The Notre Dame Cathedral is burning. Holly Molly ! Being Dr. Brightside for a moment here, at least all the artworks have been saved. Thank God for small mercies.
That’s me at Notre Dame Cathedral.
The problem with joining a tour group is that our tour was regimented . We couldn’t hang around to get a decent photo. We moved with military -like precision. Bummer.
Also, we were not allowed to use flash inside the church.
Now , what about that ABC thing in the title ? It means Another Bloody Church. That’s what one member in our group called the last few churches that we toured, including Notre -Dame. Being Catholic, I thought that was blasphemous. * cough* I thought that was funny, though. Sorry for that. It did give me such great pleasure to behold these amazing, majestic , and beautiful churches all over Europe. I hope the fire damage is not extensive and irreparable
Two weeks ago, our 14 -year- old mini-Aussie died. He’d been with us for 12 years. We rushed him to the vet hospital at 10 PM… then the next day, at 3 AM, we got a call from the vet that our beloved dog died. Early morning we went to see him for the last time… We also got billed for $1,800 that included cremation fees, his ashes in a nice box, and a memorial plate with his name George etched in it. Last week, we adopted a 1 year old terrier- American pitbull mix from the animal shelter . He was a stray dog. Moreover, he had failed the shelter’s behavioral tests. We chose him, nonetheless …. and because he is just 1 year old, I guess he has not outgrown his destructive tendencies. Look what he did to our couch. .. and to my new comforter, and 3 pairs of shoes, one of which I haven’t even worn yet.
* sigh*….. Oh, well.
Oh, and good news. I’ve started ” reading” again. I managed to read 3 books in 2018. All political books, though. Does that count? The book I’m currently reading is a crime/thriller 2nd Chance by my favorite author, James Patterson. I bought it years ago from our neighborhood library, hardbound, mint condition, for a dollar.
But this morning, after hearing Sunday Mass, I passed by Barnes and Nobles and bought 3 books… James Patterson’s The President is Missing , ( $30 ) and 2 by Brandon Sanderson, Book One of the Stormlight Archive series, The Way of the Kings, and Book Two, Words of Radiance, ( $ 11.99 each ) . Guess who’s the co-author of The President is Missing ? Ta-da ! ! Former President Bill Clinton ! Whoa !
I haven’t “watched ” the news for about 3 months now.. I am tired of all the political burlesque that’s going on here in the US and around the world. Like, what the heck happened to Venezuela? It’s like an apocalypse over there … empty shelves at grocery stores, Mickey Mouse money… almost a million Venezuela Bolivars for one cup of coffee ! …. and a million per cent inflation rate. ( I watched it YouTube, BBC Channel )
On the homefront, I’ve turned into a political zombie. …. I’m more like a ” deadma “ , I think. What’s a ” deadma ” ? It’s a common Filipino slang word coined from 2 English words ” dead malice ” . A person is deadma when he/she feels, looks, and acts unconcerned about what’s going on around him/her,. ( or fiddles while Rome burns, as the saying goes. ) . However, I’m only deadma on the outside. Inwardly, I’m judging….. Yes , judging , but in the most sensible, reasonable , logical and most fair manner as possible.
That’s the reason why my politics has slid from far left to just a bit left of center. Extremism is toxic. Anything taken in excess is poison. The only thing that has not budged is my position on environment and guns, and my unwavering disgust with you – know -who…
I know exactly when the slide towards the center started. It started right after the 2016 US presidential elections.
I was taken aback when a co-worker asked me where I was born… I answered the Philippines, of course… then he said, ” I mean, on what island .?????” I thought for a minute before replying….Uhm… Luzon Island ???
I told him I’d always thought of my birthplace as a country and not an island ( if that makes sense). Well, the Philippines is comprised of 7, 641 islands ( or 7, 107 at high tide, ha ha ) , and though I find his question a bit strange, I have to admit it makes sense… After all, the former name of the Philippines was Las Islas Filipinas ( as a Spanish colony.. .. islas means islands ) , Philippine Islands ( as American colony) , Commonwealth of the Philippines, ( still American colony) , then Republic of the Philippines ( after independence)
So, I ran off to tell my Filipino co-worker and she was surprised, as well. I mean, we have the same mindset. We don’t consider ourselves “island people ” . Japan is an island. Indonesia , Singapore… Come to think of it… England. Here’s the thing… it’s A-Okay to be considered an islander. I find it very exotic… it evokes images of beautiful, tropical islands with white beaches, palm and coconut trees swaying in the breeze…
Most importantly, Palawan Island ( which is on the video above) is the location of TUBBATAHA REEF, a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site, the most protected site in the world. The biodiversity of Tabbutaha Reef surpasses that of Galopagos’ and Hawaii’s combined. Then , there’s Apo Reef, the second largest contiguos coral reef system in the world , and is a highly protected site ,located in the waters of Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. The reef is submerged, of course, but are marked by 3 uninhabited islands, Apo Island, Apo Menor, and Cayos del Bajo. Like Tabbutaha, it is a no- take- zone., and just like Tabbutaha, it is patrolled by the Phil. Navy 24/7. Despite that, Chinese poachers still encroach and fish illegally. On one Chinese fishing boat, they found turtles , manta rays, sharks, etc. ( maybe for their shark fin soups and turtle soups which the Chinese love ). I know I’m being politically incorrect, but I;m just stating a fact. I hope the Chinese people desist from consuming stuff that come from endangered animals. . Stop eating shark fin and turtle soups ! ! ( and buying elephant tusks for ivory. It’s outrageous. )*whisper* I don’t even want to mention what’s going on in West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea) .. Palawan is located in that area. How should I say this …. well, the situation there is extremely intense. If you haven’t heard about it, start reading , I beg you. The Philippines is a very small country. This is like David and Goliath.
Anyway….
Here is TUBBATAHA REEF. The preservation of the reefs and Philippine biodiversity is not only for the Philippines, but for whole mankind.
Well, * cough * I wasn’t really born on any of these islands shown above… I was born in Manila, on Luzon island, the biggest island in the Philippines. The city of Manila, shown on the video below, is the reason why I don’t feel like an island girl. Still, I am an island girl, and proud of it. I think the Philippines is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
This is all for now. I hope you can watch the videos. Bye and peace.
Well, there’s so much stuff swirling inside my head that I don’t know how and where to start . …but, start I must… or else, hiatus, eh? … that’s how it is with me nowadays.
OK, I’ll start with Philippine movies. .
I’ve been watching Philippine movies on Netflix ( to learn the language ) .. I think I’m getting better, but I still need to watch them with English subtitles. The last one that I watched was “That Thing Called Tadhana. ” Tadhana means Fate. It’s about a girl who’s heartbroken, and meets the male lead at the airport in Italy and both are flying back to the Philippines. The story is slow, but it fits the mood. Acting is very natural, and dialogue is mundane but very humorous. The male lead’s acting is Napoleon Dynamite-ish, but I’m sure it’s intentional. It makes their bonding and kinship funnier. All I can say is WOW ! Loved it !
I highly recommend this to lovers of romantic comedies. It’s such a refreshing change from cringe-worthy over-acting , unrealistic ( with really stupid plotlines ) Korean romcoms. So, if you’re a Filipino lover of Kdramas, please note that you have gems in your own backyard. <—– This is a social commentary.
The other movie that I watched was BuyBust … this is about big time drug dealing gone wrong. It’s extremely gritty, and the mood and atmosphere don’t feel Asian at all… for some reason. It feels like I’m watching a confrontation between cops and Latino gangsters somewhere in New York or east LA. ( forgive me for being politically incorrect and for stereotyping, but the actors do all look like Latinos, both the drug dealers and PDEA ( Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) agents.
Back to BuyBust ….. I watched the movie with my parents. They say it’s a bit Hollywoodish, because nothing of this sort will ever happen in the Philippines. Bad men, when trapped, just surrender like innocent sheep, and never fight back. This movie ,however, looks like an apocalyptic massacre. There’s a free-for-all fight between the cops and drug dealers’ sympathizers. I mean , the whole squatters’ area’s residents are the drug dealer’s army. Wtf ! It’s unrealistic, and implausible in the Philipppines. Overall, though, the acting is good. Highly recommended. Also… ahem… *cough*… all my Filipino friends say I resemble Anne Curtis, the female lead in BuyBust. They’ve sworn by this this since long ago, and it’s only in this movie that I’ve finally taken a good look at her. Hmmm…. Yeah, I can see a resemblance. He he… Oh, wait, I’m being politically incorrect again, haha. In the Philippines, people don’t call them slums or squatters areas anymore. They are now called ” depressed areas” and the residents are not called squatters, but “illegal settlers”. Illegal settlers, hmmm…. I don’t know if that makes their situation better.
Anyway, if you have Netflix, ( I assume everybody has Netflix, right ? ) , I highly recommend these two movies.
Alright, this is all for now. Bye bye, see you later. Muaaah !
It’s been 3 months since my last post . I feel so guilty ….it feels like I had betrayed you, guys. I can’t say I’ve been busy because I haven’t .. it’s just plain laziness, I think. Or a burn-out. After all, I’ve been blogging for 8 years and 4 months. That is almost a 3rd of my life since birth, y’know?
While I’m gathering my thoughts , kindly watch and listen to my current favorite girl band from the Philippines, 4th IMPACT. This is quite a nice cover of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. (I’ve been following the Philippines’ entertainment idols, ha ha ! Ugh !) By the way, these girls are real siblings, sisters.
Guys, I haven’t been reading your blogs for , oh, I don’t know, since before Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about what I’ve missed. . Aaargh ! I’ll be writing about what ‘s keeping me busy these days on my next blog.
Meanwhile, I’m posting here my new favorite singer, KZ Tandingan. She’s from the Philippines, and the first time I saw her was on YouTube ‘s Wish Bus 107 .5 radio station , where Filipino singing talents sing live, seated down. ..Anyway, a friend sent me the link of a video where she sang in a singing competition in China a few months ago, and won over Jessie J … I mean, Jessie J ? No way ! But she did , and here’s the video of her winning performance. It’s Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, which I love, but sorry, Adele, KZ owned your song, the stage and the audience. It was freakin’ dope . Oh, and this video’s for my blogging best friend, Cassie. Cheer up, girl ! !
C’mon guys, click this, and get entertained for a few minutes.
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko