Birds

I forgot when this picture was taken - before or after the snow storm. But David and I were on our way home from church when we saw these birds. There were probably thousands of them, we assumed.

I told David that it is a sign that the world is coming to an end.

David replied, "You may be right. You may be right." So we ate our favorite dish at a restaurant that day.

Croc Chomps Off Man's Arm

I don't know what I was browsing through YouTube.com. But I saw this video. It was in that crocodile farm which David and I visited in Bangkok, Thailand five years ago. They had this show which I found too stupid. Now you'll know why.


WATCH:

Can You Do This?

or this




I dare you. I dare you.

Now, I'm Mexican

My professor made me a frog again today. Last time he just asked me to step forward and hold out my hands. He placed electrodes on me and test my muscle contraction. I was telling the class, "I don't want to be a frog in the next life." My seatmate said, "Oh, it is better to be a frog than be a rat or mouse or monkey. They're used in experiments more gruesomely." I couldn't agree more.

Well, today the professor asked me to lay down on the lab table to test my ECG. He made me as an example, for the students to follow the methods used in the lab. manual. Every table gets a laptop to work on the experiment, things that you will, perhaps, never see in school laboratory set ups back home.

However, when we finished the test, my seatmate (a black married lady and she's so nice) started talking. I told her that I am excited as I am going home in May. Then she told me that she will be going into a vacation with her family this summer. Then she said, in excitement, that she's going to Mexico! Then she started talking about the places she'd like to see there. Later she was frowning because I never seemed to give her tips about the places. She thought I am from Mexico.

Well, okay, I was mistaken as Chinese last time; now I am a Mexican.

Ola!

-stop-

-more for this entry as I am going to eat dinner-

Riding The Bus

Riding the bus from Brockport (the bus that takes us to downtown Rochester) is such an experience, especially when you take the 4 p.m. bus. This is the period where Brockport high school kids ride with us. I like riding the afternoon bus because it is a tour bus - reclining seats and soft seats.

The interior of the bus.

However, it is quite annoying riding with these high school kids - not because they're black and speak the black language (I was assuming they would be taught to "master" the queen's English, but much of what I hear from their conversation was: "b***h," "sh_t," "f_ck," etc.) but they talk so loud and act like uncivilized people. No, I am not racist, but some kids just have to be taught manners.


On the other hand, I get scoops when they talk aloud. They don't care who hears their conversation anyhow.

Last Friday, they were talking 8 high school kids who were suspended. They were four of them talking - three boys and a girl. One of the boys - one whom I saw with another white girl making out on the bus last time (you know, they don't care if people are watching. No wonder Americans have problems with teen pregnancy) - said to the girl who just got on the bus, "You know what happened this week? Eight kids got suspended. I never heard such thing."
Our loverboy continued: "One of the teachers said she wanted to check on what the students were doing outside the class. They can't do that!"
The girl, clad in the tightest of jeans and adorned with jewelries like she owns a pawnshop, said, "What? Who got suspended? I got suspended for two weeks last time. I stayed at home and slept. Some white bitch stole my stuff in my locker..." And she narrated how she got involved.


The boys mentioned the names and the girl was quizzical who they were. Then when they mentioned a girl's name she said, "Oh, that bitch. I know her. What they were fighting about?"

Our loverboy said, "You know what it was."

Our pawnshop girl replied, "What? They fought over one dick? Just one dick?"

And the stories went on. I fell asleep during the duration of the trip. But this is just to give you a glimpse of what's happening on the bus. Somehow, I am saddened by the fact that this is going on. what am I going to say to my friends back home about American teens? Is this a good scenario?

I am not racist whatsoever. I am Asian. Americans will always ask you if the person you're referring to was a white or black person.

Why Do Girls Like The Jonas Brothers?

While watching Dancing with the Stars last night this came to mind:

Pubescent girls like the Jonas brothers because of

a. their thick eyebrows

b. their thick hairs

c. their baby smooth skin

d. their tighter than tight pants


I thought so, too. But I'm not telling you what it is, I don't have high estrogen levels, though I like the term "pubescent." At any rate they don't have outstanding voices.

Admiration

My former literary criticism professor never fails to entice my with her words. It is fun to read her blog (although most of her blog entries were literary criticism of Victorian novels and literature; however, some are wonderful insights on being intellectually gifted).

Here is one her recent entries that makes me wonder, "does she even let her brain take a rest?"

Excuse Me. Who Is This?

Can Ramiele Make It?

Now, there is no doubt that Ramiele Malubay can sing, but the question is: can she make it through the finals and/or win the American Idol title?

Ramiele should take note on the following singing competitions were Filipinos emerged on top:

Smokey Mountain




Ivy Violan




Regine Velasquez




and a whole lot more.

I Need a Fierce Attire

Students who were given this year's Barnes and Noble / BASC Scholarship will be having a picture-taking session on Thursday, March 27, 5:15 p.m.

Ha, then I need to call Christian Siriano!

Note to David

David is always irked whenever he gets in the car and finds no bottle of water in the tray. He would flip his arms like Joan Crawford (whose biography we watched last night on television). He would make a threatening look like Bette Davis and you'd curl in fright.

But I should remind him: "you should not drink and drive."

Hollywood producer in Brockport Wed.

Wednesday, March 26

2-3:30 pm

Seymour 119

Brockport graduate Joel Klein (not to be mistaken with the chancellor of New York), executive producer for ABC, Nickelodeon, Fox Sports, Bravo and VH1, will be on campus to share his experiences working on nearly three dozen network and cable programs such as Scream Play, Fear Factor, Family Feud and American Family Showdown. Whether it's stunts, art, music, casting or location scouting Joel's been a part of the action for more than 12 years.

A Coincidence?

I was huffing and puffing one day, excited to show David a book I've picked up at school; a book I have read few years ago. It was Agnes of God. And David surprised me with a story - the book was based on a real event that happened... tada!... in front of his house!


He said what is now a school of theology (and where Fr. Fulton Sheen's personal library is housed) was a convent. I did a wiki research which proved to be quite disappointing. It showed that the event happened in Brighton. David's house is in Pittsford. However, David said it just a location system indicated by the zip code. Whatever.

The wiki entry says:

"This drama is widely believed to be based on an actual incident, which occurred in a convent in Brighton, New York, just outside the city line of Rochester.

However, Sister Maureen, the nun who killed her baby, was thirty-six years old, Irish, and well-educated. She was a Montessori teacher in New York state, which required teachers to obtain bachelor's degrees and to be certified. In order to obtain permanent certification, teachers also required a Master's degree in education.

Sister Maureen denied she had given birth; when examined by medical staff, she said she couldn't remember being pregnant. She had covered up the pregnancy by wearing the traditional nun's habit. The baby was found dead in her small convent room in a waste basket, asphyxiated.

The police found ticket stubs and other information in the nun's convent room indicating that precisely nine months earlier she had traveled out of state to an educational conference. While during the trial, the father of the baby was never named, it was never suggested that the nun had been raped by a priest.

At her trial, Sister Maureen waived her right to a jury, and Judge Hyman Maas, a Jew, presided. There was a great deal of controversy about whether a Jewish judge would give a Catholic nun a fair trial. The trial was over in ten days, and Maas found the nun innocent of all charges by reason of insanity in March 1977.

The convent where the murder occurred is adjacent to the still-functioning suburban parish and school. The girl's high school, St. Agnes, where some of the nuns taught, is closed."

Birthday Bash

Last Sunday, March 16, was my birthday. Well, my "original" birthday, that is. I mean, the birthday that I came to know - which I celebrated since I was born. However, things changed when I was preparing my papers for my passport. I had to secure my birth certificate from my birth place (Bais City, Negros Oriental) and my record showed that my birthday on my birth certificate indicate I was born on May 16. I was devastated when I learned about it. I thought it just showed that I am adopted. But my parents insisted it was pure typographical error. Heck, we didn't go with the changing process, so I ended up with the May 16th on my passport. It was hard to accept it at first but you get used to it. Besides it is great to have two "birthdays."


So, last Sunday, after David and I attended church we went to Tillman's Restaurant which is a million miles away from Pittsford, even farther than Brockport. I almost fell asleep on the way there. I wore a coat and a tie, just for the heck of it. Don't underestimate the coat - it is Levi's brand. I dont know why I agreed with David to go to Tillman's. However, it was fun going to the place. It is more enjoyable to go there when it is Spring, and drop by Hurd's Apple Orchard to buy pies and stuff. That "little dinky place" (to borrow David's words) is a actually a chi-chi place (read: high-end place), Hurd's that is. Ah, the marvel of America - the more rustic (or even when it is about to fall down the ground and dusty) the more extravagant it is. Last year, we went to Holloway House to eat. It is about a hundred years old but most people here consider it a luxury place. The place was full of elderly people who loves the feel of the past. The prices of food would give my mother a headache as it could feed a family of five back home. Well, for David and I, we thank the coupon. He he...

David enjoying his dinner.

The seafood platter. Sorry guys, that is all what's left. Where's the box?

So, after the marvelous dinner - with seafood platter cooked to perfection - we dropped by a store just a few miles away from the restaurant. I've never seen a grand place. It looked like a big factory building outside but once you are inside you will see tons of expensive Christmas decorations and gift items. I was even adamant in touching a lifesize Santa, because it is worth almost or more than P100,000 (including the taxes).


Well, so much for a birthday celebration.

This Santa cost almost or more than P100,000.

David trying to control himself not to buy anything. (Oh, but I'm sure he'll be back there).

Me, having a bad hair day. Good thing Santa was there to comfort me.

***

David baked me his superdupermegaover delicious brownies. He uses some special ingredients that would make your mouth water. Sigh, I've been eating brownies for a week now, but golly, I eat it with ice cream! Ha ha


Pam also sent me an e-card and Sylvia, David's sister-in-law, left a greeting on the answering machine. The ladies at church greeted me. And I was able to call home and talked with my mother and brother.


However, I am a bit saddened that it was my first birthday without my father.

I would trade any of my remaining birthdays... just to have my father back.

Ahead Of His Time

My professor was talking about John Wayne today. The same story he told us the last time. He loves John Wayne. We have no problem with that. We used to watch cowboy movies and never got bored about the punching and posing and whatever cliche Southern elements that were injected in the movies. Many of our local stars even grew up from imitating Hollywood cowboys.

However, when my professor said that he did an interview about a John Wayne fanatic and "googled" information about John Wayne, I was bothered. There's nothing wrong with extracting facts in the information technology age. But, for God's sake, the interview occured in the 80s.

Those Were The Days

I had the chance some years ago, when I was still in Bacolod, to interview a newly crowned campus beauty queen. The interview only happened over the phone. We didn't get the chance to meet in person. Since that interview, she went on to participate in other beauty pageants. This year she participated in the Miss Philippines pageant. She took home the Best in Talent award. She didn't make it to the top 12.


The opening producation number was spectacular. I am amazed that they were able to come up with an upbeat music, like a Flash Gordon theme:





However, the most shocking part was the announcment of the winners. One major winner is now the "toast" on Youtube. Well, see for yourself:




The result:



Here's what former Binibining Pilipinas crown holder and Miss World second princess Ruffa Gutierrez has to say:




Case closed.

Dancing at Lughnasa

I must admit that I hate watching stage plays. I like musicals though. The last musical I saw was Mamma Mia in Las Vegas.

Last Sunday, I watched SUNY Brockport's production of Dancing at Lughnasa. We were required to write a review of the play for a course I am taking now. To my surprise I liked it. However, not to an extent that I'd hit the ceiling. It is too Irish. Well, it is an Irish play written by an Irish playwright. In a way, I am in awe by the talents of the actors, especially Keenan Bloom who is just in high school. But what a powerful presence does he have on stage. And his voice was so thick and booming.

Here's my review:

The challenge posed by the play Dancing at Lughnasa is testing one’s ability to recall the past.

The College at Brockport’s recent production of Brian Friel’s Tony-winning play posed a clash between the elements of form versus the elements of content. This clash may be the reason why some people who have watched the play find it lacking coherence.

Dancing at Lughnasa is the story of the Mundy sisters: Kate, played by Amanda Charlebois, a conservative school teacher and the only person in the house with a job; Maggie (Andrea Macy), the impulsive sister and family chef; Rose (Nikki Trombley), a simpleton who is unabashed with her infatuation for a married man; Agnes (Rachel Soloman), who looks over Rose, and Christina (Callie Jean Slusser), an unwed mother.

The story is narrated by Michael Evans (Spencer Christiano), Christina’s son. The year was 1936, Michael recalls the Mundy sisters’ struggle to keep their lives intact despite the limited resources and the arrival of their only brother, Jack, a missionary, in a small village of Ballybeg, Ireland.

Friel’s technique in using the adult Michael as the narrator without requiring the young Michael to be physically present on stage is significantly innovative. As Michael goes through the scenes when he was 7 years old, the audience learn that the sisters love him despite that he was born out of wedlock. He is the center of their lives.

It takes time, however, for the audience to grasp the essence as to why the actors speak to an “absent” Michael. This method may be reflective of formal element. The adult Michael stand on the side of the stage, explicating the various scenes; erstwhile answering questions from his mother and aunts when the scene needs it.

There is a connection as well as detachment of the self when Michael narrates the story. How he pieces together his memory is a challenge. As with other plays or movies dealing with recollection, it is a challenge to show the details of the past. In Dancing at Lughnasa, Michael showing what happened to the Mundy sisters when he was just seven is technically out of place. There is a certain kind of struggle, the shaping and unshaping of repressed emotion and the struggle to regain what was lost. This question was left for the audience to unravel.

Keeping the story interesting are Fr. Jack, who just came back from Uganda, and Gerry Evans (Keenan Paul Bloom), Michael’s sweet-talking father. The sisters are concerned with Jack’s recent unconventional views on the Catholic Christian faith after his missionary work, particularly that he wove the cultural and religious fanaticism in Africa in their conversation. Kate, on the other hand, struggles to keep the family intact and assures her sisters that Jack will be able to hold Mass soon in the village. She is also keeping eye on Gerry has come back to woo Christina.

John Haldoupis’s use of rustic stage setting allows the audience to feel a scenic experience. The kitchen is the set’s focal point. However, the dim lighting makes the scenery gloomy, almost giving the impression of a dark, disjointed story. Meanwhile, it is notable that costumes were in sync with the time period the play would like to convey.

The use of accent may be cumbersome to some, but it can be ignored. Although it is comical to note that the actors alternate American, British, and Irish accents. That doesn’t matter. The inconvenience language bring is masked by the structure of the story. No matter how you say the word, “dancing,” will still be an English word.

On the other hand, Daryl Acevedo, who played Fr. Jack, seemed to be the missing linked in the play. He is calculating with his lines and it showed in his facial expression. In fact, he delivered his lines with a British accent. Meanwhile, Keenan Bloom proved to be the actor to watch out for. Not only does he have the debonair good looks, but his acting skill is concentric, almost polished. The high school senior can stand against all the other actors with his booming voice and appeal.

Francis X. Kuhn, who directed the play, may have been faithful to the script, but he could have given the simplistic style of Friel’s story a new twist. If some viewers found the play boring, it is because they are uninitiated in the language of form. Overall, Kuhn presented a knowing eye on stage elements, texture, and color.

Keenan Paul Bloom (with soft and bouncy hair)

The artists rendetion of the set

So Fierce

Oh, my God. Tonight's show is so fierce. And it is 11 p.m. I should have been in bed and sleeping as I have to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to go to school. But the finale episode of Project Runway kept me awake.


Christian Siriano won! Yey! I've been rooting for him to win although I thought the judges would give the award to an older finalist. So fierce! I can't believe it! After seeing the whole collection of the three designers - Jillian, Rami, and Christian - there was no doubt that Christian's designs made the most impact.

So fierce! Fierce! Fierce! The other Project Runway designers were there, too and they stood up when Christian walked on the runway. So fierce. The finale had Victoria Beckham as won of the judges. Christian was actually crying when Heidi Klum was about to announce the winner. So fierce!


Congratulations, Christian! You are one fierce... I don't want to say it.

Now, I am off to bed.

The Dead by Billy Collins

I read this poem by Billy Collins from one of his poetry collections (I cannot remember if it was The Trouble With Poetry or Sailing Across the Room. I have to check at Barnes and Noble at Brockport).




I truly like the poem and the animation.

Project Runway Fierce Forecast

David and I have been doing our fearless forecast for the Project Runway Season Finale which will be aired Wednesday on Bravo. Now, Rami made it to the final three slot when Chris March was aufed last week. I do think it would have been more interesting if they allowed Chris to be in the finals. When the two (Rami and Chris) showed their collection last week, it though seemed that Chris has more vision than Rami. Although, of course, the judges and producers of the show have to pick Rami because he already has a clothing line and boutique. Rami has also showed his collection in the Tyra Banks show before embarking in Project Runway competition.

Chris's collection showed innovation and creativity by using hair as part of the materials. They considered four designers last year, why didn't the show consider it again this year?

Christian might not be the winner this year because he is too young. The judges, I think, will pick Jillian as this year's winner because of her creative vision. Now, Christian has worked with Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood while Jillian was an illustrator for Ralph Lauren. Rami, on the other hand, is the draping master from Jesuralem whose butt is more bubbly than mine.

David said Chris will have a nice time if he gets hired by production people doing musicals in Broadway. I can't agree more.

We saw last week the Tresemme ad in Elle magazine featuring the couture designs of Chris and Christian. It was truly amazing. If these two team up in one design house, fashion will become more interesting and fierce!

Recent Acquisitions

1. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People Vol. I: To 1877 (Dolphin Edition) by Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark,Jr., Joseph F. Kett, Neal Salisbury, Harvard Sitkoff, and Nancy Woloch (Houghton Mifflin 2005)

2. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People Vol. II: From 1865 (Dolphin Edition) by Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark,Jr., Joseph F. Kett, Neal Salisbury, Harvard Sitkoff, and Nancy Woloch (Houghton Mifflin 2005)

3. AIDS: Science and Society by Hung Fan, Ross F. Conner and Luis Villareal (Jones and Bartlett 1996)

4. The Trouble With Diversity: How we learned to love identity and ignore inequality by Walter Benn Michaels (Metropolitan Books 2006)

5. Perrine's Sound and Sense, An Introduction to Poetry 11th Edition (50th Anniversary Edition) by Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson (Thomson 2005)

6. Writing Fiction, A Guide to Narrative Craft 6th Edition by Janet Burroway (Longman 2003)

7. An Introduction to Poetry 11th Edition by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia (Pearson 2005)

8. Resources for Teaching Poetry, An Introduction 3rd Edition by Michael Meyer (Bedford 2001)

9. The Best American Science Writing of 2000 Edited by James Gleick

10. The Best American Science Writing of 2001 Edited by Timothy Ferris

11.The Best American Science Writing of 2003 Edited by Oliver Sacks

12. The Best American Science Writing of 2004 Edited by Dava Sobel

13. The Best of Technology Writing 2006 Edited by Brendan I. Koerner

14. Exercise Booklet for Writers by Barbara G. Flanagan and Ann Raimes (Houghton Mifflin 2008)

15. The Fantasy Book, An Illustrated History from Dracula to Tolkein by Franz Rottensteiner (Collier 1978)

16. Penguin Group's Literature Catalog 2008

17. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

18. The Prize by Irving Wallace

19. Broken Prey by John Sanford

20. Bless Me, Father by Mark Kriegel

21. War and Peace in the Global Village by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore

22. The Mask of Atreus by A.J. Hartley

23. The Novel by James Michener

24. The Lion's Game by Nelson Demille

25. Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy

26. An Independent Woman by Howard Fast