d-EMO-cracy

Since I heard the word emo, I haven't looked up it's formal definition in the web. I had accepted as is the contextual definitions my social circle had imposed on me. Based on what I gather, the word 'emo' is characterized by the goth fashion (distinctive hairstyle, dark lipstick, nail polish even with the guys, eyeliners, striped shirts and long kinds of socks). Emos are the people who are more concentrated on their inner feelings, they are emotional, sensitive, and have in-depth understanding of loving and losing. These are the 'emos' in my perspective.

Then yesterday, I asked Mr. Google about it and he referred me to Ms Wikipedia. She educated me that emo is a style of music, punk rock. Even the disambiguations did not match with my pre-defined meaning. But it did not make me wrong nor my friends because the word evolves through time. People can baptize a completely new definition for it as it is affected by culture and everyday usage. Thus gradually losing it's intended definition.

As I was browsing, I came upon a lyrics which relayed a much wider characterization of the emos. The lyrics contain the picture of the typical emos, their behaviors, fashion and looks. It helped me to clarify things out from my own definition. I downloaded the song and goodness, the singers are really funny! I think we call these people in our country as the "jumping jologs" with the exception that they are always jumping at concerts.

The song is "I Must be EMO" by Hollywood Undead.

Dear Diary, Mood: Apathetic
My life is spiraling downward
I couldn’t get enough money to go to the Blood Red romance andsuffocate me dry concert
It sucks because they play some of my favorite songs like, Stab My Heart because I Love You and Rip Apart My Soul and of course Stabby, Rip, Stab, Stab
And it doesn’t help that I couldn’t get my hair to flippy thing either, like that guy from that band could do. Somedays.
I’m an emo kid, non-confroming as can be you’d be non-conforming to if you looked just like me
I have paint on my nails and makeup on my face
I’m almost emo enough to start shaving my legs, cause I feel real deep when I’m dressing in drag I call it freedom of expression, most just call me a fag
Cause our dudes look like chicks and our chicks look like dikes
Cause emo is one step below tranvestite
Stop my breathing and slit my throat
I must be emo
I don’t jump around when I go to shows
I must be emo
I’m dark, and sensitive with low self esteem
The way I dress makes everyday feel like Halloween
I have no real problems but I like to make believe
I stole my sisters mascara and now I’m grounded for a week
Sulking and writing poetry are my hobbies
I can’t get through a Hawthorne Heights album without sobbing
Girls keep breaking up with me
It’s never any fun they say they already have a pussy
They don’t need another one
Stop my breathing and slit my throat
I must be emo
I don’t jump around when I go to shows
I must be emo
Dye in my hair nail polish on my toes
I must be emo
I play guitar and write suicide notes
I must be emo
My life is just a black abyss
You know? It’s so dark
And its suffocating me
Grabbing a hold of me and tightening its grip
Tighter than a pair of my little sisters jeans.
Which look great on me, by the way
When I get depressed I cut my wrists in every direction
Hearing songs about getting dumped give me an erection
I write in a live journal and wear thick rimmed glasses
I tell my friends I bleed black and cry during classes
I’m just a bad, cheap, imitation of goth
You could read me Catcher In The Rye and watch me jack-off
I wear skin tight clothes while hating my life
If I said I like girls I’d only be half right
I look like I’m dead and dress like a homo
I must be emo
Screw XBOX I play old school Nintendo
I must be emo
I like to whine and hit my parentals
I must be emo
Me and my friends all look like clones
I must be emo
My parents don’t get me , you know?
They think I’m gay because they saw me kiss a guy ,well, a couple of guys
But I mean, it's the 2000's, can’t two, or four dudes make out with each other without being gay?
I mean chicks dig that kind of thing anyways
I don’t know diary, sometimes I think you’re the only one on that gets me, You’re my best friend, I feel like tacos.

By the way, I like the title that I had come up with with this post. downward
I couldn’t get enough money to go to the Blood Red romance andsuffocate me dry concert
It sucks because they play some of my favorite songs like, Stab My Heart because I Love You and Rip Apart My Soul and of course Stabby, Rip, Stab, Stab
And it doesn’t help that I couldn’t get my hair to flippy thing either, like that guy from that band could do. Somedays.
I’m an emo kid, non-confroming as can be you’d be non-conforming to if you looked just like me
I have paint on my nails and makeup on my face
I’m almost emo enough to start shaving my legs, cause I feel real deep when I’m dressing in drag I call it freedom of expression, most just call me a fag
Cause our dudes look like chicks and our chicks look like dikes
Cause emo is one step below tranvestite
Stop my breathing and slit my throat
I must be emo
I don’t jump around when I go to shows
I must be emo
I’m dark, and sensitive with low self esteem
The way I dress makes everyday feel like Halloween
I have no real problems but I like to make believe
I stole my sisters mascara and now I’m grounded for a week
Sulking and writing poetry are my hobbies
I can’t get through a Hawthorne Heights album without sobbing
Girls keep breaking up with me
It’s never any fun they say they already have a pussy
They don’t need another one
Stop my breathing and slit my throat
I must be emo
I don’t jump around when I go to shows
I must be emo
Dye in my hair nail polish on my toes
I must be emo
I play guitar and write suicide notes
I must be emo
My life is just a black abyss
You know? It’s so dark
And its suffocating me
Grabbing a hold of me and tightening its grip
Tighter than a pair of my little sisters jeans.
Which look great on me, by the way
When I get depressed I cut my wrists in every direction
Hearing songs about getting dumped give me an erection
I write in a live journal and wear thick rimmed glasses
I tell my friends I bleed black and cry during classes
I’m just a bad, cheap, imitation of goth
You could read me Catcher In The Rye and watch me jack-off
I wear skin tight clothes while hating my life
If I said I like girls I’d only be half right
I look like I’m dead and dress like a homo
I must be emo
Screw XBOX I play old school Nintendo
I must be emo
I like to whine and hit my parentals
I must be emo
Me and my friends all look like clones
I must be emo
My parents don’t get me , you know?
They think I’m gay because they saw me kiss a guy ,well, a couple of guys
But I mean, it's the 2000's, can’t two, or four dudes make out with each other without being gay?
I mean chicks dig that kind of thing anyways
I don’t know diary, sometimes I think you’re the only one on that gets me, You’re my best friend, I feel like tacos.

By the way, I like the title that I had come up with with this post.

Remarks that Made Filipinos Upset

The latest was Alec Baldwin's (30 Rock) joke about getting a Filipino mail-order bride. Senator Revilla threatened Baldwin that if he visits the Philippines he will surely meet mayhem. Revilla stated, given that he is a senator, that the country has a law AGAINST mail-order brides. But is Revilla sure that they are really implemented? We know that most illegal actions can always find its way around the law.

Candy Pangilinan was also banned by the Baguio community due to her joke on the Igorots. Her joke that she is human and not an Igorot pushed the province officials to finalize their decision that they will not air any movies with Candy Pangilinan as one of the actress in their cinemas. Even a ten times apology didn't rattle the firm decision. Of course, this will affect her career so much that producers will have second thoughts on having her in a film. I am sure this will also pass. Given enough time, the Baguio people will forgive her, it's in our nature.

A Hongkong magazine had published a racially biased article which calls the Philippines as "A nation of servants". This has caused the Filipino workers in Hongkong to show their protest by having the Red Shirt Day. An apology from Chip Tsao lifted his ban from the country. The growing number of domestic helpers in Hongkong can be attributed to this issue. Even though they are helpers, they are not to be treated as slaves.

Then there was the famous Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewife) on her insulting comment on the Filipino doctors. The quote was "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Coz I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines." Of course, even if it's other countries, the remark is still insulting. Imagine calling your med school with no K.

All I can say is, be careful on your words. You cannot know how people will react.

Where Have the Children Gone?

When I was a kid, I am always outside, playing with other kids in our neighborhood. We make the streets loud and make the air damp and sweaty. I am a girl but I climb trees, fly kite, ride a bike, chase dragonflies and grasshoppers and go over the bakod. I got my tan color from playing inter-in (patintero), inserectos, tumbang preso, habulan (It), Chinese garter, that's the color, one-foot, taraguan (hide-and-seek), and even dangkalan. Boardgames and dolls make me bored. But now, our streets had become quiet. Maybe because we had grew up and the number of kids lessened throughout the years. Maybe the parents had become more strict. Or maybe the modern gadgets had taken the children as its prey.

The kids of today are more advanced when it comes to using computers and are more knowledgeable on the latest online games. They can lead a batallion at young age. Kill people virtually, be exposed in the gory and creepy streets in Silent Hill (I know it's old already). They have established a second person in the web or even in their handheld games.

I had a tutee on which he prefers to be rewarded with the cash he can use in Rakion. Pa-cash he said, worth 200 pesos. He want it that way than receiving an actual 1000 pesos from his father. I asked him why he liked that. He said "because my Dad won't let me use my own money to buy those virtual stuffs so, I told him that he have to buy them for me and my proposal is cheaper by 800 pesos. He accepted it". I didn't reacted as long as it makes him satisfied. This boy is just 9 years old and he is already selling crazy kart cars on the web. The cars are worth 25,000 gold cash or more and he uses it to buy more equipped ones.

This is just an example on how the virtual world has affected the lives of our younger generations. They had become more strategic, more conceptualized and more ma-diskarte. But I can say that these modern technology had robbed these kids their childhood days. They had transported their childhood lives into a portal, on which there's nth chance to try again not only second chance. As a result, they had become ignorant on the exciting and lively things they can do under the sun. As technology evolves, it's providing the indoor versions of the games played outside. There's a Wii game for fishing, golfing, bowling, soccer, and etc.

Ok, you can call me old-fashioned. But I had enjoyed my childhood in closeness with nature.
Do you agree to this kind of childhood?

I Think Like Chiz

Recently, the government has issued a statement that they will give 25 million pesos reward to whoever can provide information in the political killings in our country.

When I heard that, I told the radio (literally) that instead of giving away the 25 million as reward, why not the government spend it in the intelligence unit. Manage that unit to gather the information needed and tackle a way to know the people behind the killings. So, instead of waiting for people to provide information (which I am sure will depend if they are bogus or not), simulate movement. Isn't it their job?

Then the other day, Aling Sonia, a radio brodcaster, quoted Sen. Chiz Escudero that in order to solve the problem, use the amount to run the intelligence command. The intelligence command is reliable enough to gether information and strategize ways in battling the issue.

See, I should find my way to the government offices. Haha.

It’s Politics, What Else?

The talk of the 2010 election has started to fill the news. Hopeful politicians are now the stars of TV ads, radio commercials, posters and banners. Their faces are now the street signs, telling how proud they are to the graduates of 2009, as if those graduates care. Government projects and renovations are swelling out like mushrooms. Honestly, I hate political talks, political campaigns, and the politicians themselves. In short, I don’t like the very thought of government politics. Politics is a way of gaining power and a ticket to dominate people. It’s a cycle on which the harder you try to intervene, the messier it gets. Well, I know that some of these political people are not really crooked at the start but it was through their everyday position that they transform into some power-hungry individuals.

Recently, PGMA has asked for bidders to automate the upcoming election. I agree with this because I believe that election fraud and crimes will be much less in this process. But then again, it will still not provide the true result of the election due to the long issue on vote-buying and impersonation. With this process, the crimes due to ballot boxes will no longer pose threats especially on its transport. As usual, there are some organizations who are opposed to this automation. They believe that it can easily be altered especially with the knowledge on networking and programming on hand. How will the COMELEC secure the movement of the automated results to the higher levels? Also, automation means less people can serve the election and we know that some of our kababayan earn money during this time by helping in election precincts. How then did the US handle their computerized election?

Whatever my personal concerns are, I don’t stereotype all politicians as wicked people. Strip off their title as politicians and it’s a thumb’s up to their intelligence and their ability to charm a great number of people beyond all the tensions.

Recount on Typoco-Tallado Election Results

In my province, even if the 2010 election is making the headlines, the debates of the previous election is still not settled. We have the elected governor, Hon. Jesus Typoco, Jr., performing his duties already as the head of our province. With a slight difference in the number of votes, Hon. Egay Tallado, his opponent, has contested to the election results and demanded a recount. His request was approved and the ballot boxes were reopened and the votes recounted. The new result showed that Tallado indeed won the governor position instead of Typoco. The authorized office had declared it official and the stepping up of Tallado in office was authorized. A day before the proclamation, Typoco was able to acquire a restraining from the court, withholding the future position of his rival. Before the recount results was finalized and released, Typoco was able to submit a budget proposal for the maintenance and construction of the highways and roads in Camarines Norte and it amounted to 13 billion pesos. Does he intend to rake some fund before he abandon his post? The Vice-Governor, Hon. Roy Padilla, Jr. was wise enough to issue an open letter which informs the public that whatever pending proposals signed by Typoco will be recognized as invalid since his authority as governor is still questionable. But until now, Typoco is still holding the post.

Filipinos by Name Only

The love for our country is becoming less significant to the Filipinos of today. Our belief that our united love for our country ended when the wars ended is absurd. Many of us are not anymore familiar with our existence in this country as well as the roles we are to partake as members of it. More are becoming ignorant and less sympathetic to its importance. Less people are participating in rallies or even silent protests. Haven’t we forgotten that we became popular around the world because of the successful People Power? Haven’t we benefited from the impact of this in our lives today? If not for that, we might still be one of the caged nations in the east. Though, I admit I, for one, is not yet born when that campaign happened. I just seen it on documentary videos and I felt the brutality of it. Yes, we watch TV, read the news, but it all ends in a sitting position. News has become a form of entertainment instead of a medium to encourage nationalism. WE don’t care about the murders of others (what we only do is murmur how pitiful their fate was), the environment campaigns are just ads and not to be taken seriously, the lives of celebrities take more attention from us than the problems occurring in some communities, but our ears are wide-open when the news talks about our health. Imagine how selfish the Filipinos had become; from the one for all to the mind your own business race. If not for the death of Francis Magalona many of us will still be unaware that there are still advocates who promote the great archipelago in the Pacific.

I am not trying to convince people to join rallies whenever possible. What I am just pointing out is that for at least as Filipinos we should feel obligated to the future of this country and not just focus on ourselves or on the people we love. We should not be Filipinos by name but by heart. We can start by just caring for our environment. I am just disappointed with the Earth Day last Saturday. There are a lot of ads calling for support for the planet earth. But the households in my place did not even participate in this cause because they think it is nonsense. Many are not aware of this happening and many just don’t care. Turning off the light for one hour, what can it contribute for the future? Actually, it is not the actual turning off the lights. The turning off the lights is a symbolic pledge that from now on we will use the energy wisely. It is like a reformat for our everyday lifestyle and the turning on the light marks its start. With just this simple task, my province is becoming less cooperative. I hope it is not the same on your place.