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Showing posts with label philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philippines. Show all posts
12.21.2012
On Janine Tugonon's Becoming Ms Universe 2012's First Runner Up
I'm grateful to have seen the video above being broadcast live on TV with others including good friends last Wednesday December 19th. And we have been doing this group-event for a year or two now. I bravely predicted Janine Tugonon would win the top plum post of this beauty pageant. But I missed it by a point because the judges didn't agree with my prediction.
You could just imagine why viewers were disappointed, including those among friends who were with me viewing the proceedings, and who are among serious enthusiasts of international beauty pageants like this. I'm into it mainly because I like watching it with friends, or else, I won't watch it alone at home (I've got better things to do while at home where I make my business more profitable and make myself happy).
I've come to realized that some, including those among the judges, can't stand the truth when beauty is before them. Janine really performed and brought home the bacon, so to speak. Proof of the observation that some people can't deal with the truth more honestly is how online viewers would go out of their way to disparage Janine Tugonon. You see the same behavior from people who destroy beautiful objects of art (be of religious topic, something cultural, books, or even cute animals), as they can't stand the sight of beauty before themselves. Have you seen how some people smirk and become nervous at the sight of something impossibly beautiful before them? That's something similar to what happened in the Ms. Universe 2012 pageant.
And I read Facebook remarks that Janine was well deserving of losing as she looks like a typical Filipina maid, and so that she should not be 'Ms. Universe 2012.' And we won't dwell anymore here about post-colonial thoughts that the judges couldn't stand having someone from a former US colony winning over the Mother country itself---silly thoughts to have here, actually. The world, since those years, have moved and continues to circle around the sun.
Look here, now. Standards of beauty and elegance are always changing and evolving. I'm just amazed that a number of those Latina beauties didn't make it to the top 5, considering that they've usually made it to the ranks in the past decades. Also, note that Ms. Angola, who's a stunningly beautiful, smart black lady, was Ms. Universe 2011---an idea that would have been unimaginable many decades ago to happen in beauty pageants like this one ---even one of my good friends that night still can't get over the idea that a black person would win this beauty contest as I heard him made silly remarks again (loud laughter!) about her looks.
My good American friend, who was born and raised here in the East Coast, was with us during the TV viewing event. He won't be watching this show alone by himself, except that he thought it could be fun watching it with others as he had nothing better to do and won't go to bed soon even if he had an early flight the next day. He said 'it's a mixed bag,' as he's biased (just like myself and anyone of us). He thought Janine really did well and she deserved to win as Ms. Universe 2012. And he even made remarks that run along the idea that the men (or straight men) among the judges might had been thinking about who among these women would they want to get to bed with---this is, of course, a tasteless remark. But I can imagine that it can really be among the thoughts of the (straight male) judges while in the process of judging the contestants. What are these beauty pageants all about but mainly to emphasize that physical traits of beauty reign supreme over something more subtle and beneath the skin? And the whole proceedings are mainly done repeatedly annually for marketing purposes with huge budgets---look at how happy Mr. Trump could be as some huge groups of people are talking about his franchise.
And actually, you have to recall that Janine did win. She's among the top 5 finalists, and she landed first runner-up. Not everybody among the rest of the contestants can be in her position, except Ms. USA. With that, it means she's among the most beauteous ladies from her ranks, and nobody can deny her (and her supporters) that, even the meanest critics among us. For that, I have to be grateful and I'm looking forward to more winnings for Philippine contestants (also from those in the USA, where I've been based for sometime now) in the years to come from seemingly petty, silly, stupid international beauty contests like this.
11.24.2010
12.29.2009
Some Philippine Travel Tips
Making your travel to the Philippines become worthy of your valuable leisure time requires taking the extra time to prepare before the actual trip itself. You'll be helped a lot by taking time to listen to someone who has lived the first 40 years of his life back in the Philippines. Here's a list of 14 tips, mostly not from the books, for you to consider:
11.17.2008
Ako'y Sayo at Ika'y Akin (Acoustic cover) - Iaxe [literally: "I'm Yours Alone, and You are Mine Alone"]
It's in Tagalog, as everyone from the Philippines knows something about the song. It's a particularly melodious tone, played acoustic style, with lyrics that describe one's raw affectionate emotions for someone ...for 2 nights in a row, I tried to get to listen to it on YouTube. I remembered the song, after reading a friend's profile. Something was wrong with YouTube last night, but tonight, I got to listen to it, finally, gratefully.
Tears were soon flowing down my eyes. I could just cry, as memories unfolded in my mind, and I freely went along with my emotions showing. I remember my partner who's in the Philippines. I just feel so lonely, just so lonely, now that it's in the low 40s here in NYC; it's just getting colder. I know this is gonna be over soon. I know I'll be better sometime. Thank God!
11.12.2008
Disgrace
Disgrace by J.M. CoetzeeMy review
This is one of those books I got to read while in transit via the subway to & fro my destinations to my other gigs. I've kept this book for over a year now, and thought, and have confirmed that it's actually very readable (I read it in less than 3 days), even with a lot of distractions while on the subway.
I won't detail down the story, as it's obviously giving away its very structure. But reading this book comes with it different levels of experience. It's got a well delineated story to begin with, interesting characters, and a context that makes one think about the conflicting attitudes of people who have undergone the terrible processes of "colonization" as against that of someone coming from a country that "colonizes," and continuing into the views of those who have "colonized," with whom I tend to share my feelings of empathy as the original country where I come from is the Philippines (the farthest country, being in SouthEast Asia, that used to be part of the great colonized-countries of the empire of Spain). I can just imagine how development directions of the Philippines would have been far progressive if it was not given up by the British when it momentarily took possession as a prize of the Philippines after winning a naval war against Spain off Manila Bay during the 18th century. But I'd like to remain grateful for Spain for the heritage that the Philippines has got now, nevertheless.
Yet, reading "Disgrace," makes me to continue thinking about my position. It's not always a comforting thought to be part of a colonized country. Colonizers are basically driven by greed of all forms, and certainly, they're known to be cruel, no matter how you look at it. "Colonizing" has a debasing nature clinging to it. "Disgrace" has that after effect on me, that it has got me thinking about the Philippines, given its experiences of being a colony of Spain, and later on by the USA. But I'd rather focus on the collective gains, rather than the terrible sufferings, which are all recorded anyway, in historical books.
I'm surprised that J.M. Coetzee's "Disgrace" is rather light to read. He's got that compelling writing style that appeals to my tastes of books I'd like to read. The top characters exhibit such levels of passion, raw eroticism. And this is the first book I read about "animal rights" being shoved into my face, so to say, with me getting to appreciate such rights, and getting myself into pondering about my own existence. And I soon got to know that Coetzee's been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. How excellent that could be!
View all my reviews.
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