"So... what do you do EXACTLY?"

A couple of years ago, I left the academe to be a Telephone Banker. After a few months, I got promoted to Operations Subject Matter Specialist.Then I transferred to another company and became a Virtual Workspace Team Leader and a Presentation and Graphics Support Workforce Coordinator. Now, here at McGraw-Hill, I currently work as a Financial Voice Writer and Editor. (And yes, I'm currently blogging here in the office, so don't expect me to bag that Employee of the Year award anytime soon.)

Since I entered the outsourcing industry, I've always dreaded this question: so, Ken, what do you do for a living? Because answering that question means I have to go through all the trouble of reciting my career dossier in verbatim. And the worst part is, I don't have any idea what exactly I do for a living.

I wish I could just answer, "I'm a call center agent." But the fact is, I'm not a call center agent. It's a lot more complicated than that. Thanks to the outsourcing industry, more and more jobs are created with fancy titles; jobs I've never heard of when I was still in college.

So remember the million-dollar question our elders used to ask us when we were still little kids? "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Mechanically, I used to answer "When I grow up, I wanna be a lawyer." Well, I don't know what happened, but what I'm doing now is far from "lawyer-ing."

(Maybe I should've just answered "when I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies. When I grow up, I wanna see the world, drive nice cars, I wanna have groupies...")

So I'd like to rephrase a famous song from a famous Doris Day movie:

When I was just a little boy, I asked my mother what will I be? Will I pretty? Will I be rich? Here's what she said to me:

Que sera, sera...
YOU WILL BE A COMPUTER GRAPHICS CONSULTANT AND ANALYST SPECIALIZING IN FINANCIAL DOCUMENT AND GRAPHICS PRESENTATION AND WHAT-HAVE-YOU.

WTF.

Another feather on Juan dela Cruz's hat...

For those who have been accusing me as a crab for my anti-Manny Pacquiao sentiments, here's something that I'm genuinely proud of. Pinoy auteur Brilliante Mendoza just arrived home with a freshly-minted Cannes award for his much ballyhooed opus entitled Kinatay. This isn't your ordinary Turkmenistan film festival or other run-of-the-mill competition. THIS IS CANNES.

I feel an immense sense of nationalism over Mendoza's triumph; I am a hundred times prouder of his achievement compared to Pacman's victory against that pathetic Brit. This is an entirely different boxing ring; Mendoza slugged it out with critics who deemed Kinatay as "unwatchable." Major film reviewers pan the film, including Roger Ebert, who said that the film is easily the worst ever to compete in Cannes.

Well, screw the critics. The judges were obviously impressed with Mendoza's work, and just for sheer effort, I applaud him. Here's a true-blooded hero who gives us a glimmer of hope that someday, we can bring back the glorious years of Philippine cinema. Critics notwithstanding, he represented the country not for the sake of money or fame or political ambition. Here's an artist who was able to beat cinema heavyweights like Tarantino, von Trier and Almodovar, despite limited financing from the government; a government who continuously charge a hefty sum (30% amusement tax) from our struggling film industry.

So, my dear Pinoys, there's much more to life than boxing and Aling Dionisia.

To the defense of Kris Allen

Since the boy next door won over the one with the guyliner, I've been spending a great amount of time debating with a lot of hardcore Idol followers. Is Kris Allen he rightful winner? The answer is a resounding YES.

I was one of those who almost peed in their tighty-whities when Kris was declared champ over erstwhile judges-annointed producers-pimped Adam Lambert. Indeed, it was one of those "WTF" moment in boob-tube that will surely resonate well in the years to come. However, afterward I felt an immense satisfaction with Allen's victory.

Kris Allen is not you're cookie-cutter Idol. When we speak in Idol-esque language, we always see a diva pop-star who hits those glorious notes like there's no tomorrow (Sparks, Jordin; Clarkson, Kelly; Underwood, Carrie), or a suave crooner who can sing any theme infused with the words "mountain," "rainbows," or "journey" (Studdard, Reuben; Hicks, Taylor). Kris doesn't need to screech or scream to hit those notes; he knows his strength and plays his cards (and guitar, and piano...) pretty well. He just your ultimate crowd-pleaser, who hits the stage as if he's just there to have fun, and not to compete with anybody. His effortless and unassuming demeanor is not typically an Idol quality, but Kris managed to make it work.

Moreover, he smashed the Idol machinery into pieces by breaking into the Danny Gokey-Adam Lambert-Lil Rounds troika. From the beginning, the show has been pimping these three contestants, ignoring those underdogs who do not have heartbreaking backstories that translate into ratings. Kris was one of those (along with Allison Iraheta and Matt Giraud) who failed to get significant screen time despite their obvious talents. Every year, we see how the Idol machine catapult the favorites to the end of the finish line, at the expense of more talented singers (c'mon, Blake Lewis over Melinda Doolittle? or Syesha Mercado over Carly Smithson? Seriously?). And while Kris can't belt out those high notes ala Glambert, the kid surely knows his music, making his own arrangements, picking great songs, infusing a lot of personality and charm with every performance. He does not need those sob stories to gain sympathy votes (cough, Gokey, cough).

Kris and Adam are both great singers though I would've been happier if it was Glambert swimming in a pool of confetti while singing that horrid Kara DioGuardi penned ditty during that fateful night at the Kodak Theater. But that is not to say that Kris Allen is not a worthy of the title.

This is exactly the reason why I don't want Pacquiao to win...

I don't get it. I know, we should be proud of the People's Champ, but why the euphoria?

If Manny wins a seat in the Congress, I'm afraid more people will die.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 die of heart attack during Pacquiao bout

By Marrah Erika Lesaba, Jeannette Andrade, Edwin Fernandez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:33:00 05/03/2009

Filed Under: Pacquiao, Politics, Weather, Television

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Three people died due to heart attack from excitement while watching boxing hero Manny Pacquiao beat British Ricky Hatton on Sunday, police said.

In Batangas province, 64-year-old tricycle driver Francisco Lalongisip, collapsed in his neighbor’s house at around noon, at the same time Pacquiao knocked Hatton down, said Police Officer 2 Amiel Sanhi.

Lalongisip, a resident of Ilat South village, San Pascual town, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bejasa General Hospital in the same town, Sanhi said.

Lalongisip was so excited about the fight that the first thing he did in the morning was to go to his neighbor’s house to watch the television broadcast, Sanhi said.

In Manila, a 49-year old Vic Ocampo also died of a heart attack at a Manila hospital just as he rejoiced at seeing Hatton fall on the canvas.

Ocampo, a resident of 1154 Casanas Street in the Sampaloc district, was watching the free showing of the live Pacquiao-Hatton match at the Dapitan Sports Complex along with other boxing fans when he collapsed at around 11:50 a.m., just as Pacquiao knocked out Hatton in the second round.

Ocampo was rushed by standby medics to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors, said Senior Police Officer 1 Arnulfo Amor of the Manila Police District (MPD) Sampaloc Station 4.

In Tantangan town, South Cotabato province, 52-year-old farmer Rolando Cabang fell to the ground gasping for air at the start of the second round, said Senior Police Officer Armand Nuno of the town police, who is also a relative of the victim.

“It’s his fate,” Nuno said, adding that relatives should have prevented Cabang from watching the fight.

Elsewhere in the Southern Luzon region, politicians used the Pacquiao- Hatton fight to advertise their names in several cable television channels in Laguna province as sponsors of the live fight from Las Vegas.

In Cavite City, about 1,000 people gathered to see the fight at the town stadium. Xyzie Ybañez, one of the spectators, said local politicians running for the 2010 elections provided the venue for the free viewing of the fight.

“Our wait was even longer than the fight,” she said.

A parish in Laguna had to move the regular meeting of the parish pastoral council in the evening as officers needed to witness fight.

Romeo Velasco and wife Luisa left their hometown in Calamba City in Laguna, Sunday, to make sure they would be early at the Pasig Sports Complex to see the fight.

He said that as early as 6 a.m., the line for the free viewing reached about two kilometers.

In Pila town, Laguna, two suspected drug pushers were arrested as police continued patrols during the Pacquiao fight, said Senior Superintendent Manolito Labador, Laguna police provincial director.

Rat Pack turns... gay

I looooove the standards. There's something about big band music and guys in suits and tuxedos that make me swoon in sheer delight. Or maybe, it's just the 65-year old guy lurking in me. On a karaoke night, give me the microphone and I'm sure as hell I'll be looking for "Sinatra, Frank" in the songbook. (Though I'll definitely skip "My Way". Here in the Philippines, people get murdered singing that song. Seriously.)Or Buble, Michael. Or Connick, Harry. (Connick=Hot)

So imagine my excitement when I learned that this week's American Idol theme is Rat Pack. Well, maybe the others weren't as excited as I was, but I thought, wouldn't Kris Allen look adorable in a suit? Then again, Kris looks adorable in anything, so that's a foregone conclusion. I also knew that Matt Giraud would slay this one, and, much as I hate Danny Gokey, I believe the theme suits The Bestpectacled One well.

Then, there's Adam Lambert.

Can you imagine Freddie Mercury singing Sinatra? Neither can I.

But fortunately, Glambert, with his signature tongue-sticking and howling-til-you're-deaf somehow worked. Our gurlfriend brilliantly sang "Feeling Good," combining the versions of Buble and Pussycat Dolls (you know PCD covered this, didn'tcha?). Well, not as brilliant as his take on "Mad World" and "Tracks of my Tears," but still good enough.

And I was right about Gokey, who, this time, deserved the accolades from the judging panel. His personal spin on "Come Rain or Come Shine" proved that he can be inventive, though for me, he's still overrated. Kris Allen performance was charming, but safe. Allison Iraheta did pretty well, but The Last Girl Standing didn't get that much love from Simon.

I'm quite certain that Matt Giraud will get the boot this time. The judges cant' save him now.


PS. I have a feeling that his blog will turn into another American Idol fanblog. I'm a sucker for this show. It can't be helped.

Disney: Seeing double?

My hubby Bur shared a YouTube clip, where scenes from different Disney flicks were obviously recycled. An article from Slate.com ask whether this affects the way we view Disney.

While I find this YouTune clip amusing, it did not, in any way, diminish my respect and admiration for Disney. I grew up watching Disney films; I cried buckets when Bambi lost his mother, and I can still sing Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo verbatim. (I seriously believe that watching Sleeping Beauty's billowing skirt turn into pink, then blue, then green, then pink again, is one of the factors why I became queer. Seriously.)

A seven year-old kid immersed in wonder and fantasy created by Walt Disney couldn't care less if The Jungle Book and Robin Hood were drawn using the same template. Heck, we see samples of recycled shows over and over again on local TV, and people do not seem to care.

Visiting "Grey Gardens"

I love HBO biopics. Gia introduced me to this future Oscar winner named Angelina Jolie. Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino mesmerized me in Norma Jean and Marilyn. But those films failed to move me the same way Grey Gardens did. I loved this Drew Barrymore-Jessica Lange starrer so much that I had to re-open my dormant blog just to deliver my praises.

The film is based on the acclaimed documentary by Albert and David Maysles about the life of Big Edie and Little Edie Beales (aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy-Onnasis, respectively). While I haven't seen the entire documentary (apart from the YouTube clips), my hubby Bur told me that Barrymore's resemblance to Little Edie is uncanny. This piqued my interest, and I immediately leeched the biopic via torrent (yes, guilty as charged).

For me, Barrymore's performance transcends beyond mere impersonation. The famous scene wherere she's describing the "perfect costume for the day" was both hilarious and heartbreaking. If she will not win an Emmy for this, then there's no justice. Lange did not dissapoint either, delivering a nuanced performance as Big Edie. Unfortunately, both can cancel each other out in the Emmys. Nevertheless, I'm still rooting for Drew, who finally proved that she can be a serious actress given the right project.