Brainfarts from twenty-something ascending
Twenty-Something Ascending by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk.
- The so-so wages and could-be-better apartment is something every young working person should go through. This is a sentiment realized by most cultures where the 18 and up pack up and leave, but not so in family-centered Philippines. I feel that the current generation is the first of its kind to try it out on their own, even before getting married and having a family.
- While a majority of Filipinos leave for better pay and conditions abroad, there are a handful of young Filipinos who have better reasons for leaving – to really try it out on their own. As told by a friend over dinner, “It’s too comfortable to stay in Manila. I just end up staying with my family.”
- Forgiveness is really an act of the divine. It takes conditioning. It’s not meant to come naturally, it’s not meant to be instant. It’s not always meant to be understood either. You should forgive eventually, or come to terms. But it’s all up to you.
- You will not use a lot of things taught to you in school. But the necessity of traditional schooling is in how it teaches you to work within establishments. Same goes for standardized testing – it’s not about right or wrong, it’s how you can answer it a certain way, so you can eventually go on your own way. After all, “You need to learn the rules before you can break them.”
- You are never too old for robots.
More when I feel like it.
Rage, the Filipino, and Battalia Royale
Disclaimer: I am a Sipat Lawin Ensemble Player and oversaw Press Relations of Battalia Royale. The views below are my own, and do not reflect that of Sipat Lawin Ensemble, Battalia Royale, and its affiliates. Feel free to discuss, debate, or even disagree with my commentary. Let the material live through discourse.
When I watch the crowds cheer on the performance at Battalia Royale, pump their fists to the air when they decide to play to endgame, or roar their approval in deciding to kill Timothy during quarter time; I wonder if this is what lies beneath Filipnos being so-called the “happiest people on earth.”
I have friends in psychology who confided in feeling that the phrase has become nothing more than PR. The underprivileged smile because it’s all they have. It’s free. But it’s a shallow grave for the real grief of the day-to-day. The cliches still ring true: rich get richer, poor get poorer. The system is quaking. People are angry at change that isn’t happening fast enough.
Or it could be because I’m in Battalia, that the every day violence is all the more emphasized.
But this was the local news as Battalia Royale unfolded:
It’s not unusual for teachers in public schools to throw chalk or even chalkboard erasers at sleepy or delinquent students. If you’re not so lucky, it might be the desk. Then you hear of students actually getting beat up by teachers, during class.
A Dad turns a gun on his son’s classmate, when the classmate accuses the son of bullying him.
Meanwhile, in Cebu, an 11 year old girl finally kills her Dad after years of seeing him beat up her Mom.
“Why stage this when we’re surrounded by violence every day?!” Exclaims a colleague, upon seeing the show.
One man even made a statement on walking out when the audience voted for the remaining 13 or so students to kill each other at halftime, “Theater is a rehearsal for life.” he declares.
The first comment, after being shared on the BR page, a fan of the show accuses him of being an overly-righteous git.
Rough (and very bad translation):
Caption, top: “I walked out of Battalia Royale because I felt that was expected of me from the show…”
In Photo: “I walked out of Battalia Royale 3 because…”
On the flipside, one fan of Battalia Royale said the show helped him process his rage after having survived a kidnapping in Mindanao. Another viewer, a preschool teacher (one of many) said it was “refreshing” after spending days of repressing the aggravation of dealing with kids every day.
A few more who have raised a ruckus during the show, who cheered at every death, would think about the show a day after and feel guilty about the choices they’ve made.
Many, many more have decided to give other theatrical shows a try. They liked the reminder of thinking and feeling, when they’ve taught themselves to carry on and just do their job.
These are the things that aren’t picked up in the media, and only briefly mentioned in one BR article. It’s a sign that at least, for now, the rage is tempered.
I know and hail Battalia Royale as a sacred space for rage. But I wonder, as the headlines ring even more alarms, if it’s indicative of a tipping point for Filipinos. We’ve smiled long enough. We’ve lived with the worst long enough.
Has our countdown to endgame begun? And how much time do we have?
Recommended reading:
Otaku Champloo: Battalia Royale Beyond Battle Royale
Writings belong of David Finnigan: Being in Manila, presenting Symposium Royale
[Day 21] A recipe
During the World 3 podcast days, we hosted a Geekfight guest round and gave a Hi-Potion away as a prize.
For a 1 liter bottle of Hi-Potion, the recipe was mostly based on the Smurfette cocktail. But with local ingredients.
I don’t measure according to portions, I just mix and taste until it gets traydor (treacherous, sneaky).
What I remember putting in:
-2 small bottles of Blue Bolt Gatorade
-A quart of GSM Blue
-Optional: a quart of vodka for an extra kick
-Sprite
Package it in a clear, curvy bottle for that extra effect.
May this liven up your geeky game nights. Have fun!
I tried it! The KFC Cheesetop Burger
KFC Cheesetop burger should work for cheese lovers, in theory. I like my burgers, I love cheese, the idea wasn’t completely appalling. I wonder why most of the criticism came from people who enjoyed Luther Burgers and deep fried twinkies…
So I headed out to the neighborhood KFC to try it out.
I was warned by fastfood junkie friends who gave it a go that the cheese did not taste like cheese.
Upon unwrapping, there was more cheese than I thought, which I appreciated.
But after the first bite, the foodies were right, it had the consistency and flavor of plastic. Even Easy Cheese tasted cheesier than this.
For the curious, I was able to eat it like a normal burger, without the cheese sticking to my fingers.
Past the novelty of the cheesetop, it was just an ordinary chicken burger. Not something I’d order again, even for PHP50.
And dammit to hell, they phased out the double down for this.
Bon Appetit! Creme Brulee and Macarons from Chez Karine
Chez Karine sweetened up my mid-week when they sent over some macarons and creme brulee.
Pardon the pictures, I was at the mercy of the office fluorescent and my phone cam.
The cute packaging had me cooing in incoherent fake French. And I was not disappointed by what was inside!
I. Macarons by Chez Karine
I am used to locally-made macarons having a crunchy outside and a candied inside. This was melt-in-your-mouth love. The covering had just the right kind of chewy, not overly crisp, and the inside flavoring felt like butter to the taste. I even enjoyed the fruit flavored macarons (strawberry, and what I think is a mango-passion fruit mix) – which I usually turn away for the chocolate and coffee flavors.
This, by far, has to be the best set of macarons I ever sunk my teeth into.
II. Creme Brulee by Chez Karine
I braced myself for this. I am a huge fan of the creme brulee, and managed expectations upon seeing that they were pre-packed. The Amelie in me missed cracking the top open.
The standard creme brulee flavor (center jar) had a taste of that crispy top with the syrup at the bottom. It’s creme brulee to go, definitely, but it hit the spot. It’s not to be dismissed as your average leche flan or kitchen pudding, however. It’s a little bit of heaven, in all it’s rich, creamy goodness with each spoonful.
I thought I’d have a bit to taste at first, then blinked and found I had gobbled it all up.
I am particular about my favorite desserts, but this proved me wrong. Heck, writing this all down makes me crave some more.
Thank God Chez Karine is opening a cafe in Serendra, Taguig, on June 24, 2012. I can hardly wait to go there, girl friends and boyfriend in tow, for coffee and confectionary dates.