should’ve at least shown themselves in public.

They should’ve at least surrendered to the proper authorities.

But NO.



They preferred to keep their mouths shut.

They preferred to close their offices and power nests.

They preferred to guard themselves more with private armies.

They preferred to stay and hide in the comforts of their palaces.

They preferred to display power over law.

And the government are tolerating them.

Debt of gratitude?

Where’s your so-called power now Gloria?



Why don’t you just cuddle them Sec. Dureza?

And Sec. Ermita, how long is the process of arresting the suspects?



Do you need limousines, champagne and caviar to pick them up?

Maybe you could all give the Filipino people a favour.


Go to hell.

Death Monday

It was supposed to be another day.

It was supposed to be a promising day.

It was supposed to be a day of hope.

It was supposed to be Monday.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the case for some of our brothers and sisters in Maguindanao.
It was their final day.



The massacre in Shariff Aguak claimed many lives including women who were sexually abused before they were killed. Mutilated bodies were already found as of this morning.

Sadly, members of the media were not spared from being killed. This is the worst media killing in the history of the world. Yes, even worse than journalists killed in war-raged Afghanistan and Iraq.

I wonder what President Gloria Arroyo will do now?

The massacre was allegedly perpetrated by those who helped her win the presidency by massive cheating.

May God bless the souls of the victims.

May they rest in peace.

And thank God for the four people who survived to tell the story.

Winners All

Congratulations to everyone who's in this list.

Well, not everyone actually.

Efren Penaflorida

Dahil bilang CNN Hero of the Year, hindi mo lang binigyan ng karangalan ang ating bayan kundi ikaw ay isang inspirasyon sa lahat ng tao. Mabuhay ka Efren and Congratulations! Nawa'y tularan ka ng mga nag-aambisyon na makatuntong sa palasyo.

Sandra Seifert

Dahil ikaw ay tinanghal na Miss Air sa katatapos lang na Miss Earth 2009. Kahit 'di mo man nakuha ang highest title ay panalo ka pa rin sa puso namin. You make us very proud.

Rhap Salazar

Dahil ikaw ay lumabas na rin sa Ellen Degeneres Show at malamang ay sundan mo na rin ang mga yapak ng best friend mong si Charice. Good luck sa karera mo.

Jericho Rosales

Dahil gwapo ka pa rin at improving na ang english mo. Hahaha! Congratulations sa bago mong album. I heart you so much. LOL

Manny Pacquiao

Dahil isa kang magaling na boxer. Period.

Jinkee Pacquiao

Dahil despite the controversy ay nananatili ka pa ring matatag at least sa harap ng publiko. Do it for your children though and not because of publicity.

Hermes and Chanel

Dahil depressed ngayon si Jinkee Pacquiao, malamang kayo ang magiging comforter niya.


Meanwhile, where art thou Krista Ranillo?

Ayaw ni Lola Gloria Sevilla sa ginawa mo.

Foxy

After 48,000 episodes, America’s Next Top Model Cycle 13 has finally announced its winner and it’s none other than Nicole Fox.



In fairness, deserving naman ang bruhang ‘to na manalo over runner up Laura Kirkpatrick.



Cycle 13 of America’s Next Top Model is the first cycle with all the contestants 5’7” and below.



Nicole is actually 5’7” so not bad.




Sana maging successful siya like other shorter models like

Kate Moss,


Jaime Rishar,


and Josie Maran.


Congratulations Nicole!

Pasalamat ka at hindi ako umabot sa auditions kundi malamang nilampaso na kita sa lahat ng photo shoots.

Hahahaha!

Missing

Whoa!

It’s been awhile since my last post here in my blog noh? Seems like 48 years already and tinutubuan na ng talahib ang balay ko. Eh kasi naman I’m so busy with a lot of things, both sa work, personal life and of course, extra-curricular activities. Hahaha!



Anyway, sa awa naman ng mga diyosa ng kagandahan ay buhay pa ako kahit na I sometimes wish I had three more of myself to help me with stuff that I want to finish. Wish ko lang may ganun na nabibili sa shopping malls at malamang bibili talaga ako ng tatlo. I need two to finish all of my paperworks before the year ends. I need one to fill my social calendar, charing! Yun bang walang gagawin kundi mag-lakwatsa at gumimik ng bonggang-bongga. And siyempre all I need to do na lang is to relax, read a book, listen to music beside the beach and perhaps sleep all day long.

Ang saya nun ‘di ba?

So, kamusta na kayo mga people?

Matagal-tagal na rin akong hindi nakaka-bisita sa mga paborito kong blogs ng mga diyosa and other tambayan ha. Pasensya na kayo. Bibisitahin ko rin kayo someday. Hahaha! Charing! Miss ko na kayong lahat lalo na yung mga mabait sa’kin at pinapatambay nila ako sa mga balay nila. Kamusta na kaya si Manang Mandaya Moore? I heard nagbabalik ulet si ranger. Eh si Ate G, saan na naman kaya sila naglakwatsa ni Ate Don. Sana umabot sila ng Africa para may amazing photoshoots ulet na safari ang theme. Sina Ate Kiks, Ate AA and Ate Kiel ay globetrotting din sa Europe, bongga! Sana lang may pasalubong noh. Hahaha! Miss ko na rin sina Joms, Dave and Ewik. Mukhang nagmamalditahan na naman ang dalawang huli kong binanggit sa blogs nila. Mga bruha talaga ang dalawang ‘to, kulang na lang ay magsabunutan in person. Hahaha! Meanwhile, si Ate Jase sana nanalo dun sa contest na sinalihan niya, twice kaya akong bumoto. Flying voter ako noh. Hehehe. Hindi na rin ako nakakapunta sa balay ni Ate Lyka. Saan kaya sila pupunta ng mga step-sisters niya this holiday season?

Anyway, yung mga kapatid ko sa Barrio, pasensya na rin kayo at medyo madalang na rin ang pagbisita ko. At least kahit papaano ay nagkikita pa rin tayo sa kapihan ni Aling Karing. Hahaha! Ate Reynz, you take care, I'm sure importante ang lakad mo. May pupuntahan ka bang boylet? Charing lang! Hehehe. Snow, welcome back nga pala sa blogosphere. Glad to know that you are now in good hands sa new host mo. Same to you Ateng Lee, welcome back, balakuback! Kuya Bluep, hayaan mo na ang mga detractors mo, nagngingitngit yun lalo sa galit dahil panay ang press mo sa Ignore button. Hahaha! Kuya Rob, ano nga ulet ang icocontribute ko sa balay mo? Nakaka-tense ha. Ate Glow, miss na kita. Lalo na ang bangayan natin with your favourite icon Kris Aquino. Hahaha! Ate Antonette, kamusta ang homecoming? Ateng Ajay, hope you’re okay too. Sana ninang kaming lahat sa barrio paglabas ng baby mo. Hahaha! Si Ate Chuva and Reesie mukhang busy rin sa mga lakwatsa nila, ingat kayo ha. Don't forget to send pasaluong. Hahaha! Maldito, may ipapagawa ako sa'yo. Alam mo na yun. Yung ipapabugbog ko diyan sa SM. Hahaha! Silver, nagpapasabi si Aling Karing, mahaba na raw ang listaha mo sa tindahan niya. LOL. Sa iba ko pang kapatid sa Barrio, hello and kamusta na rin. Yung may pinapadalang gulay, kape at regalo sa Facebook, pasensya na at lahat ng iyon ay napupunta sa recycle bin. Hahaha! Hindi talaga ako mahilig sa Farmtown, Mafia Wars at kung anu-ano pang games doon. Alam niyo naman, hindi ako techie. Hayaan niyo at someday magpapaturo ako kay Kuya Jepoy na mahilig sa games. Hehehe!

Oo nga pala, bago ko makalimutan, may nabasa akong malungkot na news. Ang favourite kong si Siege eh magsasara na rin ng blog niya. Haaaay! Anyway, I hope he’ll be back soon.

Sa iba ko pang co-boggers na hindi ko namention, kamusta na rin sa inyo and I hope you are doing okay lalo na yung mga nasa overseas. At dun sa mga kapwa ko busy sa mga buhay nila and medyo napapabayaan na rin ang mga balay nila sa blogosphere, take time to relax, enjoy and see a movie. Charing! Huwag masyadong seryosohin ang buhay at nakakapangit at nakakatanda ito. Hahaha! Hindi ako nagbibiro ha. Tingnan niyo na lang yung mga madalas mang-okray dun sa barrio lalo na kung pulitika ang pag-uusapan. Ang chachaka! Hahaha!

One more thing, I've deleted my twitter account because of phishing kaya kung ka-twitter ko kayo ay malamang nabawasan kayo ng isang magandang follower. Hahaha!

Hanggang dito na lamang po at magre-resume na ako sa panunood ng Gossip Girl.




P.S.
Mahal ko na yata si Trip Van der Bilt.


photo source: here

OA

What’s the buzz?

A lot, and it’s kinda maalat. Hahaha!

Especially in the world of politics nowadays, juice ko nakakaloka lalo na nung lumabas ang controversial video ni Senator Noynoy Aquino called Hindi Ka Nag-iisa featuring popular showbiz personalities showing their support for Noy.



I’m sure nakita niyo nay an sa mga tv ninyo and as usual, not all of us liked it lalo na yung mga hindi maka-showbiz. Read: mga bitter at puno ng angst sa buhay. Hahaha!

Oo, bitter kayo at puno ng angst. Or perhaps, hindi na kayo dinadalaw ng buwanang regla? Menopause much? Hahaha!

Tse!

Sa totoo lang, when I first saw the video, medyo kinilabutan ako and medyo napapaas ang kilay. Sa dami ba naman ng artistang nandun ay inaakala kong station ID or something.

Anyway, fast forward. Kuya Bluep wrote an interesting article in Barrio Siete about the controversial video and it kinda irked the nega-star fans of Noynoy Aquino.Read it HERE.
As usual, pointing out the absence of platforms and even calling the video reminiscent of Hitler and the Nazi. Kuya Buraot also responded to this nakakalokang ‘opinion’ in Barrio Siete. Read the article HERE.

Alam niyo, perhaps like everybody else, I’m positive about Noy as my choice for the presidency. But honestly, medyo worried din ako because totoo na his platform is not yet clear. I’ve heared him speak in public and answered questions from the people, but all in all hindi pa nga klaro.

I stand by my choice though.

Let’s just say, I’m hopeful and I see some light in his way.

It’s called diva instincts. Of course, kayong mga panget na kritiko don’t have that. Hahaha! What you have is an overflowing supply of ampalaya in your lives. Charing!

I know mine is a popular choice and yours is the chaka one.

Neknek niyo!

And please lang, don't over-complicate the simple video. Margaret Thatcher's level of intelligence is not required to view a Spice Girls video. Not that sinasabi ko na ka-level niyo na ang intelligence ng lola ko ha. Sinabi ko lang yan para bumuka ang mga atay at balun-balunan niyo. Hahahaha! Huwag niyong masyadong i-feel. So much. Hahaha!



photo from Barrio Siete

Tag Leash

Sometime this week, La Kapitana emailed us Barrio Siete writers about an article featured in an online broadsheet where the use of Tag-lish or Tagalog-English is being discouraged by some ‘experts’.



Read the article HERE.

Of course, medyo tumaas ang kilay ko dito.

You see, I’m not very fluent in writing or speaking English because first of all, I’m not from England. Charing! Kidding aside, I’m just not used to it because it’s not my mother tongue. Isa pa, medyo hindi ako confident sa paggamit nito dahil nga sa takot na ma-correct ng mga nazi diyan sa tabi-tabi.
Note: sa mga grammar nazi diyan neknek niyo. Hahaha!

Anyway, sino ba itong mga experts na ito na nagdidiscourage ng pagsasalita ng Tag-lish?

Malamang mga anti-Kris Aquino ang mga ‘to at pati ang favourite kong si Ate Kris ay ginawa pang bad example dahil mahilig sa Tag-lish. Hoy mga matandang hukluban, kung wala kayong matinong magawa ay tumulong na lang kayo sa isa pang matanda na nagho-hoard ng imported donations sa mga warehouse at magtulong-tulong kayong mag impake at magbalot para ipamigay sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo. Bruha kang Carolina Gustilo de Ocampo ka at sinisiraan mo pa si Ate Kris, ginawa mo pang bad example. Kelangan mo yata ng publicity eh hindi ka naman sikat. Gaga! LOL.

Clearly, these experts could not understand that Tag-lish is an alternative way of communicating lalo na sa popular culture.

The influence of popular celebrities using this kind of ‘language’ should not be solely blamed at them if according to ‘expert’s studies’, the use of Tag-lish is indeed bad especially with children. Nakakabobo raw.

Medyo contradicting din yata ang statement ng naturang bruha at ng kanyang mga na-cite na ‘expert opinions’ because like Kris Aquino who is a Literature major, hindi naman ito naging balakid in terms of the way she communicates. In fact either way magaling si Ate Kris noh. Hahaha!

Kung bobita man ang mga anak niyo ay kasalanan niyo rin yan dahil chaka ang genes niyo. Hindi niyo rin tinuruan ng maayos at magplano ng quality time sa kanila. Pagbasahin niyo ng librong purong ingles at purong tagalog.

Huwag niyong hayaan sa maglaro ng Farmville or Mafia Wars at iba pang online games. Yan ang mas nakakaadik sa mga bata. Huwag niyong paglaruin ng PSP dahil nakakasama din yan lalo sa kalusugan. Kinakalimutan ang tamang oras ng pagkain dahil laro lang ng laro ang inaatupag. Ang mas masama ay ginagawa pa itong ‘bonding time’ kuno ng ilang parents. Hoy! Sinong lolokohin niyo eh gusto niyo ring maglaro dahil ‘deprived’ kayo sa ganitong mga laro nung mga bata pa kayo. Hahaha!

Yan ang mas bigyan niyo ng pansin at hindi ang salitang ginagamit ng mga tao sa pakikipag-usap.

Isa pa, kyut pakinggan ang magsalita ng Tag-lish noh. Tunong konyo. Hahaha!

Leche. Nabibwisit ako sa balitang ‘to!

Sa mga lawmakers naman, unahin niyo muna ang problema n gating bansa lalo na yung mga walang makain at mga nasalanta ng bagyo. Huwag niyo nang pakialaman ang bagay na ito.

Prioritise!



photo credit: Daily Mail UK

You

Dear You,



Are you okay?

I noticed that you are not fine these past few days.
Is it because of the cough, colds and headache you’ve been enduring or the stress from work and your life in general?

Well, I just hope you’ll do fine in the coming days.
You have so much stuff to do and a lot of people are counting on you.

Your blog has been quiet for a few days.
Are you experiencing what they call writer’s block?
I know you’re not because I’ve read your recent contributions in the barrio.

Don’t forget your own home though.

I know you have so much to tell and I’m looking forward to it.

I hope that this absence is just temporary because I always visit your blog everyday hoping to hear one of your misadventures and stories as well as stories from your co-bloggers in your sidebar.

Please write soon.

I miss you.



Love,
Me