Salute to “The Man from Manila”

I woke up this morning thinking that this will be one of the ordinary days I’ll have in my life...Got up, prepared lunch and went on to prepare for work. While fixing myself for work, the television was turned on and tuned in to Eat Bulaga, though I wasn’t really paying attention to it. Then suddenly, Vic Sotto and the rest of the “dabarkads” appeared on the screen looking terribly sad. At that very moment, I knew something really bad happened, then it was confirmed when Vic Sotto said:

“Sa lahat po ng nanonood ng Eat Bulaga...ikinalulungkot po naming ipaalam sa inyo...that Francis Magalona...passed away...this...12 noon. Marami s’yang iniwang alaala sa’tin dito sa Eat Bulaga pati na sa larangan ng musika. We will surely miss him pati na ang buong industriya. We request everyone to pause for a moment for prayers for the eternal repose of the soul of Francis. Our condolences to Pia and family...Kiko, we love you.”

After hearing this, I felt a sudden gloom come over me...I cannot call myself a true-blue Francis M fanatic but I am one of his fans. I admire him...I respect him for his talent and his contribution to the Filipino music and to the Philippine movie industry.

When the news came out about his illness I had nothing but hopes that he will surpass it...Francis M is Francis M...I know he can survive it. But I guess, no matter how strong his will to survive may have been...his body couldn’t just take it any longer and God knows that this will be the best for him for He won’t let His son suffer much longer.

I know, deep in my heart, that though Filipinos had just lost a great talent... a true patriot... Francis M...”The Man from Manila” is already in a better place with his creator.

Francis M., you’ll never be forgotten...may you rest in peace...and thanks for the Kaleidoscope World you shared with us!

**photos courtesy of: a Free Mind - http://francismagalona.multiply.com/

And the Oscar went to...

The long wait is finally over, the winners of the 81^st Academy Awards were already revealed. I was actually surprised by the result. I was expecting “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” to bag most of the awards...I guessed wrong. “Slumdog Millionaire” is the biggest winner. What is “Slumdog Millionaire”? I didn’t even know such movie existed. Well, probably, this movie is indeed a good one, coz if not; this movie won’t be winning Best Picture and Best Director. Also, I feel very happy because Heath Ledger got the posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor...another point to his legacy...As I’ve mentioned on my previous blog....I soo love Heath and I’ll forever be proud of that.

Anyways, here’s the list of the winners:

(The Associated Press )

Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"

Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Foreign-Language Film: "Departures," Japan

Original Song: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Score: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis

Film Editing: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Sound Mixing: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight"

Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Documentary, Short Subject: "Smile Pinki"

Documentary Feature: "Man on Wire"

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Short Film: "Spielzeugland"

Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Costume: "The Duchess"

Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes"

Animated Feature: "WALL-E"

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

BTW, Hugh Jackman did a great job in hosting the event...such a hottie!!! And oh, I’m going to watch “Slumdog Millionaire” and see for myself if the film really is a masterpiece. =)

Caylee Anthony

Months had passed since the day I first read the news about the missing child in Orange County, FL. This news actually caught my attention and I read about the succeeding events regarding the case.

Caylee Anthony was the 2-year old toddler who was reported missing in July 2008. Her mother Casey Anthony became the primary suspect for the disappearance of the child. The search for Caylee was launched. A lot of people helped to find the missing girl until December 11,2007 came. On that day, they have found Caylee’s remains placed inside a black garbage bag. Hearing about this news somehow broke my heart though the first time I heard about this news I never really had a hope that they would find this little girl alive. I was just hoping then that they would find her no matter what state.

Months after the discovery of her remains, news came out. Evidence found at the Anthony’s home is linked to the evidence found at the woods where they found Caylee’s remains. Her mother, Casey Anthony, is charged with murder in her death.

I just hope that justice will be served to whoever is responsible for the death of this little angel.

Zip it!

Paulie, my friend and former coach once told me, “If you don’t have anything good to say...just don’t say anything at all.”

You’d probably wonder why he gave me this advice...well, if Paul was asked to describe me, he would definitely say, “Jen, she’s misunderstood.” True enough, people’s first impression on me would always be..I am a snob (believe me...I am not...hehe). Probably because I look intimidating. (again, am not...lol). There are times wherein the words that I say are being interpreted negatively though I never meant it that way. So, Paulie, gave me an advice. He told me that I really need to think hard before I utter the words that I’m going to say. But being the chatterbox that I am, I find this advice to be hard to do. So he came up with this other advice, “If you don’t have anything good to say...just don’t say anything at all.”

I blogged about this because, there’s this one recent incident that reminded me of this. An acquaintance cracked a joke pertaining to me and I found it a little off...I wanted to respond to the joke but being the “mean” that I am, I knew that there’s a possibility of offending this person with my joke...so what I did is instead of spilling my very scrutinizing joke, I just smiled and thought to myself,

“Jen, if you don’t have anything good to say...just don’t say anything at all.”

Australia's Bushfires

Recently, every time you check on the news, it’s always about the global recession which I already got tired of reading but the recent news saddened me.

Almost 200 people died in the recent bushfires that hit Australia and they fear that death toll may reach to up to 300. News says this has been the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bushfire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 that killed 75 people.

I just hope that the Australians would be able to surpass this very tragic event and pray that the souls of those people who were not able to survive rest in peace.

"I Pledge..."

I came across this video yesterday while I was preparing my stuff at work. I thought it was still early so might as well check it out. The video actually touched my heart. It made me realize more that no matter how small or little your good deed is, it still will contribute to the big change that you’re dreaming of. I just hope everyone will realize this, so we would have a better future...a better world.

Celebrities made a pledge to support US President Barack Obama. Here’s the video:

Remembering Heath

A year had already passed since the shocking news about Heath Ledger’s accidental death came out. Big loss of a true talent for the Hollywood industry.

I am actually a fan of Heath Ledger. The first time I saw him was in his movie “10 Things I Hate About You” and I immediately fell in love with this “Can’t Take My Eye’s Off You” singing lad. I’ve seen almost all movies and love them. Four Feathers, A Knight’s Tale and The Patriot are among my favorites. Truthfully, it was really heart-breaking for me to hear about his death. How could this happen to a very young guy? I mean, I felt like he could have gone far with his talent. A proof to this is his posthumous award as Best Supporting actor for Golden Globe.

I will miss that very manly face, that cute smile, and great talent. Surely, Heath Ledger will forever be one of my favorites and I will never forget him.

God Bless your soul, Heath.