where the moon shines

These are two foreign acts coming to Manila in July. We want to see both. Since Alfred heard about Incubus’ coming here, he’s asked me to go. Since I noticed the Facebook ad for Varekai, I’ve wanted to go. It sucks that both costs a lot, and are happening in the same month.

Do you set aside a specific amount of money for entertainment each month? It’s just that we’ve been to the movies three times in three weeks, and all trips involved eating out as well. There have been dine outs in between too. It’s become really expensive.

I’m planning on a No Resto Week. I won’t eat in restaurants this week. If I have work, I’ll eat in the pantry or bring food. When we get home, it’s either home cooked or my Dad provides it. Or we’ll buy ulam from a carinderia. If my colleagues invite me to eat out (specially since it’s payday week), maybe I can convince them to pay for my meal, haha!

The money I’ll save will probably be able to pay for the cheapest ticket to Varekai for one person. I hear steiner binoculars won’t be necessary even with the lowest priced seat – the venue is intimate enough that everyone has a good view of the performers. Cool!

Alfred isn’t too sure about Incubus anymore, so that’s one expense we won’t have to shell out for.

Why do I want to see Varekai so badly? It isn’t just the hype, nor is it because all the IT crowd go to see it. I’ve always wanted to see the greatest show on earth, and Cirque du Soleil promises that. I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, seeing them perform is definitely going to be on it. A trip to Vegas isn’t in my near future, so them coming to the Philippines is a chance I just do not want to pass up.

Since seeing the animated stop-motion (amazing!) film Coraline, I can’t stop thinking about how I want all stuff Coraline!

I want an actual plushy, or the doll spy for the Other Mother, but these bendy ones are nice to look at too:

And this set, although with the same outfits, has more interesting facial expressions! (Read the review on these dolls from Captain Toy):

This one you can’t take to bed with you:

Sigh. I want Coraline collectibles! I won’t shop for them, but if I see them in local shops I probably won’t be able to keep myself from buying! Hahaha.

Seriously. I want posters and miniatures of stuff from the film. If they had advertising flags or teasers I want those too. Have you seen the variety of teasers they had to promote the movie?

Oh and checkout Coraline.Com and have the circus mice do one like this for you

Anyhoo. So much for a random post from me.

I was a kid in a time when the world realized how important it was to protect children. In 1990, the UN and its member states ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That year was also the beginning of my being a child rights advocate. UNCRC is already 20 years old, I wish I could proudly say that I’d been a CRC advocate for the same number of years, but I could not. Sadly, when I left NGO work about 6 years ago, much of my advocacy stopped too. I don’t even remember the facts anymore.

Of course I hadn’t intended it to be that way. If anything, I thought that allowing myself the freedom to live a different life would afford me more free time and resources to be involved in other child-focused advocacies. I was wrong.

I’d like to think that I still carry it in me, that in some way I am still an advocate for children’s rights. The recent issue of Willing Willie and the accusations of Child Abuse thrown against them has reawakened that spirit.

The issue has gone the rounds of social media sites for over a week. I have reserved my comment though my blood boils every time I read or hear about it. For awhile, I resisted viewing the video of the 6-year-old – being contented with the description of how he was in tears as he danced for the crowd. I could already see him in my mind, and I could hear Willie’s voice prodding him on and adding more drama to what already was a very sad scene.

I refuse to post the Youtube video of the kid on my blog, I will not even tweet you a link to it.

Call me OA (over-acting), but I sincerely believe that leaving that video online for all to see is just the same as telling the boy to keep on dancing his sexy macho dance. It’s no different from what Willie, the production team, the network, and even the audience, did to the little boy. We take a stand against child pornography right? Saying that mere possession and viewing illicit content is a violation of the child’s rights. Well I say the same about the boy’s video.

But I did watch it. I saw the 1-minute video that was shared on Twitter. It was enough for me to form an opinion. I do not wish to see it again, and I do not think others need to watch it.

* The boy was crying as soon as he started dancing. Whether he was crying out of fear of Bonel Balingit (a towering giant who happened to be at the show that day), or out of humiliation for what he was being asked to do – he should not have been made to continue, much less repeat the dance. He could have cried out of stage fright and not because he was ashamed, nonetheless, he should have been asked to stop. Does he really have to dance? All he needs to do is answer a question correctly in order to win a prize. Yes, he might have joined up and said that his talent was dancing, but if he changed his mind and was suddenly all too shy to do it in front of millions of people – then he shouldn’t have had to continue.

* Last night, the boy and his family appeared on the show. I refused to tune in and watch. Whether the family intends to file a complaint against the show is irrelevant. Protecting the child’s rights is a State duty. Violation of children’s rights, Child abuse, is a crime. Just because the parents don’t know better doesn’t right a wrong.

* I do not understand WW’s and TV5’s apology.  Neither do I accept it. There was no admission of wrongdoing. In fact, they have been trying to salvage the host and the show’s reputation. The timing of the awarding for their 7 millionaires and its feature in Paparazzi last weekend is very suspicious. TV5, and all other networks, should come up with very clear guidelines on children and minors appearing in their shows – whether as actors or show contestants.

Maybe we’re barking at the wrong tree. Willie has done other things that were met with public outrage and he has gone away with it. He earns 80,000USD a day doing Willing Willie (source: Cristy Fermin, Paparazzi 3/27/11). No doubt he feels that he is untouchable. Writing to TV5’s president is probably not going to work either – after all, Willie is currently the most bankable star in their roster. Would they risk losing him the way ABSCBN did by attempting to discipline him? I don’t think so.

But the advertisers should be different. It is their money funding the show. They should demand more from its hosts and from the network.

I’ll see you again, this side or the other.

I saw this movie on DVD the other day and I truly enjoyed it. I expected dull moments because there wasn’t much hype around here about this film (and I honestly don’t remember it having been shown in local cinemas) but I also expected a decent plot because it came highly recommended by a colleague who loves watching movies. He was much surprised that it was Written and Directed by Ben Affleck. He did a splendid job, if I may say so.

The setting: Charlestown. The bank robbery capital of America. The protagonists: the bad guys – a band of bank robbers. It doesn’t help that characterization for the FBI isn’t one you would empathize with. My loyalty was definitely with the bad guys. The redeeming factor? Doug did genuinely want to leave it all behind.

While watching I couldn’t help but wonder if there really was a place in Boston called Charlestown, and there is. The locals (predominantly Irish-Catholic) were called Townies, and there were Tunies (also mentioned in the flick) who later on came in to populate the place as well. Apparently, there also was a time in its history when Charlestown did have that reputation for being highly concentrated with bank robbers, but that is a thing of the past. Like most other neighborhoods, it is populated by good people with a bit of the bad.

Here’s a photo of a street in Charlestown (source):

Apart from the awesome action scenes (car chase, gunfight, robbery), what was notable in the movie for me was how there was not much judgement for the robbers themselves. If anything, there was a sense of awe and respect for the way they planned the heist, along with the brilliant execution. For the most part, they seemed like normal people who had family and friends. Normal people who have had to deal with their own blown out personal issues. Funny how the streets of Charlestown actually felt safe even when you knew you were among criminals (as if I actually walked their streets ).

I will have to say that even though some of the plot elements were predictable the treatment was fresh, and there were still some unexpected twists.

The film is based on a novel, can’t wait to lay my hands on that too.

Check out the trailer after the jump.

(more…)

Who hasn’t been envious of Oprah’s audience on her annual reveal of her Favorite Things? I know I’ve been jealous of the luxurious freebies since the first time I saw one such episode on TV. This year’s list is even more amazing, what with it being the last season of The Oprah Show, that’s not a big surprise. You can head on over to Oprah.Com to check out the full list, but here are the ones I’d specifically LOVE to have from there:

Hope in a Jar - Oprah.com

I’ve heard of this product before, in fact I’ve read a lot of positive reviews for Hope in a Jar by Philosophy. And I keep checking back at the Beauty Bar if they have it marked down so I can finally get me a jar. It is a little too pricey for the average person, but I heard it said that it is all worth it. Maybe I’ll have my first jar next year. I am happy with the moisturizer I currently use (Myra E), but we all deserve a little pampering every once in a while and it wouldn’t hurt that it will make us look more presentable. If I do get a jar, I probably won’t use it daily anyway.

Le Creuset - Oprah.com

Oh this would be wonderful to have! The Pioneer Woman has had several giveaways featuring this brand of cookware. Now if only I actually cooked.

Miraclebody Jeans - Oprah.Com

They say these jeans will instantly make you 10lbs lighter, I want one! I want the skinny version, specially since my one and only skinny-looking pair has given up on him. The zip’s broken and I haven’t had time to take it in for repair.

Jessica Leigh Diamond Earrings - Oprah.Com

I don’t own any diamonds and this would be a wonderful first pair, if ever I do get to own one. Very elegant, classy, and doesn’t scream – KIDNAP ME I’M WEARING DIAMONDS!

VW 2010 Beetle - Oprah.Com

We were once Beetle owners and so, this VW model will always have a soft spot in our hearts. But if the old Beetle was the people’s car, these modern ones have become too expensive for us common folks. The silhouette for the 2012 Beetle looks exciting, and looks more like the original version. The audience members are so lucky to be getting one for free!

Baker's Edge Baking Pan - Oprah.Com

No more worrying about getting the perfect edge for each individual brownie!

Netflix - Oprah.Com

How I wish this was available here. Is Apple TV available in the Philippines? If we had this, maybe it’ll keep us Pinoys off torrent sites that don’t respect Intellectual Property Rights.

Royal Carribean Allure of the Seas - Oprah.Com

I’ve never been on a cruise and would love to be on one. I wonder if the boyfriend would entertain an Asian cruise for honeymoon?

Sony Bravia 3d - Oprah.Com

As Oprah put it, it’s definitely a Wow-er.

Tory Burch Tote and Flats - Oprah.Com

Tory Burch flats, I’ve heard, are ultra comfortable. A pair of these would send me to heaven, and the tote would be a nice bonus.

It’s also wonderful that Oprah encouraged those who received her gifts this year, to also give. The DonorsChoose Gift Card from Bing.Com and the Kiva cards are precious!

DonorsChoose - Oprah.Com

Kiva Gift Card - Oprah.Com

Oh well, at least I do have two things from that list: the iPad, and the Scrabble app for iPad. Haha!

*All photos in this post are courtesy of Oprah.Com