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When Obama wins internet meme
2008-05-12 03:53:00
Obamamania is certainly back. Almost a week after his game changing win in North Carolina and after the US media has all but declared Hillary Clinton's presidential bid dead (okay, in the throes of death), Barack Obama is the poster boy of a winner.From TIME's article on how Obama learned to win to his visit to Capitol Hill where star-struck congressmen mobbed him like a rock star (video below), there's no stopping the Obama express train to the White House.But the true measure of just how Barack Obama has become not only a political superstar but a cultural phenomenon as well is the fast-spreading internet meme on When Obama wins... A snowballing collection of parodies (numbering 500 as of this post) on Obama's message of hope, it seems all the world's problems will fade once Barack Obama becomes president of the United States. Here are just some of the funnier ones:When Obama wins......everyone will be 20 years younger and 20 pounds thinner....black will be the new white....y...
More About: Internet , Meme , Obama

TIME: And the winner is...
2008-05-09 04:40:00
I've been keeping this December 10, 2007 issue of TIME locked in my drawer, complete with a protective plastic cover. I didn't know why but I just felt the need to lock it away.Now, I'm glad I had the foresight to keep it because of this May 19, 2008 issue of TIME. Expect me to lock this away, too.To complete the trilogy, only the TIME issue of Barack Obama's swearing in as the 44th U.S. President remains to be written. (And trust me, that too, will be written.)Meanwhile, TIME breaks down the five things that went wrong with Hillary Clinton's bid to become the first woman U.S. president.
More About: Time , Winner

Inside Harvard's baby brain research lab
2008-05-09 02:57:00
Would you believe that all of us are born mathematicians? (Gasp!) Wonder why Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have their own demographic power bases? Have you ever asked yourself why we Filipinos have biases against ethnic groups outside of our own? (Ilocanos are stingy, Ilonggas are sweet, Warays are fearless.)Fascinating research in Harvard's baby brain research lab are revealing some surprising facts on how humans think.For example, on the origins of bigotry:In the case of skin colour, newborns respond to individuals of all races equally. By three months, however, a baby from a Caucasian household will prefer to gaze at a white face, and a black baby at an African American face. By the age of two or three, they are drawn to their own gender, too.Even more fascinating is the finding that in forming our own prejudices against people, language beats racial bias (this probably explains why we Filipinos are so linguistically regionalistic and why Barack Obama's eloquence overshadows...
More About: Baby , Research , Inside , Brain

Caramoan the next Boracay?
2008-05-08 04:07:00
Just before the onset of summer, I wrote about some of the virgin beaches of the Philippines. Included in that list is the Caramoan Peninsula in Camarines Sur (below). Today it has lost its virginity when the Inquirer splashed Caramoan's image on its front page with an accompanying article touting it as "The Next Boracay ." First, I can just imagine the hordes of people who'll now descend on Caramoan. From here on, forget about seeing pristine and deserted beaches. More like pristine and packed.Second, what is this obsession with naming every newly discovered beach as "The Next Boracay?" There is only going to be one Boracay, period.Instead, the Department of Tourism should play smarter. They should start touting these newly discovered beaches as the next Bahamas or Maldives or Bora-Bora. That way, they would be able to attract more foreign tourists. (Not that I'm for foreign tourists coming here in droves. I'm merely floating an idea.)From the looks of Caramoan, with its jagged ...

Why Filipinos are such great singers
2008-05-07 11:33:00
Travel blogger Chris of Nomad4Ever has an interesting post about Asia's passion for the karaoke. There, he relates his first experience with the machine during a trip to Bohol.Westerners who posted comments can't quite figure out why we Filipinos are so good at singing. So Chris sought an explanation from a Pinoy.Filipina Jasmine Trias of American Idol Season 3Pinay child wonder Charice Pempengco at the Ellen Degeneres ShowBelow is my answer. I think I hit it dead-on.As a Filipino I’ve always thought our perception of our singing talent is mostly subjective. Turns out, it’s not.Now to answer Mike’s question. I think Filipinos are good singers mostly because we love festivities. Every town in the Philippines, big or small, has its own “fiesta.” In simple terms it’s one big party that the whole town celebrates. (A concept brought by the Spanish to our islands. It’s a way of honoring the town’s patron saint.)The way these fiestas are celebrated may differ from town to...
More About: Great , Singers

Akira, 2002-2008
2008-05-07 06:46:00
Akira, my six year-old Dalmatian died today (that makes him 42 in dog years). Quite sudden. He was his usual spritely self (as all Dalmatians are known for) just last Sunday. Then he stopped eating by Monday. By today, he is gone.For non animal lovers, it's hard to understand why anyone would grieve for a dog. Well, it's equally hard to understand why one shouldn't.This is not the first time a pet has left us. And whenever something like this happens, it's always my family's belief that in a metaphysical sense, the dog simply took one for us. That instead of one of us falling ill or encountering a misfortune, the dog's soul simply chose to sacrifice itself.Kinda way out there, I know. But for the past few weeks Akira's been howling for no reason at all in the middle of the night.Thanks, pal, if you indeed took one for us. We owe you bigtime.
More About: 2008

Barack Obama wins North Carolina
2008-05-07 04:27:00
As expected, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama wins North Carolina . It's a tight race in Indiana although I would concede it to Hillary Clinton. Okay, so at this stage of the primaries, the actual results are now following the predicted results. This only means that people have already made up their minds regardless of whatever muck is yet to be unearthed about the two Democratic pitbulls.If the Democratic Party is to follow the rule of the majority, Obama is already the nominee. Hillary Clinton has no chance at all of ever surmounting Obama's lead in both pledged delegates and the popular vote. (I don't care what that hag keeps saying. Given the numbers, Obama is the nominee.)This is why I cannot understand the Democratic Party. All they have to do is look at the numbers. It's as simple as that.Politicians. They really are a bizarre lot.In the meantime as the primary moves to the remaining states, let's just amuse ourselves with Obama's appearance in David Letterm...

15,000 dead in Myanmar cyclone
2008-05-06 11:36:00
This photo pretty much sums up the devastation in Myanmar after the country was hit by a powerful cyclone. This is quite worrying. Myanmar is rarely struck by a cyclone. And considering our country reels from no less than a dozen typhoons each year, what should we expect come June?Global warming or not, summer 2008 is proving to be a little crazy as rainshowers come and go right in the middle of May when it's supposed to be sweltering.With the fuel and rice crises already hitting us, I just hope natural disasters will give us a reprieve this year.
More About: Dead , Cyclone

The world's first billion-dollar house
2008-05-06 04:48:00
Not long ago I wrote about my trillion-dollar fantasy and my $2 billion dream house.Today, I'd like you to meet Mukesh Ambani, the world's fifth richest man. He is building the world's first $2 billion house--for real.EXTERIOR Antilla, the partially completed home of Mumbai-based petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani, will stand 27 stories high and is expected to cost $2 billion. Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, his wife and three children currently live in a 22-story Mumbai tower the family has spent years remodeling and refashioning to meet its needs.BATHROOM One of Antilla's key design themes is the mix of lavish features seen in worldwide homes and elements that are distinctly Indian. The Gingko-leaf sink designs are a good example. Native to India, the leaves in the sinks are shaped in such a way that their stems guide water into the bowl created by the basket of the leaf.TRADITIONAL LOUNGE Ambani's home features countless lounges, offering...
More About: House , Dollar , Billion

Wired: Iron Man's suit defies physics
2008-05-05 06:52:00
Although sometimes I wish I have the smarts to become a nuclear physicist, most of the time I'm glad I don't. Especially after reading Wired 's amusing article on why Iron Man 's suit defies physics.Here's one of the contentions on Iron Man's repulsor rays:Similarly, the directed energy weapons Iron Man uses, such as the "repulsor rays" built into the palms of his gloves, should require that Stark drag along a large power generator whenever he faces off against the Mandarin or Titanium Man. I'm not exactly sure what a "repulsor ray" is, but if it's anything like a high-power laser, then the energy demands are considerable.Even assuming that Iron Man can convert any stored energy in his suit into laser light with 100 percent efficiency, then to generate a beam powerful enough to melt a fist-size hole through a half-inch thick steel plate (which any comic book fan can tell you is well within Shellhead's capabilities) would require an energy pulse of more than 2 gigawatts of pow...
More About: Physics , Suit

A solution to the rice crisis
2008-05-05 03:44:00
As the Inquirer cries foul over the so-called "Mekong Mafia" proposal by Thailand, let me add my two cents.While shooting in the Thai capital Bangkok, I noticed that there are no tambays (bums) in the city. Not like here in Manila where you see half-naked, pot-bellied guys on almost every street corner who do nothing but drink all day.Now with this rice crisis gripping most of Asia, I think we need not train our ire on Thailand. It's not their fault if they had the foresight to focus on self-sufficiency. Now, we should focus on our own problems. And tough times call for tough solutions. I think we should round up all those tambays and turn them into state rice farmers. We should have something similar to the infamous Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge.Yes, it would violate all known human rights laws. But I think it's just fair. See, those tambays contribute nothing to the economy. It may be argued that our culture of corruption has robbed millions of Filipinos the opportunity for ...
More About: Rice

Skating on the highway in Saudi Arabia
2008-05-02 07:08:00
My dad worked in Saudi Arabia for many years and he always spoke of the totalitarian nature of the country. That it's not a place where you should expect to have fun because of all the religious dont's.Then what the hell is this?
More About: Saudi Arabia , Highway , Skating

Indian baby dropping ritual
2008-05-02 04:32:00
As Reuters reports, if Muslims in western India have been dropping their babies from heights of 15 meters in a weird ritual for 500 years, then there must be something to it, right?There are some bizarre customs observed in my mom's home province of Pangasinan, like burying a newborn's umbilical cord to prevent the kid from losing his way through life. That ritual was performed when I was born, and I've wondered before how that has made me tethered, so to speak.I guess these rituals have some mystical truth to them that Western science has yet to grasp.
More About: Baby , Indian , Ritual

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man
2008-05-02 03:33:00
And Iron Man is Robert Downey, Jr. There can be no other guy who could play the part. And there could be no other guy who should play the part.Because of Downey's portrayal of Tony Stark, he has made it believable that billionaires can become superheroes even if it was hard for me to buy the idea when I first wrote about Iron Man last year. I'm sorry, Bobby, I know it was hard for you to buff up your body like that but you have to get used to it. At least for the next two installments of Iron Man, as I'm sure this is just the beginning of what could probably be the best trilogy since The Lord of the Rings and the best superhero franchise ever (granting you don't go back to rehab or get arrested for some petty offense).Am I over gushing? Well, I am entitled to my own opinion, right? And besides, I am not alone. Those snubby folks at Rotten Tomatoes gives Iron Man a 95% rating while TIME's Richard Corliss calls this a Marvel of a movie.So there. Watch it. And don't scrimp. Plunk...
More About: Robert Downey Jr

Mazda destroys $100M brand new cars
2008-04-30 03:31:00
I'm sorry? Come again? Mazda destroys $100 million worth of brand new cars? For the love of god, why?! According to The Wall Street Journal report, here's why:It all started about two years ago, when a ship carrying 4,703 shiny new Mazdas nearly sank in the Pacific. The freighter, the Cougar Ace, spent weeks bobbing on the high seas, listing at a severe 60-degree angle, before finally being righted.The mishap created a dilemma: What to do with the cars? They had remained safely strapped down throughout the ordeal -- but no one knew for sure what damage, if any, might be caused by dangling cars at such a steep angle for so long. Might corrosive fluids seep into chambers where they don't belong? Was the Cougar Ace now full of lemons?Here's the video of the mass destruction. Watch and weep.
More About: Cars , Brand , New cars

Spiderman window washers in Shanghai
2008-04-29 05:59:00
Given the same pay, I'd seriously consider becoming a window washer if I am also required to don Spidey suits, like these guys washing the Sheraton Hotel in Shanghai .From the Shanghaiist: The idea came up in a brainstorming session with housekeeping staff, possibly taking inspiration from the human Spiderman who climbed the Jinmao last year. So far Spidey is receiving a thumbs up from the boys in the suits and guests alike, so if you live in Hongqiao, it looks like your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman is here to stay!
More About: Window

Vote for Tubbataha in New Seven Wonders
2008-04-28 08:48:00
If you haven't heard about it yet, our very own Tubbataha Reef is in the running to be considered as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.As of this posting, it's in eight place, just behind the Cocos Island in Costa Rica. Surprisingly it is well ahead of more well-known sites such as the Grand Canyon and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.I think Tubbataha deserves to be on that list so vote for it. Following Tubbataha are other sites I voted for. I chose them mostly on account of their beauty, evolutionary significance and sheer scale. Let's see how many birds I hit come 2009 when the final list is announced.Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, i...
More About: Vote

Hancock (HD trailer)
2008-04-28 03:18:00
After I Am Legend (which is already out on DVD, by the way, with an awesome special features disc) Will Smith is starring in what could be another blockbuster, Hancock .Will Smith may look like a goofy guy on the outside, but he has his plan for world domination down pat, as this TIME article reveals.Which is why I admire the guy. He makes his work look effortless. His movies aren't award-winners but they're a joy to watch. (For me, at least, as I've always believed that films are there to entertain. To hell with those high-brow film critics.)Here is a guy who does tremendous work behind the scenes but doesn't flaunt it. He doesn't shout it out to the world. You just see a regular dude enjoying himself in his work.In short, he doesn't take himself too seriously. Which really fits him in his role as the anti-superhero Hancock.
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Dear God, Hear Us One Prayer At A Time
2008-04-25 03:49:00
The real power of the internet rests in the millions of people sharing their thoughts and dreams on one particular subject. Dear God is a site wherein people are encouraged to write to God (or Allah, or Buddha or "that higher being"). You'll be amazed at the honesty and poignancy of the letters. And also, by the great photos that accompany each post.Below is a post by some ad guy on how God can rebrand himself. It's quite amusing.Dear God,I have one word for you, dude: Vision.Having been in the ad game since the days when the right length pony tail got you an executives position, I can tell you a thing or two about your brand.Firstly, your PR guys are bad for your image. No one wants to do business with hypocrites so until your boys in the robes can start behaving themselves, your organization is going to suffer image problems.Secondly, cut the hair and lose the beard. I’m seeing a short back and side and at the very least a goatee for you.Thirdly, the crucifix thing died when M...
More About: Time , Prayer , Hear

Heart Evangelista moves to GMA7
2008-04-24 06:59:00
Finally, it's GMA7's turn to snag a major star from ABS-CBN.For reasons I do not know, I am more of a Kapuso than a Kapamilya. I have this notion that ABS-CBN is evil. Maybe because everyone knows who runs ABS-CBN. They're the same family who runs Meralco which in turn had been charging us overpriced electricity for years before they were forced to refund all of us.Now back to Heart Evangelista. While I am not really a fan of hers, I just love this woman's face (forget about her body, she doesn't have one). I've always described her face as idrinowing (like it was drawn).I'm particulalry fond of sketching faces and for me, Heart's face is just perfect. You'll never get tired of looking at her. Which is maybe the reason why she never really took off as a dramatic actress. You can't concentrate on her acting.Her face is so beautiful, it's distracting.Anyway, GMA7 should make the most of her 'coz her career has been in limbo for the longest time. Maybe they could make her u...
More About: Moves

Hitler's Downfall
2008-04-24 03:27:00
Got nothing to do today and you need a good laugh? Here’s a two-part story of a hit YouTube video that made me laugh my head off some time ago.You may appreciate it better if you’re a console gamer but even if you’re not, the idea of Hitler getting mad about a…oh, just watch the series. It’s one great laugh trip.Hitler’s Downfall Part 1Hitler’s Downfall Part 2

Clinton wins Pennsylvania
2008-04-23 06:53:00
Okay so she won. Big deal. She's still behind in both pledged delegates and the popular vote. And though she and Barack Obama have virtually no chance of reaching the magic number, is she really expecting the superdelegates to overturn the popular vote?I don't think so. But the thing is, the Democratic race has turned into a freak show. You just have to turn your head away and squirm whenever both candidates throw jabs at each other. The mudslinging continues to get dirtier by the day.All this has left me numb and no longer interested in this race. First black president or first woman president, who cares? As it turns out, politics will always rear its ugly head.Obama's message of change, of turning the page has been drowned out by the fog of war that this race has brought about.And I blame Hillary. Yes, it's all her fault. It's her scorched earth strategy that will destroy the Democratic party and we could all kiss a historic event goodbye.What a party pooper this woman is.
More About: Pennsylvania , Clinton , Wins

Richard Quest arrested in New York
2008-04-23 02:43:00
Bummer, huh? CNN's travel and lifestyle reporter Richard Quest was arrested in New York for drug possession, specifically of methamphetamine. That's shabu in Filipino. Shabu for Richard Quest? The Richard Quest? I mean isn't shabu the so-called "poor man's cocaine?" Why is it his drug of choice?This man is a true blue jetsetter. He's one of the privileged few who were aboard Concorde's last flight. He hobnobs with kings, queens, tycoons and heads of state.He is the face of travel and leisure. He is a brand himself, in the same league as that of Louis Vuitton or Prada or Gucci.So it boggles the mind why he should settle for shabu.Maybe his job is similar to mine. Glamorous on the outside, wretched inside.By the way, there is no mention of his arrest in the CNN website. When I tried searching for his name in the search box, the connection timed out.Come on, CNN, have the balls to report even the misdemeanors of your own people.
More About: Arrested

Pennsylvania primary & the iPhone Mega
2008-04-22 12:18:00
While the world awaits if the Pennsylvania primary will finally decide the Democratic party nominee (which I doubt it will as Hillary has vowed to fight to the very last delegate, nevermind if she takes the whole party down with her), this photo left me in stitches:From Kottke: EXCLUSIVE!! From a mole deep inside the company comes word and vision of a new iPhone from Apple, the iPhone Mega . In a rare comment regarding a leaked product, Steve Jobs noted that "the easy portability of the iPhone was an issue for some people; we saw a market opportunity there."Funny!
More About: Iphone , Primary

The artistc license ID
2008-04-22 10:46:00
From the Evolution Control blog, here's the artistic license. It's a fake ID that is meant to look official, detailing your quirks and your artistic tendencies.FRONTBACKThis is one of those dumb ideas that actually make sense. I mean when I was a kid, my parents have been asked countless times by my aunts and uncles on why I was always aloof and dead silent during family gatherings.I got my relatives worried nuts. They thought I had autism or dementia. Good thing school shootings back then weren't all the rage. If it were, I'm sure I would have been frisked by my relatives before being let into one of those family reunions.This ID could have been useful back then to explain away my poor social skills.Today my social skills have improved a lot but this ID could still be of use during those times when I absolutely hate human contact for no apparent reason.But for $20? Maybe not. I can duck silly elevator chitchat by pretending to be on the phone with a shrink.
More About: License

Summer internships
2008-04-21 12:23:00
Below is my idea of summer internships.Yes, you are practically turned into a slave and you end up learning that what you learn in school is all crap. Well, that was my realization when I had my summer internship eons ago. That was when I went, Holy sh*t, my professors were all talking sh*t!Never did they mention that workplaces are teeming with bitter people who have brains the size of quarks (subatomic particles). They never mentioned that these people never deserved to have an office cube in the first place. They never mentioned that all the socio-anthropological crap you learn in school is turned on its head in an office.For example, in anthropology, you are taught that in the theory of mind, our triumph as a species can be attributed to our capacity for emphaty.Well guess what, in the office there is no such thing!Maybe I just had a bitter experience during my internship but I'm sure as hell I'm not alone and many have gone through the same experience as I did.That's why I p...
More About: Summer , Internships

Farewell, Coke Angel
2008-04-17 15:28:00
Today I bid farewell to Coke Angel . I think I've had enough postings about her and I think just like any commercial, she has run her course. In advertising, there is a saying that you are only as good as your last ad. So I move on to doing other ads and blogging about other things.But this was one heck of a ride for me and I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who loves this ad. But as J.K. Rowling said of her Harry Potter books, no one can love a creation greater than the one from whose mind it was born.Okay, this may sound like an Oscar acceptance speech but I need to thank everyone from the accounts side of McCann-Erickson Philippines. Without their tenacity, this ad wouldn't have flown.To my boss who believed in the idea from day one and who fought for it throughout, I cannot thank you more.To my two co-creatives who had to face the clients and do all the nitty-gritty stuff while I merely concentrated on the production bits, thanks, thanks, and many more thanks.To Chons, t...
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Because advertising is a thankless job
2008-04-16 04:24:00
A good friend ribbed me last night. Ang OA mo, talagang puro na lang yung Coke Angel TV mo iblinablog mo. Whatever happened to Obama, Clinton and all your other posts? Nasusuka na ako kakablog mo sa ad na yan. (It's just too much, all you ever blog about these days is your Coke Angel ad. Whatever happened to your Obama, Clinton and other posts? I'm just about to throw up from all your blog posts on that ad.) If she wasn't a good friend, I would have slashed her throat right there and then. But she's a close friend, and I understand what she meant.Yes, I am guilty. Guilty of milking every bit of blog exposure on this Coke ad. To hell with all my other posts. To hell with my "blog mall" concept, as Kiko fondly described my blog.Let me tell you the reason why I can't let go of this ad just yet.Because advertising as a job sucks. It's not glamorous, as most people think. Most of the time you go for 24 hours without sleep, hammering that concept, polishing the idea and in the morni...
More About: Advertising

The making of Coke Angel TV commercial
2008-04-14 06:28:00
Late one night with a creative brief on hand and a blank sheet of paper in front of me, I hammered down the idea in four storyboard frames.Next thing I knew, we were headed for Bangkok to shoot the TV commercial which stemmed from those four simple story frames.For the next three weeks, this was home.Pre-ShootBefore the actual shoot began, many meetings were held here to iron out the nitty-gritty stuff.This was also the first time I saw our angel (Brazilian model Michelle) in person. Suffice it to say I was left speechless for several hours.Shoot, Day 1First location, the basketball scene under a gnarly Bangkok skyway. There's our Coke angel, Michelle, being prepped for filming...And that's me. Still can't get over the fact that I was finally seeing the idea come to life.Shoot, Day 2Just had to take my self-photo with the set as background. Graffiti artists had to actually paint a back alley somewhere in Bangkok. The artwork was just amazing. One thing with our angel talent is th...
More About: Commercial , Angel

Tips for the Boracay first timer
2008-04-11 08:59:00
Sometimes I'm surprised to meet Pinoys who can very well afford to have a vacation in Boracay but haven't been there yet.So if you're one them and you're thinking of going there this summer, here are some tips for the first time visitor on the island.First, the only place to stay is Seawind. Why?It's located at Station 1, the best part of Boracay's famous White Beach. There, the beach is at its widest and is also the cleanest part of the four-kilometer long coast.Notice the resort (above photo). It's tucked within coconut trees and built in the traditional beach house motif. Compare that to the swanky and ridiculously overpriced Discovery Shores resort (photo below). That thing is a monstrosity. Anyone who is stupid enough to stay at Discovery Shores is clearly not in Boracay for the beach, but rather for the privilege of staying there, which is really sad, in my opinion.Because come on, Boracay's only attraction is the beach, not the hotels! Second, always use Willy's Rock...
More About: Tips , Timer