Nothing , really. I just want to share some cuteness and fluff. Ta – da !
Alright, enough. I want you to know this is just a filler. I;m still wondering if I can post what’s burning on my mind at the moment, or forever suppress it .
Should I post it, or shouldn’t I ? I’m sure I’m going to offend some innocent, good folks again. I just want peace and goodwill to all men, and close my eyes to evil deeds that are going on in the world . Don’t rock the boat. Just smell the roses, and hope for the best. As long as it doesn’t affect me and my livelihood……….
By the way, right now, it’s 112 F in my city. That’s 44 C. It’s climate change, folks. So, what are we going to do about it ? Get ready for it in the years to come.
Taal Volcano in the Philippines exploded again last week. It also erupted on Jan. 15, 2020. The volcano was still spewing smoke when we had lunch there one month after the eruption.
It’s the smallest volcano in the world. The volcano’s mouth is the one protruding from the lake. Can you see it ?
Photo below was taken in 2014 .
About 100, 000 were evacuated before the eruption last week.
The eruption last year destroyed large banana, coffee, pineapple, and flower farms. On a positive note, it will make the land around the volcano very, very fertile.
Once again, volcanic ash will envelop Manila.
The Philippines is a country the size of California ( actually, smaller ) but has 300 volcanoes, 53 of which are active. It belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire, and its volcanoes rank as the most deadly and costly in the world. Nice.
The biggest eruption in 20th century also happened in the Philippines in 1991. ___Mt.Pinatubo’s. It was the only eruption that penetrated the stratosphere____ and lowered the earth’s temperature by .5 C.
When it comes to natural disasters, the Philippines is truly a favorite punching bag of nature. It has only 2 seasons____ wet and dry____ Wet is from June to November. The country is visited by at least 20 typhoons every year, with at least 5 being very destructive. Typhoon Yolanda ( Haiyan ) in 2013 was the most destructive so far. It was a Super Typhoon that was off the charts. A 220 km/hour or 135 miles/hr. is a Super Typhoon , a category 5 storm. Yolanda was 195 miles/hour or 312 km/hr.
The Philippines is said to be “the most exposed country in the world to tropical storms. ”
Why don’t we listen and watch this music video WHAT? from one of my favorite Philippine boyband SB 19 while I ‘m taking stock of my thoughts at the moment. The music video is dope !
Obssesed much ? Not really, just shamelessly plugging and totally hyped up, because , finally, we see an animated Filipino female hero that is shown on a hugely popular platform that is Netflix.
With that out of the way, let’s check out the cast of main characters.
Alexandra Trese ——–Shay Mitchell, plays as Emily Fields ,the teen lesbian in the TV series, Pretty Little Liars and a half-Filipina.
Anton Trese-, Santelmo————-Carlos Alazraqui, a veteran voice actor.
Captain Guerrero——Matthew Yang King, a veteran voice actor
Hank, Xa-MUL —————–JonJon Briones, who plays a Filipino psychiarist who runs the hospital in Ratched, and as Grand Chancellor Ariel in American Horror Story.
Mayor Sancho Santamaria ——— Lou Diamond Philips , starred in Young Guns, Stand and Deliver, as Richie Valens in La Bamba, The Prodigal Son, Longmire, The First Power, The Night Stalker, The 33 and many more. He is of Filipino descent.
Marco Guerrero—————- Darren Crissof TV show , Glee, and also starred as the Filipino serial killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace ( Cunanan was half Filipino as Darren Criss is ) and won Emmy’s Best Actor and Golden Globe and he also stars in Hollywood in which he plays as the director of The Good Earth ( 1938 movie where a white actress played a Chinese girl, which later won her an Oscar) but who wanted a Chinese _American to play the part, but he himself couldn’t say to anyone he was part -Filipino because he looked white, so he just went with the flow.
Nuno, Bagyon Lectro——— Eric Bauza, a Filipino -Canadian and who is now the new voice of some Loony Tune Characters like Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Tweety, Speeedy Gonzales, , and title character in Netflix’s The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Marvin the Martian, Pepe Le Pew, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Chairman Drek from Ratchet and Clank Video Game [OMG, I didn’t know this ! I played all the games from 1 to 4 ] and he’s the voice of tons more ! !
Miranda Trese ———— voiced by Nicole Scherzinger, a member of popular PussyCat Dolls, a girl group during the 90’s, and is Filipina , whose real name is Nicole Valiente.
Bagyon Kulimlim———- voiced by Dante Basco, a Filipino, who played as Rufio in Hook, head of the Lost Boys, and Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender and he is Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long.
The Twins, Basilio and Crispin ———–Griffin Puatu , a professional voice actor, of Filipino descent
Maliksi, the car racer—————-Manny Jacinto, Filipino-Canadian actor who plays the “dumb” playboy in NBC series The Good Place.
Datu Talagbusao, Ibwa————– Steve Blum, veteran American voice actor.
Jay Oliva is the executive director of TRESE, also a Filipino-American, who is a storyboard artist, and film director of numerous Marvel and DC animated comics, such as The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 & 2, Flashpoint Paradox, Deadpool, Thor 3 , Justice League, Green Lantern, Legend of Korra, The Titans, and will be directing the animated version of Army of the Dead.
Maybe he is the reason why TRESE gives me that DC/Marvel vibes, rather than a typical Japanese anime. He says he’s enthusiastic to do this because it is part of his Filipino heritage.
Sorry that I’m shamelessly plugging the anime that depicts Filipino folklore ,mythology and urban legends. I’ve had enough of mecha robots , Zues, Dracula and Thor.
Problem is, Netflix does abandon even their own project if it doesn’t get enough audience. I want a Season 2. Philippine mythology offers so much more than are shown in this anime .
So, please watch on Netflix.
Next, I’m going to post an honest review and a few explanations. Six episodes are not enough to flush out the characters of Trese, both humans and supernaturals .
For a long time, I have kept the real “Me” from my WordPress readers. I’ve been reading manga, watching animes , and playing video games since Methusela’s time. The photo below is my manga collection. I don’t need to show my dvd collection of animes. i have a lot. LOL You can see a part of my video game collection in the pic below, the one on the left. Nowadays, I buy video games from PlayStation store, which are uploaded directly into the console. ( I prefer to have the physical copy, but, it is what it is. New Tech, y’know? )
I’m also very much interested in the paranormal. I love archeology, mystery stories, detective stories, Zombies_____ apocalypse. Oh, I do read books_____ although I prefer crime novels, and Tom Clancy ,John Grisham and James Patterson type .
I do want to write about stuff that I like, however, I’m aware of my blogsite’s demography. Although some are into one or two of subject matters that I like, majority are not. So, I ask, what the heck am I going to talk about here? Good thing I’m into politics, too. My only problem talking politics is that my opinions tend to be very harsh and cringy. I lost a lot of subscribers because of that, LOL.
Anyway………….. About the title……..
It’s taken a while to get to the crux of the matter.
Here it is________
I ___ am_____ a _____ UFO/ UAP______ enthusiast.
I know that any conversation on UFO/UAP always has stigma and ridicule attached to it. So, why am I coming out now ? In case you haven’t noticed, UFOs are all over the news now. Most significantly, the government aka military has finally , albeit grudgingly , acknowledged the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. UAP. The military will face the US Senate on June 21, 2020 to answer some questions. I’m glad this conversation has gone mainstream.
It doesn’t matter if these UFO are extra-terrestial , or not. What matters is that whatever is out there is a security risk. There have been multiple encounters with these UAPs , detected by radars and eyeballed by fighter jets. What is even more mysterious is that lately, the encounters occur on security sensitive airspaces, even hovering over aircraft carriers. The increase of frequency in sightings over supposedly secured airspaces like San Diego Naval Base in California, and the military not knowing what they are , have actually become the # 1. topic in the army. Well, we hope to get answers on June 21.
By the way, Pres. Obama, in his interview with Stephen Colbert on his Late Night Show, was asked about the existence of UFOs. “And ” ? Colbert asks_____ I won’t tell you…, says Pres. Obama. Well, that pretty much means YES . Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama , and Sen. Harry Reid believe.
I don’t care whatever comes out of the Senate inquiry. * legit letting out a whoop of triumph. * ___ This geek is happy.
I’m totally hyped ! It’s an animated adaptation of a popular comics serialization from the Phliippines, titled TRESE, Season 1 ( Trese, meaning 13th, to be shown on Netflix on June 11, 2021. The summary says ” When it comes to the supernatural, the cops have Alexandra Trese on speed dial. Set in Manila, Philippines and based on award -winning Filipino comics, Trese , ( first published in 2005 ) Trese brings horror folklore like you’ve never heard before. ” It has English, Japanese, Spanish, and German dubbings, besides the original Filipino language .
What’s so different about this Philippine animated comics from others is that the ” monsters and spirits ” in this comics have not been fabricated out of thin air by the Filipino authors. Even in this day and age, most Filipinos still believe in this “mythological folklore, such as the aswangs, witches, etc. I can confirm this personally. When I was in the Philippines on vacation in 2014 , my childhood friends and I were walking around our subdivision when we saw what looked like an anthill. ( Most probably a mound of termites, ugh !) Then , I heard them say ” Tabi – tabi po. “. ( You can hear the main character in the English dub utter these Filipino words ) . Then they told me to say it as well. And I was like, What did you say ? What does it mean ? Why ? — Well, it means, ” Excuse us, we’re just passing through. ” This is a sign of respect for the “dwende or nuno ” dwelling in that mound, ( or in forests, or a sacred tree like the Balete Tree ) . ” Just say it Ren ! It’s no big deal. ”
The dwende ( dwarf) is not really evil , just mischievous. If the person doesn’t show respect, he/she will end up suffering, at most, from diarrhea. The aswangs is another matter. They will——– eat you.
SB19 just uploaded a lyric video for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The lyric is so heartfelt and heartwarming. This song is why I like this group so much. Although they are a typical Boyband, the sing and dance type, y’know, their songs are deep and meaningful. They compose their own songs. That’s a plus, big time.
This new song made me cry buckets of tears. The words are so relatable to me. My parents have done so much for me and my siblings, so waaaay beyond their obligation as parents.
I’m sad SB19 didn’t win BBMA ,( Billboard Best Artist ) this year. They got 3rd place. ( Ariana Grande was second, BTS was first … *pout *) It’s okay, SB19 is a newcomer. I’m surprised they even got nominated. They’re such newbies.
The title of the song is MAPA. ( Map ) It’s not your typical Hallmark Mother’s Day, Father’s Day message. ” Mama, close your eyes. Rest first. I’ll take care of it. ” Papa, I have the map that you have given me. I won’t get lost because I know where I came from. “ The words pierced my heart. Okay, don’t mind me. I did mention I was a Drama Queen, remember ?
Please click to listen. It’s so heartwarming. It’s in Filipino language , but with English subtitles.
I’m thinking… are there any positives we can take from this horrible pandemic?
Since almost 100 % of workforce at Dad’s office are working at home ( except a few newly-hired who come everyday to man the fort…. Dad saw 3 employees in their building the other day, out of about 300 employees. ) , the area has turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Dad has to check for rattlesnakes under the car….. and seen bobcats lurking around the building. Cayotes , owls and fox , too. I don’t like snakes ( shivers ) but we welcome the other wildlife. This is a positive, right ?
And, do you notice the sky has turned bluer ?
We ran out of bread this morning. I went to the grocery without brushing my teeth and dressing up….just wore a mask to cover the morning breath, lol… that’s a positive, right ? *_*
Less cars on the road, less pollution.
We’ve also learned to take care and protect our loved ones, now more than ever.
We’ve also gotten closer to our next door neighbors, especially the elderly Vietnamese couple. They always send us food ! Just last week, they gave us 2 family size pizzas. I have to buy ensaimada from a Filipino bakery this weekend. Ensaimada is a Filipino brioche filled with sugary whipped butter and topped with aged cheese * Edam cheese or what Filipinos call queso de bola. * The Vietnamese couple love this bread. ( shown in the pic, the one with lots of cheese topping. ) so I guess I’ll buy this for them again.
Thank goodness Hamas and Israel have finally agreed to a ceasefire. Gah ! Who started the bombings ?
And what are these anti-vaccine and anti-mask thinking ? Because, FreedomS ? Just spread the virus among yourselves, please do. You are a walking disease. You’re putting my parents’ lives at risk. ! ! Okay, do whatever you want…… May your tribe decrease. ………
*****************************
Ponders
Pres. Biden was spared from deciding re Palestine and Israel conflict. That’s a positive for us Americans , right ? If that one escalates further, America will be blamed again.
In the US, although the rate of vaccination is just 38. 6 %, the highest rate of those fully vaccinated are concentrated on Eastern and Western coasts, like New York , California, Massachusets, Oregon, etc.and those with the lowest rate are from the South. Mississippi has the lowest. Heh. Why am I not surprised ? We are aiming for herd immunity here in California. We would appreciate it if you don’t travel here in the meantime. Kindly spare us.
Will Japan postpone the Summer Olympics ? Japan has already spent so much for this year’s Olympics and my heart goes out to the country , but now is not the time to hold this event, no matter how important it is ( it’s supposed to be 2020 Summer Olympics but was postponed for this year, and I guess they’re going to postpone it again? ) Japan, it’s alright. Never mind the Olympics , Your health is more important.
I think my thoughts have started to meander. It’s time to stop and say my goodbyes.
How come there are 175 languages spoken in such a small country ? Answer : It’s an archipelago of 7,641 islands. The inhabitants of each island in ancient times developed their own language.
So, how do they understand each other ? Answer : They don’t … and didn’t , until Spain came to the scene, united the islands and named the country Las Islas Filipinas ( formerly ???….actually, nameless )in honor of King Philip ll of Spain , and later Anglicized as Philippines by the Americans.
So, why do Filipinos not speak Spanish like South America ? Answer : With the inhabitants speaking 175 different languages, I ;m sure the Spaniards thought it was too troublesome so they just gave up and fortunately, didn’t even try to impose their language on the inhabitants, unlike what they did in Latin America. Speak Spanish or die.
So, how did the Filipinos communicate with each other ?Answer: They had to learn Spanish so that they could communicate with different groups and, most importantly , with the ruling government. I assume it was easier for Filipinos to learn one new language than to learn 175 ones. LOL Filipinos that time did speak Spanish as a second language. Under Spanish rule for 377 years, that was a given.
( ponders )
377 years ! That’s hardcore. Not complaining though. I mean, I wouldn’t be here blogging / existing if not for one adventurous Spaniard from Segovia, Spain . Sorry, off topic. ^_^”
But, how come Filipinos don’t speak Spanish ? The US colonized the Philippines in 1898, ( after the Spanish – American War) and made English the official language and the medium of instruction in schools , in all levels, so those born during American colonial rule grew up learning English , while the rest had to learn another language, yet again . And though the Philippines acquired its independence in 1946, English remained an official language up to present, together with Filipino language, which is based in Tagalog , the lingua franca in the capital region ( Manila ) Tagalog non-speakers had to learn another language for the third time. Filipino language based on Tagalog was added to school curriculum. ( Although , for a time, people from the island of Cebu complained that since there were more Cebuano speakers than Tagalog speakers, the national language should be based on Cebuano ) Anyway, all Filipinos can now understand and speak Tagalog , and that’s a good thing. Native Tagalog speakers , however, still cannot understand the other languages. (+_+ )
So, how different is Tagalog from other Filipino languages ? Answer : As different as Greek from German.
Ex : Where are you going ?
Tagalog : Saan ka pupunta ?
Pampagueno: Nun ka munta ? ( The province of Pampanga is just 66 km. or 41 miles from Manila )
Ilocano: Ayanna papanam ? ( Ilocos Sur is about 297 km / 184 miles from Manila )
Cebuano : Asa ka padulong ? ( Cebu is an island south of Manila, about 573 km. /356 miles )
Ilongo : Diin ka makadto ? ( Ilo-ilo , where Ilongo is spoken, is an island south of Manila , about 465 km/ 289 miles)
Chavacano : Donde ta anda tu ? ( Zamboanga where Chavacano is spoken , is part of Mindanao Island, south of Manila, about 859 km/534 miles)
Although these languages are so different from each other, they sound the same to non-Filipinos.
Except Chavacano.
Check out a Tagalog music video , Dahil Sa ‘ Yo ( Because of You )on my previous post and see if you can detect the difference between Tagalog and Chavacano. Oh, alright, I;m reposting it here. I know you busy folks won’t bother. ( “_” )
So here’s a Chavacano song, Porque ( Because ), sang by Aria Clemente and David DiMuzio. Can you detect the difference between the 2 songs?
Listen to a foreign song, be curious, be entertained.
Please comment down below if you’ve detected the difference.. I’d love to hear from you, dear readers.
Dahil Sa ‘Yo ( Because of You ) is composed and sang by Inigo ( pronounced In – yi – go ) Pascual, a very popular singer in the Philippines. I finally managed to memorize the lyrics, though I did have a hard time pronouncing the long words, LOL. I love the song. It’s very catchy. Check it out.
Click to listen to a foreign song. Be curious. Be entertained.
Before anything else, I would like to offer my prayers to India for their speedy recovery from Covid. I’ve been watching the news ( mainly from Gravitas/Wion and BBC ) and the images I see are incomprehensible…… over a million infections in 3 days ! People are dying on the streets, gasping for breath on sidewalks, inside cars or whatever vehicle they use to get to hospitals…….. but to no avail. No help is immediately available. It’s unbelievable . If you are a reader from India, please tell us, are the images exagerrated , perhaps ? I hope so, because , darn it, it’s like watching a disaster/ apocalyptic movie ,except this one is real.
Meanwhile, here in the US, there is a spate of mass shootings going on. Sadly, I am already inured to this kind of violence.
Japan is being jolted by earthquakes of different magnitude these past few months, the highest of which is 7.2 Thank goodness there are no accompanying tsunamis. Watching on TV the tsunami disaster in Japan in March, 2011 had traumatized me……… not to mention the tsunami that occured in Indonesia.
Currently , there is a spike in volcanic activities worldwide. Japan, Indonesia, Italy , South America. Last year in Jan. 2020, Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupted , 3 weeks before my scheduled vacation in the Philippines. The volcano is just 30 miles from Manila, so I got to see the volcano while it was still actively spewing smoke and steam. There are currently an ongoing elevated seismic activities around the volcano, sparking fears that it will erupt again.
So, what else can we pile up on top of these man-made and natural disasters?
Oh, wait, I haven’t mentioned typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes that have become more vicious and destructive due to climate change.
This is like Murphy’s Law being put to work in 2020 and 2021.
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko