screw the status quo. we need change and we need it now. we need not a leader who plays with words and public funds. we need not a leader whose years of service fall under the 'fiction' category. we definitely need not a leader who knows nothing. we require a leader who has conviction, who has the guts to change the seemingly unchangeable. we need... to prepare for 2007. Now.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Vote your Hero



You can vote for your favorite Asian Hero in Time Asia's website. The candidates are (drums rolling) post-Marcos savior former President Corazon Aquino, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, and "Battered but Unbowed" Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Battered but Unbowed. Hmm. What words to describe a president who doesn't give a damn about popular opinion, oblivious of the reality of what's happening outside MalacaƱang, and disowned by majority of her people. We have a president who's both blind and deaf. No wonder she seems unbowed.

By the way, you can submit your votes here. My "+1" vote goes for Manny. If there's a way to submit a "-1" vote for Gloria, please tell me.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

A New Beauty Queen



Lara Precious San Agustin Quigaman
Miss International 2005


So you finally made it to the top! So you finally reached your goal. But I'm telling you, sister, things are to get pretty wonderful from now on. So just keep your head high, stay focused, maintain that healthy daily routine we've been introduced to from way back, and don't lose that sweet personality that people would really admire as they discover you better, and I'm sure people are gonna love you more. I'm so proud of you, Lara. And thank you for the good news that we've been not receiving for the longest time. Congratulations! :)

Thought of the day: It seems good news are coming from outside the country. First was Manny Pacquiao, and now, Lara. Looks like Filipinos can really shine,... individually, that is. Not as a nation till now. If only we're nurtured by a good State and taken care of by a good government. For now, we can get no real good news from our leaders. Just empty blah-blahs and a bad image.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Ahmad vs. GMA7

Yes, Im stil alive folks! Alive Alert Awake Enthusiatic!

What is it with GMA-7 being way in over thier heads, thinking that they can make duplicates of the classic eye candys like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix" trilogies? Come on people effects are not everything. The reason why these holywood movies were so damn great, was because there were talented people behind it! I do not know how is it that the local showbiz industry is so pissed off about video piracy, when they themselves do nothing but pirate concepts, characters, storylines, and even scenes for crying out loud! What it ends up becoming is a poor attempt to mimick the original. Folks let us not support piracy in any form. Ergo Boycott this pathetic GMA and ABS-CBN shows. Stick to cable and news documentaries.

On second tought maybe the show "Sugo" is inspired from real events of Philippine Politics. Here's my version of the TV series, bear with me because this is the first essay Im writting in tagalog



Noong unang panahon, merong isang tribo na ang pangalan ay oposisyon. Ito ay pinamumunuan ni Apo Erap Estrada na me kapangyarihang itim. Mortal na kaaway ng mga taga oposisyon ang mga taga administrasyon na pinamumunuan naman ni Sultana Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Noong naglaban ang 2 pinuno, ginamit ni Sultana GMA ang kapangyarihan ng EDSA upang talunin si Apo Estrada, at siya nya ngang nagawa. Natalo at naghirap ang tribo ng oposisyon, ngunit naniniwala sila na sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan ng maduming pulitika ay muli nilang mabubuhay si Apo Estrada. Samantala ang reyna ng tribong administrasyon ay inabuso naman ang kapangyarihan ng EDSA at siyang naging ugat ng kanyang kasakiman, at naging sanhi ng paghihirap ng lahat ng kanilang kapanalig. Dahil dito ang ilang mga taga-administrasyon ay nag-aklas laban sa kanilang pinuno. Ngunit sadyang makapangyarihan ang pinuno ng administrasyon upang magapi. Kayat sa kawalan nila ng pag-asa sila ay sumanib sa tribo ng oposisyon upang muling buhayin si Apo Estrada. Mag gawa lamang nilang buhayin si Apo Estrada sa pamamagitan ng isang "Alay". Ang unang inatasan para maging alay ay si Fernando Poe Jr. At dahil ayaw ng pinuno ng tribong administrasyon na mawalan ng kapangyarihan sa oras na mabuhay uli si Apo Estrada, inatasan niya ang "Sugo" para tugisin ang alay, lipulin ang mga taga-oposisyon, at ipagtangol ang kanilang tribo. At natugis nga ang alay ng matalo si FPJ noong nakaraang eleksyon, kayat ang sumunod na alay naman ay walang iba kundi si Susan Roces. Inatasan ng mga taga-oposisyon ang isang tagapagtangol ng alay upang ito ay hindi magapi ng isang sugo. At ito ay walang iba kundi si Francis Chiz Escuderro. Ngunit hindi naman tumutigil ang sugo para gapiin ang alay ng oposisyon, at ang sugo ay walang iba kundi si Sec. Mike Defensor!

Tantanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Unfortunately this is not the battle between good and evil. This is a battle between Evil Vs. Evil. Its Freddy Vs. Jason, Alien Vs Predator. But in since I'm not feeling colonial lately, its sugo vs. tagapagtangol. Who needs to watch the pathetic acting skills of Richard Guttierez? Who needs to watch sugo or encantadia? Just watch the real deal! Watch the six o'clock news. -Ahmad

Friday, September 16, 2005

Naruto craze



Naruto is the latest worldwide anime craze after Dragonball, and currently most loved by those who have lived half of their lives watching anime. I've always liked watching anime eversince I first saw Daimos. Wait, is Daimos considered anime? ;-p

I just love Naruto. It's way better than Dragonball, and a bit better than my all-time favorite Hajime no Ippo (better known as "Knockout" in the Philippines). Good character building, good plot, and animation is really smooth. For those who know this series, watch that episode after the death of the 3rd Hokage, where Naruto and Sasuke unleash their true nature in battle. I think it's in the second season, as ABSCBN would refer calling it.

I just love the comedy, too! I also read the manga, but only after I watch the corresponding episode. Indeed, there are a lot of fillers in the anime series that branch out from the manga storyline. This is disapproved by lots of Naruto fans out there. But I so love this series that I even like the fillers. There's just something about the whole story, the apprentice-master and friendship element specifically, that amazes me.

My favorite character here is Tsunade, also known as the 5th. She's got the best character story so far: the path she took to becoming a Sannin to Konoha leader is simply fascinating. One of the famous Sannins, the woman got strength almost comparable to The Hulk. She's also short-tempered, a smartass, loves gambling, bored at work, and considers Japanese-style body spa the ultimate means of relaxation. Another special power that she possesses is the ability to heal. Ah, I wish I live that life. She's over 40, though, according to Jaraiya. Oh, I love Jaraiya second. He's an old pervert who can call big frogs. Teeheehee...

Spoiler alert! Currently, Naruto is being shown on ABSCBN everyday, 5:30pm. It's currently on that part where the Hokage dies. I think Cartoon Network also got the license to feature it, and it has already started with the first two episodes last week. It airs every Saturday, 9:30pm on cable tv.

I'm currently on the 151st episode, and I'm getting the episodes from the Naruto-Kun website (http://www.naruto-kun.com). This is one of the many reasons I love Wednesdays- they upload the newest episodes from Japan every week! You can also download the series soundtrack and manga comics from this site. Try "Go!!!", the fourth intro theme of the series. One of the best! Hurrah for online blessings! How I wish Filipino animation could be THIS good.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Sorry my @ss



Gloria's famous "I am sorry" thing is turning out to be the most irritating craze nowadays. It's Imee's turn this time. Apparently, the young Marcos did an unexpected absence during that Congress session when the pro-impeachment party needed help most. "I'm sorry," she said- referring to her decision to leave her post that night as her mother, the shoe addict Imelda, told her to do so. It is said that the government had asked the Marcos family to withdraw their support to the pro-impeachment group in exchange to allowing the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the infamous Libingan ng mga Bayani.

What kind of excuse is that? And where's the honor in that? If she really believes in the ideals of the party to which she entrusted her signature, she would fight alongside her colleagues until the end, wouldn't she? But no. One favor from her mother and poof. The promise is gone, dignity set aside. And she has the guts to say "lahat ng pangako ng presidente, napapako." (Not that she's not telling the truth, though.)

She said "minsan lang naman na napagbigyan ko ang aking ina, so sana'y pagpasensyahan nyo na". What does she mean by this? I thought being a leader means living as a public servant- and leaving all kinds of biases behind for the sake of the people whom you serve? This includes family. Or is it me and the few remaining idealists who believe that such leaders still exist in this country?

Yes yes... no one's perfect to resist the small favors of a family member. But to justify that for one's misdeed is just... annoying. And yet, that's family over service. This is the type of thinking politicians promise to shed off during electoral campaigns, yet embrace like pillows during a good night sleep. It's never OK to suffer the interest of the people for one's own goals, specially if you are a public servant... most specially if you took oath as representative of the people. And I thought Imee was one young congresswoman who, eventhough raised in the wrong side of politics, would live up to the promise of a new generation of leadership in this country. Looks like we do still have to wait for several more generations of young leaders before we could realize the real worth of our votes.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

The name's Katrina



Last week, we witnessed how weak Man is in the face of nature's wrath. We also saw how frail a country could be in the aftermath of a natural disaster, no matter how influential or powerful this country could be. Hurricane Katrina, which is said to have left the most costly damage in U.S. history, is a wake up call- Man has been addicted to wealth, oil and power, that taking these things away could mean a considerable amount of loss.

What'a hard to bear is how other people take other's misery to their advantage. Looting and crime that swarmed New Orleans after the disaster was just proof that, indeed, the innate evil in Man comes out in most desperate times. It even becomes more horrible when these people justifies their wrong deeds: they do this to survive. This seem to be an excuse that has gained universal status: every nation suffers from this dilemma everytime natural disaster strikes, not just in the United States. Does this prove that some of us still haven't learned from the grim history of humanity? If this happens in a nation that claims prestige and power over other nations, does this mean we still have a long way to go before Man realizes that the only way to a better life is not to be selfish?



Today, I've seen the last episode of the Star Trek: Enterprise series. A swift retrospect of the three Enterprise starships played before the credits rolled, as the famous "Space... the final frontier. These are the voyages..." spiel was delivered by captains Picard, Kirk, and Archer. It's sad to realize that not all good shows do not last forever. (This episode is such a tearjerker.) But it's much more sad to think that we really have a long way to go before we could reach that level of humanity.

Here are some more things to think about regarding the unfortunate events that followed during the recent weeks:

1. The hurricane season is just starting in the U.S. Let's pray Katrina's the first and the last one in queue.

2. The United States government was so fast in reacting to the 9-11 terrorist attack, but it took them a week before the first wave of aid came to New Orleans residents who were affected by Katrina. I call this selective preparedness, if not ample proof for a much more controversial claim... you know what I mean. Farenheit 9/11. Wink. Wink.

3. We have a real energy crisis now, something that the world still seems to deny. The world's addiction to oil is like addiction to coffee. You don't immediately notice that you are addicted, until somebody else notices it. But the addict denies this fact, as it slowly affects his daily routine. It's obvious that we need alternative sources of energy, yet the world ignores this growing necessity. It's obvious that there ARE alternative sources of energy, like biodiesel, solar energy, and things like electric cars and hydrogen extracted from water. But the world seems to be caught still in the illusion that we don't need them, we don't want them, we still have enough supply of oil for everyone. Makes you think about oil cartels and the power of corporate evils over the State. Makes you think how fragile against selfish agenda the "system" is.

4. The habit of throwing the blame to someone else in the aftermath of a natural disaster is not at all an inert quality of Filipino leaders. It happens anywhere. The fact is, everyone is to be blamed for this. I was watching the news while Katrina was just collecting it's strength in the Mexican Gulf, and people seemed to be easy about it. They were really caught unprepared.

5. Imagine losing your home, your family, everything that's almost worth your life... all in a day or two. Imagine returning to where your house used to stand. Imagine returning to a place that you almost can't recognize anymore. Imagine taking away everything but the clothes that you now wear. You know their government can't act as quickly as they need to. These people need all the help that they could get, fast.