On the Verge of Lunacy

Alden Richards (left) and Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza (right) in their first proper onscreen date in Eat Bulaga! In the Philippine noontime show Eat Bulaga 's segment Juan for All, All for Juan a supercouple was born. AlDub is a portmanteau of the names Alden and Yaya Dub played by Alden himself and Maine Mendoza, respectively. For those not familiar with Filipino television shows, Eat Bulaga! is a noontime variety show that has been running for 36 years as of this writing. It features contests, comedy segments, and various entertainment portions. One such segment is Juan for All, All for Juan . Before their accidental pairing became an overnight sensation, Richards has been an actor since 2010 (I wrote a review in my blog of Ilustrado where he played the lead role). He was invited to become a host in the noontime show. Mendoza on the other hand became an Internet celebrity through her Dubsmash videos where she lip syncs audio clips, thus her nickname Dubsmash ...

Note: This is my extended review of the Heneral Luna film. This was originally part of my essay for an MA in Literature class which I also posted in this blog. I could not cover everything I needed to say about the film because the essay had a limit. Photos are screenshots from the film taken from various sources. Heneral Luna is a 2015 historical biopic film which covers the beginning of the second phase of the Philippine Revolution until Luna's assassination on June 5, 1899. Antonio Luna at this period in history was the Supreme Chief of the Army under the First Philippine Republic. The story is told from the point of view of the fictional character, the young journalist Joven Hernando, who is shown interviewing Luna at the start of the film. At the outset, Luna's position in the dirty politics of Emilio Aguinaldo's cabinet is clear. He proposed to attack the American forces while they are still weak. He opposed the idea of Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Patern...

Note: This is my final paper for Adv. Literary Theory and Criticism, one of my classes in MA in Literature.  October 2015. I'm posting this here as a backup in case I lose my copy and I need a guide in the future. Literature is the soul of a civilization. It is the collection of dreams, ideas and experiences of a people. It is what separates us from animals. It is an examination of our aspirations, happiness, fears and sadness, ideas and opinions. As a student of literature, I have learned that to get the most out of a poem, short story, novel, play or film, I must go beyond simple reading and observation. To do this however, I have to answer first the question "how do we fully appreciate a literary piece?" This essay is divided into four sections, namely; what is literature for me; the literary theories and criticism; Heneral Luna: a film review using the poststructuralist approach; and what makes a good literature? In the first part, I will recall my experiences a...

The life of Filipino hero Jose Rizal may be well documented and studied at most schools and several adaptations have been made as well, but most of these material failed to show Rizal as a person almost everyone can relate to. Because he is the national hero, most people put him on a different level and view him with awe and wonder but usually without the camaraderie and compassion we reserve for those we think are so like ourselves. In this 20-episode historical drama, Pepe is more human than any other movie or documentary which talked about his life. Although he was gifted with extraordinary skills, had a slightly better status than most of his fellowmen, and an understanding of things which put his ideas ahead of his time, he was also once a boy, an overseas student and a worker who struggled with homesickness and poverty, and a young man who fell in love. Jose Rizal during his execution; played by Alden Richards GMA Network already proved it can deliver when it ...

Set in the Philippine Revolution, this eight-part series shows the rise and fall of Katipunan's founder and  the father of the revolution, Andres Bonifacio. Katipunan follows two main story lines. A young woman's death opens a series of atrocities committed by a new cleric in a small town. Pacquing and Sebastian, Teresa's friends, want retribution for her death but they are powerless. They had to flee and along the way met Andres Bonifacio, who became a friend and mentor to the two young men. Andres Bonifacio When Jose Rizal was arrested and later exiled to Dapitan, Bonifacio and colleagues decided to organize the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Katipunan). The recruitment process alone was tedious. Katipunan was hard-put in convincing some of the ilustrados to support them; some people also snubbed them thinking the revolution will never succeed. The Spanish colonizers are too powerful; while the Filipinos lack the arms ...

A collection of mystery and adventure stories, Anting-anting Stories and Other Strange Tales of the Filipinos, takes the reader into the colorful world of Filipino folk beliefs and superstitions. The word anting-anting's closest English equivalent is talisman, which is an object that gives supernatural abilities and protection to its owner. The anting-anting, however, is mainly for protection and it can be anything from a pendant to a piece of paper. Although most of the stories are set in some regions in the Philippines, the majority are told from the perspective of non-Filipino characters. As a Filipino, it is interesting to read what other people think of some of our beliefs. The following are the stories included in this volume: The Anting-anting of Captain Von Tollig The Cave in the Side of Coron The Conjure Man of Siargao Mrs. Hannah Smith, Nurse The Fifteenth Wife "Our Lady of Pilar" A Question of Time The Spirit of Mount Apo With What Measure Ye Me...

Note: I don't claim to be an expert in the mythology and religion of the six tribes featured here. My source for this information is Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao. This entry is solely a list for future references. The deities and mythological creatures here are from Fay-Cooper Cole's The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao . This is a list of the gods, goddesses, and spirits/spirit classes of the Bagobo, Bila-an, Kulaman, Tagakaolo, Ata, and Mandaya. I retained the spelling of the names found in the book. For full accounts of the myths and customs of the tribes, I recommend reading the book. BAGOBO Eugpamolak Manobo/Manama/Kalayagan  - first and greatest creator whose home is in the sky. Offerings for him should be white. Tolus ka balakat - name means "dweller in the balakat"; loves blood but not the flesh of humans and is one of the three deities for whom the yearly sacrifice is made. Mandarangan and Darago - husba...

This volume is a record of Cole's study of the six tribes from Davao District, namely; Bagobo, Bila-an, Kulaman, Tagakaolo, Ata, and Mandaya. Each section describes the laws and customs, religion, arts and crafts, physical appearance and measurements, warfare and medical practices, and the mythology, religion and accompanying ceremonies of the tribes. There is also a section concerning human sacrifice which was observed in almost all the tribes mentioned. The important chapter on the Bagobo is the most extensive and also serves as the point of comparison with the other tribes. All six tribes have a lot in common and differ only in specific details. Of their similarities, the most prominent is the appearance of the deity Mandarangan/Mandalangan in the myths of the tribes and the importance given to the warrior class and the medium/healers/midwives. There are separate sections on the creation myths and lists of important deities and spirits. A description of the soul and its r...

This epic of a binukot (princess) turned babaylan (priestess) and bagani (warrior) made history as it showcased Southern Filipino culture in a primetime TV series. I was particularly impressed with the use of straight Filipino in the dialogues, the beautiful costumes and the fight scenes. A great deal of research and preparation were made for this. The main character Amaya can be likened to most epic heroes. She had an unusual birth (had a twin snake) and had to face many challenges as she journeyed to fulfilled her destiny (tagna) to kill the then-reigning Rajah (king) Mangubat. Add to that the constant trials set by her father's wife, Dian Lamitan. But despite the oppositions she was still able to find allies, human and divine. The main antagonist Lamitan was impressive too. Smart and cunning, she was able to manipulate people around her including her relatives to get where she wants. Essentially, she and Amaya were the same. Both women sought to change the prevalent be...

My countrymen have always been known as music lovers. We are fond of gatherings, parties and special occasions and most of the time the indispensable videoke (or karaoke for some) is always present. Anyone who can sing the high notes are regarded as 'good singers', although this is not the only criteria that will earn a person a recording contract. Most of the songs performed on singing contests are usually what people generally call 'love songs'. Most of these are released during the '80s and '90s, while some have been playing in the radio stations for more than 3 decades. I do not claim to be an expert on such things or to have had the luxury of time to do a research, only that these observations are based on experience. The current trend (and it has been going on for quite some time) in the Filipino music industry is to revive the old love songs. I do not know who started this but I remember M.Y.M.P. got me into this new trend. It is a great thing to try an...

I sold my mother. Yes that's right, I sold her as a prostitute. She raised us alone, all sixteen of us. And she doesn't have a decent job. We had three fathers but they all left my mother when she no longer had any use to them. Mama willingly gave herself and sacrificed for us. There were nights when we would go hungry. The little kids would cry and cling to her while we grown-ups pretend to be alright. We live in a small nipa hut with no water and electricity so we have to use lamps every night. Mama would go on with her work just to get us through the day. And she has to send the big kids to school, too. But we cannot concentrate on anything with empty stomachs. Sometimes we would chop her up so we could have something to eat. But she always came back only to be eaten again. Mama is an attractive woman. Most of her customers are foreign men. She was abused and raped many times but she doesn't care. We children didn't care, we want food, that's all. Her su...