A (long overdue) response to the Tiger Mom concept - Part 1

Since it’s the Christmas season, I've been attending parties like a zombie (that is, I have been sleep deprived). I was so tired that I did not even react that much over a budding argument (by friends at one of my dinners) on whether parents should or should not spank their kids.

Apparently, in this modern day and age, some of my peers are still considering it. A friend of mine, who was more or less brought up in a conservative Chinese setting, shared the parenting style of her two older brothers – one spanks his kid while the other one, who is of the more western mindset, does not. Another friend said that her husband does not want to hit their kid, while she, if I am not mistake, is considering the merits of the idea.

Despite being unmarried and childless (and despite my lethargic mental state), I felt that I had to say something. I was, after all, a hapless victim of this archaic Tiger Mom concept. So, I, point blank, told them that “as a victim of physical (and emotional) abuse, I do not recommend it”.

This brought the husband of another friend to ask me “but you are ok now, right?” I think what he meant was that I turned out well anyway (?) or that I eventually got over it anyway (?) and therefore, whatever it was that my parents did to me was acceptable, right?

I was tired. It’s a Christmas dinner. And, I just didn’t want to turn the discussion over into this brouhaha over my sad childhood. So, I didn’t push it.

But yes, I am more or less ok now. But how long did it take me to be ok? How much drama, pain, grief, confusion, violence, tears, sleepless nights, crappy feelings, insecurities… (This list could go on and on…) did I have to go through (alone) before I turned out like this?

At best, I am a person who got over it but I, too, am a person who was and is still damaged.

But what about those other kids who could not deal? What had become of them? And, what about the others who “turned out well”, those who became very successful (like the infamous Tiger Mom) who would pass on this vicious cycle for more generations to come because they have proof of its “success”?

Tiger Mom book author with her 2 kids

Here is one Amy Chua quote, she says: “Once when I was young—maybe more than once—when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me "garbage" in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn't damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn't actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage.”

Well, I don’t know about you but if a person calls me “garbage” then wouldn't I, off the top of my head, take that as to mean just that - a person is calling me garbage. Not all kids are like Amy Chua who would derive such an illogical conclusion and suddenly think “oh, my dad doesn’t mean that. He thinks highly of me. He doesn't really think I’m garbage (even if he says so). I just need to do better. This doesn't make me feel worthless at all”

Children will believe what you say simply because they’re young, innocent, and they don’t know any better.

I ask these Tiger Moms, why not try this: Why not be straightforward? Instead of telling your child he/she is garbage, why not say: “I am very disappointed in this behavior/performance because I really believe you can do better.” Isn't this less cryptic, less violent, and less damaging to the self esteem? It delivers a clearer message in a less derogatory fashion.

Why not try that? If the sole purpose is to be a good parent, fostering guidance, leading your child to righteousness and greatness? Well, because it is not as simple as that, as it is not quite Chinese parenting without a dash of manipulation and guilt tripping, isn't it?

This souped-up Tiger Mom concept is nothing new. It’s archaic, it’s backward and it’s been around for centuries. It is what colonizers, monarchs, tribal leaders and feudal lords use to make their subjects do things. It’s not a new concept. Just ask every narcissist and dictator alive.

Enforce something, be threatening, diminish their self worth, if they fight back, extinguish it, make them listen, and punish them if they disobey. Works for dictators, works for a Tiger Mom.

In an editorial in psychologytoday.com, Kevin Arnold mentions 2 reasons why the Tiger Mom can claim success: achievement and well controlled behavior, because her strategies will likely produce both. Harsh parenting creates the motivation to seek approval through being successful and staying in line.

To put it simply, the concept is: You withhold love, approval and support as a parent so that your child will constantly seek your approval by doing all the things that you tell him/her to do.

For those who have not realized this yet, I will put it out there: This is manipulation. You are manipulating your little innocent child, showing him/her that he/she will not be loved if he/she does not become your robot.

Just think about it for a few seconds. These are little children. They are not subordinates, soldiers or minions.

Call me a person who coddles, call me a westerner, but I believe that children should be loved and they should feel this love. They should not be told that they are worth just as much as what they can do, that they are no one if they are not competitive, that if they are not show-worthy, if they are not whatever it is that society deem is successful, then they are nothing. These are not things that are ingrained in a mentally and emotionally healthy person. But these are the precise ideas that are permanently embedded in the minds of the children of these Tiger Moms.

Ironically, what proprietors of this Tiger Mom concept do not realize, with all of its importance on alleged substance, achievement and success is that: IT IS SHALLOW.

It is hollow. It is rigid. It is cold. It is mean. It is manipulative. It is narrow-minded. It is lazy. It does not foster creativity, a normal childhood, or a healthy state of emotional intelligence.

It only looks to achievement and obedience. What about the other things in life?

To an extent, I pity this Tiger Mom, that despite all of her successes, she has rationalized her childhood experience as one that was ideal.

With this, I turn the subject back to spanking. I again ask: If you can just straightforwardly tell your child that you are disappointed in their behavior and that you believe they can do better, if you can convey your message in words, do you really have to physically hit them?

I am not talking about light symbolic spanking to visually mark your dissatisfaction - the way I lightly tap my dogs or raise my index finger at them to let them know they are misbehaving.

I am talking about hitting them in a away that really hurts, literally and figuratively. I am also talking about the physical violence that comes from rage and uncontrollable anger. I am talking about the use of belts and other similar items, and about throwing things around or aiming things at the child. I am talking about pushing them to the wall and causing bruises. Acts like these cannot be called parenting.

These acts are often violent disciplinary tactics – acts to make them remember not to do things again, to threaten them to behave, or are expressions of fury and wrath – to release the anger on the child, to punish them and to make them suffer.

There really is no excuse for emotional and physical abuse. Not even when you tell yourself that you are only concerned for the child's future success and achievements.

I heart Container Homes

Call it weird but I had this container housing phase.

That is, I really wanted to build and live in a container house. I have since realized that this will never happen. I actually do not have an empty lot to my name, so where will I build this phantom house? And in this country, we don’t have these cool and livable container house complexes:

CONTAINER CITY, LONDON:Container City I is environmentally friendly with over 80% of the building created from recycled material. Installation took 4 days, and 25 containers for a total of 15 live/work and studio spaces.

KEETVONEN COMPLEX AMSTERDAM: Billed as the largest container city in the world and houses 1000 students. Each resident enjoys a balcony, bathroom, kitchen, separate sleeping and studying rooms and large windows. The complex has central heating and high speed Internet, as well as dedicated bike parking.

The recent tropical storm disaster reminded me of my container house phase. I was thinking, why don't the government just build container homes for the displaced people, as a temporary housing or as a solution to the informal settlers (aka squatters) problem?

They can probably stack them up to an engineering approved level to maximize the space that would be available. These structures could accommodate a lot of people and are relatively cheap to make. They're fast and easy to build. And from what I've read, they're pretty sturdy too.

If I’m not mistaken (I think I saw this on CNN), container homes were also built for the displaced victims of the Japan Tsunami.

It's really not a bad idea.

Rest In Peace

Rest in Peace, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Il, who would have thought that after all that nuclear hype, you would just die from a heart attack while inspecting a train?

Rest In Peace, Sendong Victims

Al Gore did say at his Inconvenient Truth talk that water levels will continue to rise and that there will be more and more incidents of floods in places that normally do no flood.

2011 has given us our fair share of these occurrences. The Philippines is no stranger to typhoon and floods. It happens all the time, it happens every year. Yet, every time it happens, every time hundreds of people die, you just wonder why these lives are so cheap?

In some cases, the main cause of so many deaths is the fact that people just refused to evacuate. Of course in every disaster, there are other factors to consider such as poor infrastructure, warning systems, disaster preparedness, as well as illegal logging, the number of informal settlers in the area, environmental issues and weather changes.

Still, hearing about all these unidentifiable bodies, so many that they've already ran out of caskets and people are just making their own DIY caskets now. Its overwhelming, the thought that these people were… well, washed away, just like that.

Corona Speaks : In Tagalog

Corona also speaks in Tagalog. And, I was just talking about this whole national language use topic yesterday.

He even used the word “iling”. He even goes the same way as the Tagalog lambasting style of Pnoy.

I don’t know what this mean when opponents of Pnoy (or officials from other factions) start battling with Pnoy in the same way ala Zubiri’s resignation speak and, in this case, Corona’s rebuttal. Does this mean that Pnoy is doing a good job at communicating to the masses and people want to emanate it or is this a matter of you speak English, I speak English, you speak Tagalog, I speak Tagalog, in the way that we often mimic those that talk to us?

Corona does not sound like a “conio”. However, it does sound somewhat unnatural.

I only saw a clip of his rebuttal but these are some of the things I’ve heard:

“Diktadura na nagmula sa pag lilinlang at paglason ng isip ng ating kababayan”

“Ako daw ay midnight appointment. Dapat daw hindi ko tinangap ang paghirang sakin - bakit po ba? Bakit po ba? Para si ginoong Aquino and makapaglagay ng kanyang Chief Justice na hawak niya sa leeg? Mapapailing ka talaga.”

“Mabagal na takbo ng ekonomiya, kawalan ng trabaho, pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, kahirapan at kagutuman… mukhang hindi niya naiintindihan…”

“(Ako ay) tumututol sa pag alipusta, sa paduduro at pananakot… tutol sa diktadura ni Pangulo Benigno Simeon Aquino… “

Wow… what fiery words. But I can’t help but want to respond to the subjects that he mentioned. I am currently writing a paper that required me to look into some local and global. macroeconomic factors and forecasts, so let me just say these things…

First, with regards to the comment on slow economic growth: If you look into the status of the Philippine economy, it has registered its best performance in three decades with a 7.3% GDP growth for 2010 and while for 2011-2012 growth was lower than expected, current growth forecasts remain modest at of 4-5% as forecasted by most international institutions like ADB, World Bank and Credit Suisse.

Second, with regards to unemployment and the increase in oil prices: Anyone who has cable TV or who tunes in to the local news, knows that this is a global phenomenon. Greek people are now sleeping on the streets and going to soup kitchens. Majority of the occupy people are probably unemployed. World food and oil prices are expected to increase. There are other factors to consider - the Arab Spring, all the other global occurrences (Japan Tsunami, Occupy Movement, etc) and the US/European financial crisis. Should the Philippines be completely insulated from all of it? If gas prices increase, does this mean the president doesn’t understand why they are increasing?

The risk of further inflation is currently being managed, it is now somewhat stable at the average of 4.8% (Jan-Sept 2011) after some preemptive policy rate hikes and raised bank reserve requirements. Despite everything, global economic growth is still forecast to slowly grow, which gave OPEC the right to "slightly" increase oil prices as well. This is the story.

Third, with regards to his (Corona's) appointment: Well, yes, he was a midnight appointee. And, logically if he didn’t take the position, Aquino would have appointed a chief justice that would be more cooperative to his administration, which isn’t a bad thing, as don’t we all want to get things done, get things moving along, and not spend too much time on getting rid of former appointees that hinder the government from achieving other objectives, like say the RH bill or the divorce bill or other things that would move the country forward?

Lastly, with regards to “dictatorship”: It is truly hilarious when people such as Mike and Iggy Arroyo start using words like this, calling what was done to them as something out of the Martial Law era or calling the current president a dictator. It’s funny. It’s not even just ironic. It should be on a level that is way past the irony.

People call Pnoy other things, like inefficient, lame, duh, or a mama’s boy but if we suddenly classify him as a brute dictator, what do we call the people who have gone before him? What do we call GMA’s term that was marred by questionable legitimacy (gaining power via Edsa 2, where she was technically a unelected president and dubiously winning over FPJ in the succeeding election), midnight appointments (even her manicurist and gardener got appointments) and exercises of government regulation loopholes abuse? Again, let's get some perspective here.

Dictatorship, you say, and, again, I ask: Are we gaslighting?

This diatribe is not even about Pnoy. This is about all these impudent characters. Why should they be allowed to win?

Pnoy vs. Corona

The TV was on the entire day, yesterday, while I was surfing the net, updating our social networking pages, burning Christmas PR CDs and working on my paper. So, my concentration was clearly impaired, I thought it was just about another impeachment filing and as history would have it, it seems ever since Clinton was put forth for an impeachment trial, the Philippines (with all its history of colonial mentality) has been impeaching everyone ever since. Given that there was some buzz that GMA was just being impeached then (with the intention for the move to fail) so that she could not be impeached again all throughout the year (so very diabolical). But, still, no one has been successfully impeached…until now, that is.

In a blink of an eye, Corona was indeed impeached. Exciting times, you say? Only, I didn’t even notice it until the news replay was on in the wee hours of the night (or early morning, I think that was). So, hey, he was impeached after all.

I have no particular feelings for him. When he was appointed just before GMA stepped down, I did felt that was shady. I am no lawyer. I have no affinity for the Supreme Court or have any empathy for its (former) head. So, I guess, that’s that. Let the PR wars begin.

Speaking of our president, what I’ve wanted to say for a long while now: I really like it that he uses Tagalog in his speeches. Even better, he does not use street Tagalog but utilizes a more formal tone, even when he is lambasting people.

I bet you that most of our officials cannot maintain a conversation on this level of the national language. It truly is a pet peeve of mine when government officials are interviewed on air or when they make speeches and they try to use Tagalog but eventually inserts more and more English words, like they couldn’t think in or (apparently) cannot communicate decently in the country’s national language.

This annoys me because (Dude) you’re a public official.

With this, the resignation speech of Zubiri comes to mind. I remembered he tried very hard to communicate in Tagalog but it was obvious that his command was lacking. It just sounded very “conio”.

So, ok, kudos to you Pnoy on your Tagalog speeches, although today, I must say, there were a lot of pauses, mispronunciations and some repeats. It wasn't "conio" sounding, just seemed like you didn't practice the speech. But, hey, I can still accept that, for now, just don't start dating.

Occupy Alaska: When Stupid meets the Ice

Nobel or Stupid? Despite negative temperatures, you set up tents, put up (more often than not) nonsensical signs, and just sit in. Resist to leave. Continue to protest.

You do have to wonder about this state that voted Sarah Palin in as a governor, a gun toting former pageant girl. Hmm?

I don't know about you, but logically, everyone avoids frostbite if they can.

I don't know about you, but for me, they thing that these occupy movements obviously have in common are these ridiculous signs and slogans that the people come up with. See top right corner: "you cannot evict an idea". Lower left corner: the tent that has writings on it talks of a congress amendment that once again doesn't make much sense.

Immortals: Not so immortal

Great digital cinematography wasted on such a flimsy storyline. I still prefer this one over Avatar though, another film that pairs impressive digital effects with a weak plotline simply because I would choose Grecian abs over a cheesy environmental alien love story any day.

While I do think Henry Cavill was hot (have thought this since his Tudor days) and Frieda Pinto the appropriate kind of alluring in this movie, this does not make up for the glaring fact that the movie was a sequence of senseless acts put together just to bridge those fighting scenes.

So many many holes and a lot of questions come to mind:

First off, what again was the intention of Mickey Rourke’s character? So, at first he wanted to get the bow. So, he raids monasteries and other holy places to find this bow or to possibly find the oracle, a.k.a. the virgin Frieda Pinto who gets premonitions that she may be able to tell him where this bow is. Why does he want this bow again? Is he just pillaging town after town to get rich, to conquer lands, or to get women? What’s the point, really?

Suddenly though, alas, the bow appears! Theseus cracks a rock formation and (tada!) it’s there. Seriously, if I blinked for a second there, I would really be wondering where the (hell) that bow came from. It’s just there lying around his hometown’s crypt, how convenient.

Then, the protagonist (Theseus) uses this bow to save his friends, shoots 4 invisible/lighting arrows from a distance and kills 4 bad dudes, impressive, but then, in the next scene, a rabid dog steals the bow. Oh-kay. Then hands it over to Mickey Rourke (King Hyperion) and then this bow never touches Theseus’ hands again. His buddy Stephen Dorff (friend peasant) does get to touch it afterwards (once King Hyperion drops it), he attempts to shoot arrows at those black figures (which I assume are the titans) and he doesn’t even hit any of them, instead he drops it after the first bow, and was devoured instantly (by said figures). What a lame weapon!

Speaking of the Titans, why does Mickey Rourke want to release them, again? I assume, they are not the type to just give thanks and pay allegiance to whomever it was that sets them free. If King Hyperion conquers the world, let’s say, these titans would still wreck havoc, right?

And, what is up with these Immortals showing up like the Justice League (in formation and in costume)?

And more importantly, are they not suppose to be immortals? Why did they die? Is that not the opposite of immortality – i.e. the title of the whole movie?!

Those gods don’t deserve their solo spot in the promo posters. They appear in a few scenes and just drop dead after all that hype.



And, why did Zeus take just Athena’s body up to the heavens when he left? What about his other children?

And, this Zeus character here, not very clever or god-like at all. If he could just pull those gold strings and make the mountain crash (effectively burying the black figures), why didn’t he just do that in the first place, instead of letting his children do all that manual hand to hand combat, which you would think they would do successfully (as they are suppose to be gods) but they didn’t, and they just died.

I know the film is looking to segue to a sequel, as these days it seems that just happens, but I don’t particularly get why the dead Theseus becomes immortal.

Also, I know I wasn’t listening too intently when we took up Greek mythology in high school but somehow I don’t remember things happening like they did in this movie. I am all for historical fiction (The other Boleyn Girl – the book, not the movie) or creatively using some historical facts (The Da Vinci code – the book, again) but I am definitely against loosely using characters (historical, mythical, biblical, book/comic characters, or otherwise) and creating a totally different persona or narrative for them. Do they really have to use the same name, put them in a similar setting, but make such extreme story adjustments?! It’s not ingenious or (even) cute, it’s just confusing.

So, I looked it up, browsed the internet as I was mildly bothered (and honestly befuddled) and figured, maybe, there was some Greek Mythology basis for some of the things that happened in the movie. But no, the film was really inaccurate (if we can use this term, as I don’t think they were even the least bit concerned about this, the way they turned everything upside down).

So, apparently, Phaedra wasn’t really even an oracle. She was a daughter of a king and she actually got married to Theseus (so it wasn’t just a vision-cancelling one night stand). Theseus wasn’t actually a bastard, his mother wasn’t raped (and she wasn’t a peasant either), and apparently she slept with her husband and Poseidon as well, to produce her son, Theseus. So, Theseus is suppose to be Poseidon’s son. Hyperion is the name of a Titan, not a king. I found no King Hyperion of Crete anywhere on the Greek mythology. And, these are just some of the totally off center things that I’ve discovered as I was browsing. Seriously, why make this kind of weird faux adaptation?

Lastly, just wanted to comment: what’s up with all the glitter and sequins?!

I've noticed a lot of glittered and sequins costume and prop items in the film. The bow had sparkly black glitter/sequence on it. There were random characters with sequenced head gears. I would have posted more pictures, only I couldn't find much pictures of the extras.

I like sparkles as the next girly girl (with an inner diva) but I just find it disturbingly odd. Come on, just look at this supposedly barbaric king, wearing this sparkly gold mask!?! It shines. It glitters. I don't know if he's meant to look scary (with his shark hat) or somewhat like a show gay.

This movie: Great form, laughable substance.

Occupy Mendiola: SERIOUSLY!?!

Not my picture, just my comments

For a while there I was proud. I thought this occupy movement will never reach our shores. And so, I was wrong. Perhaps, our nation’s colonial mentality is truly heavier than our understanding of our reality.

I remember my friend telling her sister who lives in New York when she showed her a video of an occupy rally near her apartment, “Ano ba, taga Pilipinas ka, and you call this a rally?”. The video was of a sparse group of people walking around a sidewalk claiming to “occupy”.

And it was true that rally pales in comparison to our rallies here: to Edsa 1 that started it all, even to Edsa 2 that turned out to give the nation false hope, and it definitely pales in comparison even to a crowd of stampeding fanatics into a Willie Revillame show. The rally captured in that video was indeed lame.

So, it this slogan trying to be cool or what?!

So, this Occupy Movement, I have previously discussed why I have no respect for it. But ok, let’s discuss it even further in the Philippine context. I've, previously, said that these occupiers from first world countries don’t know what it’s like to live poorly, not in the same way that people in third world countries know how. I've implied that we (Filipinos) would never rally that way because we had other things to stress about such as what we are going to eat the next day.

So I will say it again – these activists and rally people in Mendiola, can they say that they are part of the lowest 1%? Or even the lowest 20% of this country?!

The fact that they are educated, as most of them are said to be students, and the fact that they even know what the Occupy Movement is, know what it stands for and know this whole brouhaha about the 1% vs. the 99%, they are surely not part of lowest of the low of society, who probably have other concerns for the day.

In the past, there were kings and queens, there were aristocracies and gentries, there were caste systems, there were colonizers, there were feudal lords, there were priests and holy people who acted like lords, there were sultans, there were datus, there were tribal leaders… There was a societal hierarchy… It was the way of the world.

In the modern world, people were/are left to believe in democracy and meritocracy. With this worldview, people can choose their profession, who to marry, who to vote for… Women can chose to be educated, women can chose who to marry, women can vote and women can fight for equal rights…

With this worldview of offering freedom and freewill, people are left to survive amongst themselves. Some will win, some will lose, yes. This is to be expected. This is the way of the world these days. It is probably assumed that when you work for something (legally or illegally), you will reap what you sow (provide you come across some luck as well).

I am not saying that it is great that the rich people are getting richer or great that the poor are getting poorer. I am merely saying that if I owned a corporation, my aim would be to develop it. Wouldn’t that be logical? People do not open up businesses for it to fail. People do not start up enterprises to make them charity wards for everyone who is down in the dumps and are angry at the world.

That is not business, that would be dole outs and hand outs. Businessmen and women aim to get richer, it's their job. Corporations aim to make more profits, it's why they exist in the first place.

this cartoon that I saw the other day: My thoughts exactly!

I ask again. So, you are angry. So, the 1% are rich and you are not. And so, what is it that you want oh-crowd-of-anarchists-trashing-mendiola?

Do you all want to be magically rich? It does not take a genius to tell you that cannot happen.

Should we all turn Marxist, socialists or communists? Even if we do, government officials would likely still experience a more luxurious lifestyle that the general mass. So, will you guys still rally on then?

Is it equality that you want?

Do you just want to be rich? Or do you want the rich to be as poor as you are?

If you were suddenly rich and others were not, would you still rally on like this?

Late Reaction on these Political Machinations

So is GMA really sick? Initially, no one really believed it. Afterwards, people were like, ok, maybe, she’s a little bit sick. But the way these lawyers, Horn and Topacio, and all her people fought tooth and nail just to tell the public she should be allowed to leave the country for a checkup in Singapore or Spain, it’s as if her life depended on it.

Complications, diarrhea, depression and whatever else, just kept piling up. She needed to stay in the hospital they said.

Suddenly, when the doctors were being called to testify as to what the status of her health really is… Suddenly, she’s well. Could it be that no doctor would be willing to falsely testify for her at the risk of losing his/her medical license? (It is like when Atty. Topacio said that he advised the so called pro-GMA rallyist, to stay calm and not to rally. Clever - as there probably really are no GMA rallyist)

Speaking of her lawyers:


Hats off to Horn, she’s using her womanhood to her advantage. She cries. She emotes. She comes up with all these logical responses to everything that’s thrown at GMA and at her. If only GMA still had an ounce of credibility with the people, if only people gave a damn if she was sick or not… then Horn’s highly impressive skills would have made it work.

But that’s the thing, Horn’s really good at what she’s doing and yet she fails. This is the state of how much the people do not sympathize with GMA’s plight.

And, for Topacio – he is a clown. The first egg remark was a novelty, the succeeding ones were just trying. So, he continues to make random accusations and statements on air.

But as a friend of mine said the other day: “ang mga magnanakaw at manloloko, ang modus nila ay ang manindak muna”. She says that they will raise their voice or say some statement to shock you, then you’d forget about about your real thoughts for a while. This entire circus is a little bit, running along the same lines as, that strategy: Gaslighting.

Congratulations Roger!

So, it might be that instead of writing papers, doing research, and coming up with a sponsorship package for a certain event..

And, despite feeling under the weather, having downed about 2000+mg of Vitamin C + multi-vitamins + antibiotics + advil + antacids...

I, exercised my low EQ and decided to watch the World Tour Finals over the internet... (Is it just me or is it really hard to find a very good live stream these days. I only found one decent one. It was in French. And, it kept resetting!)

But at least, I am feeling quite happy...

Roger wins his 6th year end title! Win on his 100th finals! Ends the year within the top 3 for the 9th year! 16th Grand Slams! 70 titles! 807 wins!

Roger's 3 consecutive wins: Basel, Paris Masters, WTF London!
(pictures from the WTF website)

Hopefully, Roger's win will translate into a feeling of inspiration tomorrow as I have piles and piles of things that I have to do!

Naysayers:

Quotes I've read and heard this week on Roger:

Nadal: "Don't ever say Federer is not a figher!" as tweeted by @FedererLive - who can disagree?

Mahesh Bhupati: "Anyone who doesn't think Federer is the greatest player of all time needs serious help. Numbers don't lie... Masterclass once again!!!" via twitter

Hola Gorani: "Anyone who has met Federer can't help but be a fan, he's such a nice guy" (might not be an exact quotation - as seen/heard by me on CNN this week)

Seriously, Federer is made of something from out of this world. Everyone has been saying that his time is up and that it would be over soon. You would think that after years of keeping his game at that high level, something would have to give... but it does not, at least not yet.

Compare him to these younger guys, also playing at high levels. Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray, all of them are injured, looking weary and so tired. Even Berdych doesn't seem to be playing at his usual level.

You just have to admit that Roger truly is extra ordinary. Might say, truly the greatest of all time.

Mug Shot Revealed

Honestly, I cannot muster much sympathy.

Back when her boob implant burst and the information was leaked to the media, I truly did feel some sympathy for her then. But now… it’s like I cannot muster any feelings, even a shred of pity.

So, I guess it's true about what Lacson said. The sad thing, really, is that no one is sad for her.

Occupy Peeps: Tell Me, what do you want?!

I just had to ask. What is it that you want?

Pics disclaimer: random occupy protest signs from all over the net

(Note that: These signs don't even make much sense. And, I loved V for Vendetta, now this movement has tainted the memory of this mask for me!)

In the earlier days of the Occupy coverage, random protesters were asked by news crews as to what is it that they're really rallying for? Some people could not give the news crew a clear answer and those who gave answers, gave different answers.

Yet still, without a particular unified cause, the movement lives on.

So, I don’t know if these people realize that if they don’t stand for something or anything and they don’t tell us (or the MAN) what they want, even if we (or the MAN) wanted to appease them… No one would really know how to.

So... Dear US Occupiers, Obama is not a genie in a bottle (out to make everyone's dreams come true).

Since I'm pretty sure your movement was somehow inspired by the recent happenings around the globe. Let us look to these events for some guidance, for ex:

Egypt protesters: "We want Mubarak out" = Ok, Mubarak goes away to his resort / sick bed.

Gadhafi protesters: "We want Gadhafi out" = Ok, Sarkozy supports, NATO comes in, Gadhafi is killed by Libyan rebels somewhere near his hometown. Mission accomplished.

Italians disapprove of Berlusconi’s handling of the Italian economy = Berlusconi commits to go and then he resigns.

In comparison, this Occupy Movement does not give the world a clear message of what they want to happen.

According to occupywallst.org: "Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #ows is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future."

Ok, noted. I ask again: What is it that you want now?

According to its Wikipedia entry, that according to the Washington Post, that the movement, which has been described as a “democratic awakening” by Cornel West, is difficult to distill to a few demands.

Ok, so no demand list. Not even a list of who you want to demand whatever it is you guys are rallying about from? So, how will this work out?

The thing is... In protest movement, it seems it is best to keep it simple.

Look at Egypt... Tahrir square (2.0), just now has succeeded in ending the people's love affair with the military, they've rallied to make them step down.

See, send a clear message. Rally on. Message is subsequently received. The MAN yields - well that is the cabinet resigns, not the military heads. But the people power wins, sort of (for now).

But without a clear unified cause, it seems to me the Occupy people are just full of angst, behaving like anarchist, raging on, and for what, really?

I can't make it out amidst all the bruhaha that's going on.

So Occupy people, make it easy for whatever it is that you want to happen, to happen: JUST SPELL IT OUT.

Occupy: Rage Against the...?

I’ve been annoyed with the “Occupy” movement since it began. The first time I’ve heard of it, I ignored it. I was thinking it would go away… Only, it didn’t. Then it spread… I thought it would only spread in the US, but who would have thought it went more and more international....

So ok, my the beef with the movement is…

The Arab Spring… was about citizens rallying against long time ruling dictators. It’s about Mubarak who kept on winning elections over and over again that made you wonder why they even have elections back then. It was about Gadhafi, with his rambling speeches, self penned green book, escort nurses, bunkers and whatnot. It was about people like him, who had been in power since he was in his 20s. It’s about the shady Syrian government that annihilates its activists, they get rooted out, tortured and killed. It was about the gravity of the oppression that even the doctors who try to treat the injured were harassed by government forces. It was about and is still about a rally for more freedom, a cry for rights... (to vote, for free expression, etc.)

The Euro Rallies... were protests against austerity measures and their government's mismanagement of state funds.

One could say, hey, you're country is now bankrupt, just suck it up. The Greeks should just buck up because, logically, what other choice do they have? (Well, they could keep on raging on...) The thing is, where will they get their money to move forward when they refuse to bend to potential creditors who require them to be more prudent with their money, which is but logical.

Having said this, I believe that the Euro issues are more or less legitimate. People can get mad at their government for squandering their money. Italians can be pissed at Berlusconi for allowing their economy to go there, despite their leniency towards his affairs with underage girls. The Germans can get riled up if they end up picking up the slack for their neighbor’s money problems. These are issue of countries and a continent on the brink of financial chaos. Legitimate issues, yes.

But this Occupy Movement… What is it really? I get it, you guys are mad. You’re over educated but you’re either unemployed, underemployed or living in your parent’s basement. These bankers took your money away. Your over leveraged house is now gone. Sad, yes. A legitimate problem for you, yes. The Wall Street people were greedy, yes. And, so what now?! We all sit around somewhere in a park/sidewalk/pavement or wherever… and hold various signs of rage?

So ok, I ask again, what happens now?

So it goes... People with legitimate jobs actually quit their jobs to rally. Ok, most of these people rallying have no jobs so they‘re mad and they rally. Meanwhile, those people with actual jobs, quit, and now they have no jobs as well, they too are now ready to rally.

I understand your hate for these uber corporate Wall Street people but with the amount of banks and financial institution that went bankrupt, got sold, or downsized, all these Wall Street people who duped you into your high risk loans, are probably now, also, unemployed. Karma sort of served, right?!

And, so what now, then?

Let's just... occupy everything?!

Disclaimer on the photos: I picked them up off the net and put them together.

SO...

Arab Spring = dictators must fall, freedom of speech, cry for human rights…

Euro crisis = entire countries going/about to go bankrupt

Occupy = I am unemployed, I have no career fulfillment, I have no house... So, I am angst!

I’m not saying these are not legitimate personal issues, they are. I have suffered through years of quarter life crisis issues, so I know how much it sucks. All I am saying is that juxtapose this Occupy thing with the other rallies around the world, with Japan's earthquake-tsunami-nuclear blowup combo, with Thailand’s months long floods, with Somalia’s famine, or any other crisis around the world – this Occupy Movement, despite its reach and media coverage...

I just think we have to put it all in perspective.

Who's who? In the world of the sick

disclaimer: photo collage from pictures off the net

So, last Friday Abalos was rush to the hospital when he found out about his arrest warrant... allegedly due to stress (?)

Now, apparently the Penn State coach has lung cancer.

Various GMA spokes people have been saying that she now has: a new alleged infection, diarrhea, depression, high BP and no appetite... (Is that all?!)

HMMM?

Why can't we just kiss and make up?

Well... because we can't.

If only life and the world is as easy as photoshop... (then, I'd probably be good at it - life. that is)

Photoshop-ed world figures from Benetton's latest controversial campaign,
which I deem a winner in the marketing sense.

I don’t know if it's just cable tv, the internet or globalization, that it seems there’s just so many (big, explosive, ground breaking, spontaneous, unbelievable, unprecedented...) things going on at a given time – but 2011 has been quite chaotic.

Devastating disasters: tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, famine… everywhere and anywhere.

Destabilization efforts and mass rallies: the Arab Spring, the Euro/US financial crisis… and the “occupy” movement (which quite frankly, I am annoyed with).

All this talk about moving boundaries and territories, fortifying armies…

The so called June end of days, 11-11-11 and the Mayan 2012 prediction... Do you sense an eery apocalyptic feeling? In a sort of weird, paranoid, but not really (in a when-you-watch-tv-it's-ok-kind-of way), that is.

But hey, in a dreamworld, photoshop will make the world go round.

The campaign is really meant to elicit a reaction and cause a stir, maybe a little too much like (literally and figuratively) when Madonna and Britney Spears kissed at that award show, but it works. (Hey, sex sells. Controversy sell.) If Benetton wants to use world events for its own financial gain, hey, i can appreciate that. It's a brilliant marketing move.

Benetton, censored or not censored, outrage or no outrage, you’ve sent your message out to the world. CNN covered you. Marketing mileage maximized! Let’s hope it translates to sales as it has been years since I’ve bought or have worn a Benetton item or have entered a Benetton store.

You know if you printed these photos on shirts, I just might buy one.

Spot the Common Denominator

(Counter-Clockwise from top left) Picture # 1: GMA right before she attempted to “escape” and fly away to Hong Kong / Singapore / Spain. Picture # 2: Mrs Ligot, acting all weak during a senate inquire, Picture #3: Mubarak lying in bed during his trial and Picture #4: Fictional chairman from “Protect the Boss”, a koreanovella I recently watched.

What do they have in common?

Well, together with Ampatuan Senior and the Arroyo brothers – all of these characters suddenly had mystery medical conditions right after they’re implicated in some crime/scandal/anomaly/etc.

The only difference among these 4 pictures – one is a character from a soap opera, no less. It’s the funniest thing. This part of the plot finds the father, the chairman, having a go-to modus operandi, that is, to site in a wheel chair whenever his company is accused of something.

Obviously, this pretending to be sick game has been done too many times that the ploy has moved on as a spoof device in a Korean soap.

Let's Examine this closely: Real politician accused of fraud vis-a-vis fictional chairman accused of fraud = same facial expression, same acting?

Life imitating art, art imitating life?

The thing is, in the soap, there were 2 heirs who were sort of competing to become the heir to the family business, the chairman’s son and his nephew.

The son isn’t particularly interested in becoming the next chairman. However, his father is fixated in making him the heir, which is one of the storylines. At some point, the son’s secretary (the lead) told the son that if was to become the chairman, let him not be the kind that pretends to be in a wheel chair.

The nephew, at first, was competitive and aggressive, set to satisfy his mother's wishes, who wanted to gain more power over the family assets. Later though, after securing his position as the next chairman (since he really is the better executive) , he told his girlfriend that he plans to be a “clean” leader. He asked her if she was ready to go through life with him as he knows that company players (who expect you to connive with them) will eventually try to knock him down. He knows this way will be harder but he says he is going to try to go this way anyway.

And so goes this Korean soap that’s supposed to be a fluffy romantic comedy but gifts us with some (sort of sappy) lessons on corporate politics and ethics.

In the latter episodes, the chairman actually gets cancer and gets rushed to the hospital, only everyone thought he was faking it.

Much like the boy who cried wolf, no one really believed GMA when she first said she was sick or have had surgeries, neck brace or no neck brace.

At this point, I don’t particularly care about the validity of her medical condition. She already had her time as president. She plundered and emptied so called calamity funds for almost a decade. Even if she was truly sick, catatonic or immobile or in a coma, she can’t just fly away and get away with everything just because she's no longer the formidable person she used to be.

And, what about her allies? What about her family? What about this Iggy, alleged Jose Pidal, who is hiding out in London pretending to be scared to go home? What about Mikey, the so called party list representative of security guards, who was said to have booked a flight for the US last night? What about these Ligots and all the others? What about them? If say, GMA is truly so fragile, she drops dead... What, will we allow all of them to book a flight and just let them all fly away?!

For that matter, isn't is so blatantly odd why these people are in such a rush to all get out of the country? To just let them leave just like that... Should we all be ok with that? Seriously.

For these political figures and personalities who are for the Arroyos, I don’t know where these characters find the nerve and the gall not to be embarrassed about their stand on letting the Arroyos leave. Seriously.